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{{short description|Wikipedia list article}}
{{Short description|None}}
{{pp-semi|small=yes}}
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{{main|Fork (blockchain)}}
{{main|Fork (blockchain)}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2021}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2021}}
[[Bitcoin]] forks are defined variantly as changes in the protocol of the [[bitcoin network]] or as the situations that occur "when two or more blocks have the same block height".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Antonopoulos|first1=Andreas|title=Mastering Bitcoin: Programming the Open Blockchain|date=2017|publisher=O' Reilly media, inc.|location=USA|isbn=978-1491954386|page=Glossary|edition=2}}</ref> A fork influences the validity of the [[Communication protocol|rules]]. Forks are typically conducted in order to add new [[software feature|features]] to a blockchain, to reverse the effects of [[computer hacking|hacking]] or catastrophic [[software bug|bugs]]. Forks require [[consensus]] to be resolved or else a permanent split emerges.
[[Bitcoin]] forks are defined variantly as changes in the protocol of the [[bitcoin network]] or as the situations that occur "when two or more blocks have the same block height".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Antonopoulos|first1=Andreas|title=Mastering Bitcoin: Programming the Open Blockchain|date=2017|publisher=O' Reilly media, inc.|location=USA|isbn=978-1491954386|page=Glossary|edition=2}}</ref> A fork influences the validity of the [[Communication protocol|rules]]. Forks are typically conducted in order to add new [[software feature|features]] to a blockchain, to reverse the effects of [[computer hacking|hacking]] or catastrophic [[software bug|bugs]]. Forks require consensus to be resolved or else a permanent split emerges.


==Forks of the client software==
==Forks of the client software==
The following are [[software fork|forks]] of the [[software client]] for the [[bitcoin network]]:
The following are [[software fork|forks]] of the [[software client]] for the [[bitcoin network]]:
; Bitcoin XT: A fork initiated by [[Mike Hearn]]. The current reference implementation for bitcoin contains a computational [[bottleneck (production)|bottleneck]].<ref name="inth">{{Cite news |url=http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/inside-the-fight-over-bitcoins-future |title=Inside the Fight Over Bitcoin's Future |author=Maria Bustillos |access-date=7 January 2017 |date=25 August 2015 |newspaper=The New Yorker |publisher=Conde Naste }}</ref> The actual fork was preceded by Mike Hearn publishing a ''Bitcoin Improvement Proposal'' (BIP 64) on June 10, 2014, calling for the addition of "a small P2P protocol extension that performs [[UTXO]] lookups given a set of outpoints."<ref group=src>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0064.mediawiki|title=bips/bip-0064.mediawiki at master · bitcoin/bips · GitHub|work=GitHub}}</ref> On December 27, 2014 Hearn released version 0.10 of the forked client XT, with the BIP 64 changes.<ref group=src>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/bitcoinxt/bitcoinxt/releases/tag/v0.10|title=bitcoinxt/bitcoinxt|website=GitHub}}</ref> It achieved significant attention within the bitcoin community in mid-2015 amid a contentious debate among core developers over increasing the block size cap.<ref name="Hern-2015">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/aug/17/bitcoin-xt-alternative-cryptocurrency-chief-scientist|title=Bitcoin's forked: chief scientist launches alternative proposal for the currency|author=Alex Hern|date=17 August 2015|newspaper=the Guardian|access-date=20 August 2015}}</ref>
; Bitcoin XT: A fork initiated by [[Mike Hearn]]. The current reference implementation for bitcoin contains a computational [[bottleneck (production)|bottleneck]].<ref name="inth">{{Cite news |url=http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/inside-the-fight-over-bitcoins-future |title=Inside the Fight Over Bitcoin's Future |author=Maria Bustillos |access-date=7 January 2017 |date=25 August 2015 |newspaper=The New Yorker |publisher=Conde Naste }}</ref> The actual fork was preceded by Mike Hearn publishing a ''Bitcoin Improvement Proposal'' (BIP 64) on June 10, 2014, calling for the addition of "a small P2P protocol extension that performs [[UTXO]] lookups given a set of outpoints."<ref group=src>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0064.mediawiki|title=bips/bip-0064.mediawiki at master · bitcoin/bips · GitHub|work=GitHub}}</ref> On December 27, 2014 Hearn released version 0.10 of the forked client XT, with the BIP 64 changes.<ref group=src>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/bitcoinxt/bitcoinxt/releases/tag/v0.10|title=bitcoinxt/bitcoinxt|website=GitHub}}</ref> It achieved significant attention within the bitcoin community in mid-2015 amid a contentious debate among core developers over increasing the block size cap.<ref name="Hern-2015">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/aug/17/bitcoin-xt-alternative-cryptocurrency-chief-scientist|title=Bitcoin's forked: chief scientist launches alternative proposal for the currency|author=Alex Hern|date=17 August 2015|newspaper=the Guardian|access-date=20 August 2015}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2022-04-29 |title=A list of Bitcoin forks and how they have changed the network - CNBC TV18 |url=https://www.cnbctv18.com/cryptocurrency/a-list-of-bitcoin-forks-and-how-they-have-changed-the-network-13318902.htm |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=CNBCTV18 |language=en}}</ref>


