Homework on Soft and Hard Forks - Questions

Blockchain and Bitcoin 101
#2711
  1. What is the difference between a softfork and a hardfork?

Soft forks makes blocks invalid while hard forks makes more blocks valid.

  1. What are some of the reasons why you would do a hardfork?

To expand the rule set. To improve the network.

  1. What are some of the risks with performing a hardfork

Less security because of split hash power. The community can split.

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#2712

1 : What is the difference between a softfork and a hardfork?

A soft fork is a contraction of the size of the block, making valid blocks invalid and a hard fork is an expansion of the size of the block, making invalid blocks valid.

2 : What are some of the reasons why you would do a hardfork?

You can create a new coin by hardforking. Hard forks updates need 100% of the nodes to update so they donā€™t hard fork but if they donā€™t get 100% a split will happen in the chain making new coin. Performing a hardfork can also take away hash power away from the original chain.also to add one or more functions that is not currently in the specifications.

3 : What are some of the risks with performing a hardfork?

Hard forks can cause a split in the chain causing tensions and a split in the community, if the hard fork is done then the security of the chain is reduced as hash power is reduced.

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#2713

  1. Soft fork is an expansion update of the rule set making previous invalid blocks valid, and hard fork is a contraction update of the rule set making valid blocks invalid.

  2. Change the consensus rules, block validation, block size validation, transaction validation.

  3. Reduces security as it splits the hash power into two chains, splits the community.

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#2714

A hardfork is an expansion and a softfork is a contraction, Hardforks make previously invalid block valid, Softforks make previously valid blocks invalid. Hardforks require 100% consensus. Softforks require majority consensus.

A hardfork may be necessary for significant upgrades/changes to the system. Perhaps to improve transaction speed or if newer wallets came online that required different programming languages,

Hardforks may leave alienate nodes that do not want to participate in the changes thereby causing a reduction in hash power and a split in the community.

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#2715
  1. What is the difference between a softfork and a hardfork?
    Hardfork previously valid rules are invalid and vise verse on Softfork.
  2. What are some of the reasons why you would do a hardfork?
    Update of rules.
  3. What are some of the risks with performing a hardfork?
    Split of chain and split of community.
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#2716

You can develop a wallet in any programming language as long as you develop it in accordance to the protocol. You can also develop a node in different languages in fact there are many Bitcoin implementations in different languages, bitcoin-core is just the most used reference implementation. :slight_smile:

#2717

A hardfork makes previously invalid block valid. Expansion of the ruleset. Split of the chain. Split of the community. 100% Network Update.
A softfork makes previously valid block invalid. Contraction of the ruleset. No chain split. No community split. 50% Network Update.

Clear update and change of the consensus rules. New currency.

A split of the community. A split of the chain. A split of the hash power :arrow_right: Less secure network.

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#2718
  1. What is the difference between a softfork and a hardfork?
    soft fork invalidates previously valid blocks, hardfork validates previously invalid blocks
  2. What are some of the reasons why you would do a hardfork?
    To make a change to the rule set but you dont have consensus from 51% of the miners
    To not force the community to follow one path, giving a democratic choice
  3. What are some of the risks with performing a hardfork?
    Split the hashpower . making the network less secure. Splitting the community, decreasing the size of the ecosystem
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#2719

  1. What is the difference between a softfork and a hardfork?
    Softfork update that make previously valid blocks invalid by creating 1mb to 500kb block size.
    Hardfork update that make previously invalid blocks valid by creating 1mb to 2mb block size.

  2. What are some of the reasons why you would do a hardfork?
    Some likes hardforks for the reasons that it produces a cleared update and democratic.

  3. What are some of the risks with performing a hardfork?
    The cons of hardforks are the following: split chain, split community, hash poor split.

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#2720

  1. What is the difference between a softfork and a hardfork?
    A hard fork will make previously invalid blocks valid.
    A soft fork will make previously valid blocks invalid.
    A hard fork refers to the release of new software that will not be compatible with the old software version, therefore, every node needs to update. A soft fork is a software update that releases a version that can be compatible and accepted by those nodes that keep using the old software version.

  2. What are some of the reasons why you would do a hardfork?
    A hard fork update is done when new and necessary features are being brought to the blockchain. Therefore, the ruleset changes.

