Results for “Fork vs Hard fork”

Fork

A fork is a change to a blockchain's rules, or a split where two versions of the chain continue. A soft fork stays compatible with older software; a hard fork does not, and if some users reject it, two separate chains result, as with Ethereum and Ethereum Classic.

What it means for you. After a split, people who held coins at that moment usually hold them on both chains, but each exchange and wallet decides separately whether to support the new coin. A site asking for your seed phrase to 'claim' fork coins can take everything on both chains.

Sources: Bitcoin developer glossary, ethereum.org: The history of Ethereum, Bitcoin developer guide: Block chain · checked 4 October 2026

Hard fork

A hard fork is a change to a blockchain's rules that loosens or breaks them, so blocks made under the new rules are rejected by nodes that have not upgraded. If some participants never upgrade, the chain splits permanently into two, each with its own history from the split onward.

What it means for you. If a hard fork splits a chain, balances from before the split are recorded on both chains, because both share that earlier history. Whether coins on either side can be moved or sold depends on wallets, nodes and exchanges choosing to support that chain.

Source: Bitcoin Developer Guide: Block Chain (consensus rule changes) · checked 4 October 2026