:On June 22, 2015, [[Gavin Andresen]] published BIP 101 calling for an increase in the maximum block size. The changes would activate a fork allowing eight MB blocks (doubling in size every two years) once 75% of a stretch of 1,000 mined blocks is achieved after the beginning of 2016.<ref group=src>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0101.mediawiki|title=bips/bip-0101.mediawiki at master · bitcoin/bips · GitHub|work=GitHub}}</ref> The new maximum transaction rate under XT would have been 24 transactions per second.<ref name="edov">{{Cite news |url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/2974339/bitcoin-xt-debate-overshadowing-growth-opportunities.html |title=Bitcoin XT debate overshadowing growth opportunities |author=Tim Hornyak |access-date=7 January 2017 |date=21 August 2015 |work=PC World |publisher=IDG }}</ref>
:On June 22, 2015, [[Gavin Andresen]] published BIP 101 calling for an increase in the maximum block size. The changes would activate a fork allowing eight MB blocks (doubling in size every two years) once 75% of a stretch of 1,000 mined blocks is achieved after the beginning of 2016.<ref group=src>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0101.mediawiki|title=bips/bip-0101.mediawiki at master · bitcoin/bips · GitHub|work=GitHub}}</ref> The new maximum transaction rate under XT would have been 24 transactions per second.<ref name="edov">{{Cite news |url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/2974339/bitcoin-xt-debate-overshadowing-growth-opportunities.html |title=Bitcoin XT debate overshadowing growth opportunities |author=Tim Hornyak |access-date=7 January 2017 |date=21 August 2015 |work=PC World |publisher=IDG }}</ref>
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:The August 2015 release of XT received widespread media coverage. ''[[The Guardian]]'' wrote that "bitcoin is facing civil war".<ref name="Hern-2015" />
:The August 2015 release of XT received widespread media coverage. ''[[The Guardian]]'' wrote that "bitcoin is facing civil war".<ref name="Hern-2015" />


:''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'' wrote that "Bitcoin XT exposes the extremely social — extremely democratic — underpinnings of the open source idea, an approach that makes open source so much more powerful than technology controlled by any one person or organization."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wired.com/2015/08/bitcoin-schism-shows-genius-open-source/|title=The Bitcoin Schism Shows the Genius of Open Source|date=19 August 2015|work=WIRED|author=Cade Metz}}</ref> Developer [[Adam Back]] was critical of the 75% activation threshold being too low and that some of the changes were insecure.<ref name="bisp">{{Cite news |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/20/bitcoin-splits-will-it-break-or-be-better-than-ever.html |title=Bitcoin splits: Will it break, or be better than ever? |author=Everett Rosenfeld |access-date=5 January 2017 |date=20 August 2015 |work=CNBC }}</ref>
:''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'' wrote that "Bitcoin XT exposes the extremely social—extremely democratic—underpinnings of the open source idea, an approach that makes open source so much more powerful than technology controlled by any one person or organization."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2015/08/bitcoin-schism-shows-genius-open-source/|title=The Bitcoin Schism Shows the Genius of Open Source|date=19 August 2015|magazine=WIRED|author=Cade Metz}}</ref> Developer [[Adam Back]] was critical of the 75% activation threshold being too low and that some of the changes were insecure.<ref name="bisp">{{Cite news |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/20/bitcoin-splits-will-it-break-or-be-better-than-ever.html |title=Bitcoin splits: Will it break, or be better than ever? |author=Everett Rosenfeld |access-date=5 January 2017 |date=20 August 2015 |publisher=CNBC}}</ref>