  3. What are some of the risks with performing a hardfork?
    Splitting the chain and creating a new currency. Also, splitting the community and therefore, the hash power which can reduce the blockchainā€™s safety. The blockchain could potentially be subject to attacks.

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#2721
  1. What is the difference between a softfork and a hardfork?
    Hard forks makes invalid block valid and the softfork opposite
  2. What are some of the reasons why you would do a hardfork?
    in hardfork we have clear update rules and it is more honest , demoratic way of these update forks
  3. What are some of the risks with performing a hardfork?
    The risks in soft fork update are that the chain is beeing split in two chains, community is divided and hash power is also split
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#2722

  1. Softfork occurs when previously valid blocks become invalid after the update, on the other hand, hardfork occurs when previously invalid blocks become valid after the update. Hardforks are not avoidable but softforks can be avoided if the majority of nodes are convinced.

  2. If you would like to have a new currency or if you would like to change the concensus rules.

  3. Hardforks split the community, the chain and more importantly the hash power that leads to some weaknesses.

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#2723
  1. What is the difference between a softfork and a hardfork?

During a hardfork, previous invalid blocks get valid. During a softfork the opposit happens and all the previous blocks get invalid.
Also a hardfork is a community driven democratic decision wether or not the majority wants to go to the new update.
A softfork gives no such possibility and all notes have to follow the majority.

  1. What are some of the reasons why you would do a hardfork?

The current system might not as useful as it should be at the moment and the updates that are needed canā€™t be done with a softfork.
Also a hardfork is more democratic and the instructions for the community are pretty much straight forward in comparison to a softfork update.

  1. What are some of the risks with performing a hardfork?

The community will split into 2 chains what will also decrease the hash power.

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#2724

1 Hardfork makes valid blocks invalid resulting in creating 2 different chains , blocks are backward incompatible
2 To force consensus rules and create different coin
3 In hardfork the hashing power and community splits

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#2725
  1. Soft fork makes valid blocks invalid. HF makes invalid blocks valid (it expands the rules).
  2. To create new currency, to fit in block more transactions, to follow part of comunity idea.
  3. Lower security due to lower (splited) hash power, spliting community.
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#2726

  1. A hardfork represents a relaxation of the consensus rules, such that a block previously recognized as INvalid may now be valid (ie, after the fork). A softfork applies tighter constraints, meaning a block that might have been accepted previously will now be declared invalid, and so rejected by the networkā€™s updated nodes.

  2. A hardfork does not coerce nodes into accepting the update and so allows greater liberty to the network participants (in that they may choose to stop mining, update or continue mining without an update, the last meaning they will continue operations along the original chain). While the hardfork may split a community, it provides a clear demarcation and may result in less confusion (ie, confusion as was described within the sigwit context).

  3. The hardfork does split the community and the network, since two distinct blockchains are now perpetuated, each with its own consensus rules. Following the hardfork, each network will likely have fewer nodes and miners than immediately prior to the fork, and so the hashrates of the networks are reduced from that of the original, and network security is correspondingly weaker.

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#2727

Thank you for this information. I look forward to learning more so that I have a better understanding of the systems.

#2728

  1. Hard fork is an update that makes previous invalid blocks valid.
    Soft fork is an update that makes previous valid blocks invalid.

  2. Its a clear and defined update and the ability to create new currencies.

  3. Requires 100% of the nodes to update for a fork to not appear. divides the hash rate making it less secure.

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#2729
  • What is the difference between a softfork and a hardfork?
    The rule set makes the difference. Hard fork works against the rule set and soft fork works with the current rule set
  • What are some of the reasons why you would do a hardfork?
    More functionality and or changing consensus
  • What are some of the risks of performing a hardfork?
    This creates less security and using more hash power
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#2730

Homework on Soft and Hard Forks - Questions

  1. What is the difference between a softfork and a hardfork?
    Hard forks is a permanent divergence in the the block chain, commonly occurs when non-upgraded nodes canā€™t validate blocks created by upgraded nodes that follow newer consensus rules.

Soft forks is a temporary divergence in the block chain caused by non-upgraded nodes not following new consensus rules

  1. What are some of the reasons why you would do a hardfork? Clear update to a new protocol and more democratic than a soft fork

  2. What are some of the risks with performing a hardfork?
    the chain splits, split community , hash power splits

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