Soft Fork
Consensus● Common
A backwards-compatible consensus rule change where new rules are stricter than old rules. Old nodes still accept blocks from new nodes. Examples: SegWit, Taproot, P2SH. Requires miner majority for activation but doesn't split the network if old nodes remain.
Technical Notes
Mechanism: make previously valid transactions/blocks invalid. Old nodes see new transactions as 'anyone-can-spend' but valid. Activation methods: flag day, BIP-9 miner signaling, BIP-8 (with mandatory activation), Speedy Trial. Can be contentious (UASF debate).
Metadata
Visibility: Public
Created:1/3/2026by System