:On August 25, 2017, Bitcoin XT published ''Release G'', which was a [[Bitcoin Cash]] client by default.<ref name="releases" group=src>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/bitcoinxt/bitcoinxt/releases|title=Bitcoin XT Releases|access-date=17 June 2018}}</ref> Subsequently, ''Release H'' was published, which supported the November 2017 Bitcoin Cash protocol upgrade, followed by ''Release I'', which supported the May 2018 Bitcoin Cash protocol upgrade.{{cn|date=February 2021}}
:On August 25, 2017, Bitcoin XT published ''Release G'', which was a [[Bitcoin Cash]] client by default.<ref name="releases" group=src>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/bitcoinxt/bitcoinxt/releases|title=Bitcoin XT Releases|website=[[GitHub]] |access-date=17 June 2018}}</ref> Subsequently, ''Release H'' was published, which supported the November 2017 Bitcoin Cash protocol upgrade, followed by ''Release I'', which supported the May 2018 Bitcoin Cash protocol upgrade.{{cn|date=February 2021}}


; Bitcoin Classic: In its first 8 months, Bitcoin Classic promoted a single increase of the maximum block size from one megabyte to two megabytes.<ref name="paulvigna">{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/is-bitcoin-breaking-up-1453044493|title=Is Bitcoin Breaking Up?|author=Paul Vigna|date=17 January 2016|work=WSJ}}</ref> In November 2016 this changed and the project moved to a solution that moved the limit out of the software rules into the hands of the miners and nodes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://zander.github.io/posts/Classic%20is%20Back/ |title=Classic is Back |access-date=April 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202055402/https://zander.github.io/posts/Classic%20is%20Back/ |archive-date=2017-02-02 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
; Bitcoin Classic: In its first 8 months, Bitcoin Classic promoted a single increase of the maximum block size from one megabyte to two megabytes.<ref name="paulvigna">{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/is-bitcoin-breaking-up-1453044493|title=Is Bitcoin Breaking Up?|author=Paul Vigna|date=17 January 2016|work=Wall Street Journal}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> In November 2016 this changed and the project moved to a solution that moved the limit out of the software rules into the hands of the miners and nodes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://zander.github.io/posts/Classic%20is%20Back/ |title=Classic is Back |access-date=April 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202055402/https://zander.github.io/posts/Classic%20is%20Back/ |archive-date=2017-02-02 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
; [[Bitcoin Unlimited]]
; [[Bitcoin Unlimited]]
All three software clients attempt to increase transaction capacity of the network. None achieved a majority of the hash power.<ref name="tbs">{{cite book |title=The Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking |last=Ammous |first=Saifedean |year=2018 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=9781119473893 |pages=227, 228 |url=https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=Pw5TDwAAQBAJ |access-date=23 April 2018}}</ref>
All three software clients attempt to increase transaction capacity of the network. None achieved a majority of the hash power.<ref name="tbs">{{cite book |title=The Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking |last=Ammous |first=Saifedean |year=2018 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=9781119473893 |pages=227, 228 |url=https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=Pw5TDwAAQBAJ |access-date=23 April 2018}}</ref><ref name=":0" />


==Intended hard forks splitting the cryptocurrency==
==Intended hard forks splitting the cryptocurrency==
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* [[Bitcoin Cash]]: Forked at block 478558, 1 August 2017, for each bitcoin (BTC), an owner got 1 Bitcoin Cash (BCH)
* [[Bitcoin Cash]]: Forked at block 478558, 1 August 2017, for each bitcoin (BTC), an owner got 1 Bitcoin Cash (BCH)
** [[Bitcoin SV]]: Forked at block 556766, 15 November 2018, for each Bitcoin Cash (BCH), an owner got 1 Bitcoin SV (BSV).
** [[Bitcoin Satoshi Vision]]: Forked at block 556766, 15 November 2018, for each Bitcoin Cash (BCH), an owner got 1 Bitcoin SV (BSV).
** [[eCash (blockchain)|eCash]]: Forked at block 661648, 15 November 2020, for each Bitcoin Cash (BCH), an owner got 1,000,000 eCash (XEC).
** [[eCash (blockchain)|eCash]]: Forked at block 661648, 15 November 2020, for each Bitcoin Cash (BCH), an owner got 1,000,000 eCash (XEC).
* [[Bitcoin Gold]]: Forked at block 491407, 24 October 2017, for each bitcoin (BTC), an owner got 1 Bitcoin Gold (BTG)
* [[Bitcoin Gold]]: Forked at block 491407, 24 October 2017, for each bitcoin (BTC), an owner got 1 Bitcoin Gold (BTG)
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* Benefits for the [[Lightning Network]]: More flexibility, privacy enhancement, lower costs.{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}}
* Benefits for the [[Lightning Network]]: More flexibility, privacy enhancement, lower costs.{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}}


==Unintended hard forks==
==Bitcoin hard forks==
Two hard forks were created by "protocol change" definition:
Three hard forks were created by "protocol change" definition:
* July 2010 Chain Fork (addition of OP_NOP functions)
* March 2013 Chain Fork (migration from BerkeleyDB to LevelDB caused a chain split)<ref>[https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0050.mediawiki March 2013 Chain Fork]</ref>
* March 2013 Chain Fork (migration from BerkeleyDB to LevelDB caused a chain split)<ref>[https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0050.mediawiki March 2013 Chain Fork]</ref>
* CVE-2018-17144 (Bitcoin 0.15 allowed double spending certain inputs in the same block. Not exploited)
* CVE-2018-17144 (Bitcoin 0.15 allowed double spending certain inputs in the same block. Not exploited)

Latest revision as of 01:00, 26 September 2024

Main article: Fork (blockchain)

Bitcoin forks are defined variantly as changes in the protocol of the bitcoin network or as the situations that occur "when two or more blocks have the same block height".[1] A fork influences the validity of the rules. Forks are typically conducted in order to add new features to a blockchain, to reverse the effects of hacking or catastrophic bugs. Forks require consensus to be resolved or else a permanent split emerges.

Forks of the client software

The following are forks of the software client for the bitcoin network:

Bitcoin XT
A fork initiated by Mike Hearn. The current reference implementation for bitcoin contains a computational bottleneck.[2] The actual fork was preceded by Mike Hearn publishing a Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP 64) on June 10, 2014, calling for the addition of "a small P2P protocol extension that performs UTXO lookups given a set of outpoints."[src 1] On December 27, 2014 Hearn released version 0.10 of the forked client XT, with the BIP 64 changes.[src 2] It achieved significant attention within the bitcoin community in mid-2015 amid a contentious debate among core developers over increasing the block size cap.[3][4]
On June 22, 2015, Gavin Andresen published BIP 101 calling for an increase in the maximum block size. The changes would activate a fork allowing eight MB blocks (doubling in size every two years) once 75% of a stretch of 1,000 mined blocks is achieved after the beginning of 2016.[src 3] The new maximum transaction rate under XT would have been 24 transactions per second.[5]
On August 6, 2015 Andresen's BIP101 proposal was merged into the XT codebase.[src 4][src 5] Bip 101 was reverted[src 6] and the 2-MB block size bump of Bitcoin Classic was applied instead.[citation needed]
The August 2015 release of XT received widespread media coverage. The Guardian wrote that "bitcoin is facing civil war".[3]
Wired wrote that "Bitcoin XT exposes the extremely social—extremely democratic—underpinnings of the open source idea, an approach that makes open source so much more powerful than technology controlled by any one person or organization."[6] Developer Adam Back was critical of the 75% activation threshold being too low and that some of the changes were insecure.[7]
On August 25, 2017, Bitcoin XT published Release G, which was a Bitcoin Cash client by default.[src 7] Subsequently, Release H was published, which supported the November 2017 Bitcoin Cash protocol upgrade, followed by Release I, which supported the May 2018 Bitcoin Cash protocol upgrade.[citation needed]
Bitcoin Classic
In its first 8 months, Bitcoin Classic promoted a single increase of the maximum block size from one megabyte to two megabytes.[8][4] In November 2016 this changed and the project moved to a solution that moved the limit out of the software rules into the hands of the miners and nodes.[9]
Bitcoin Unlimited

All three software clients attempt to increase transaction capacity of the network. None achieved a majority of the hash power.[10][4]

Intended hard forks splitting the cryptocurrency

Hard forks splitting bitcoin (aka "split coins") are created via changes of the blockchain rules and sharing a transaction history with bitcoin up to a certain time and date. The first hard fork splitting bitcoin happened on 1 August 2017, resulting in the creation of Bitcoin Cash.

The following is a list of notable hard forks splitting bitcoin by date and/or block:

  • Bitcoin Cash: Forked at block 478558, 1 August 2017, for each bitcoin (BTC), an owner got 1 Bitcoin Cash (BCH)
    • Bitcoin Satoshi Vision: Forked at block 556766, 15 November 2018, for each Bitcoin Cash (BCH), an owner got 1 Bitcoin SV (BSV).
    • eCash: Forked at block 661648, 15 November 2020, for each Bitcoin Cash (BCH), an owner got 1,000,000 eCash (XEC).
  • Bitcoin Gold: Forked at block 491407, 24 October 2017, for each bitcoin (BTC), an owner got 1 Bitcoin Gold (BTG)

Intended soft forks splitting from a not-most-work block

  • The fork fixing the value overflow incident was controversial because it was announced after the exploit was mined. It was assigned CVE-2010-5139.

Intended soft forks splitting from the most-work block

Segwit

Main article: Segwit

Taproot

Taproot is an agreed soft fork in the transaction format. The fork adds support for Schnorr signatures, and improves functionality of smart contracts and the Lightning Network. The fork was installed in November 2021.[11] The upgrade adds privacy features.[12][13] Taproot includes Bitcoin Improvement Proposal numbers BIP340, BIP341, BIP342.[14]

Advantages:

  • Complex transactions, such as those requiring multiple signatures or those with delayed release, are indistinguishable from simple transactions in terms of on-chain data.[citation needed]
  • Reduced transaction costs: The data size of complex Bitcoin transactions is reduced, which leads to lower transaction fees.[citation needed]
  • Support for more complicated conditions for a transaction via Schnorr signatures.[citation needed]
  • Benefits for the Lightning Network: More flexibility, privacy enhancement, lower costs.[citation needed]

Bitcoin hard forks

Three hard forks were created by "protocol change" definition:

  • July 2010 Chain Fork (addition of OP_NOP functions)
  • March 2013 Chain Fork (migration from BerkeleyDB to LevelDB caused a chain split)[15]
  • CVE-2018-17144 (Bitcoin 0.15 allowed double spending certain inputs in the same block. Not exploited)

References

Source code

  1. ^ "bips/bip-0064.mediawiki at master · bitcoin/bips · GitHub". GitHub.
  2. ^ "bitcoinxt/bitcoinxt". GitHub.
  3. ^ "bips/bip-0101.mediawiki at master · bitcoin/bips · GitHub". GitHub.
  4. ^ "Implement hard fork to allow bigger blocks · bitcoinxt/bitcoinxt@946e3ba". GitHub.
  5. ^ "bitcoinxt/bitcoinxt". GitHub.
  6. ^ "2MB block size bump by dgenr8 · Pull Request #117 · bitcoinxt/bitcoinxt". GitHub.
  7. ^ "Bitcoin XT Releases". GitHub. Retrieved 17 June 2018.

Other references

  1. ^ Antonopoulos, Andreas (2017). Mastering Bitcoin: Programming the Open Blockchain (2 ed.). USA: O' Reilly media, inc. p. Glossary. ISBN 978-1491954386.
  2. ^ Maria Bustillos (25 August 2015). "Inside the Fight Over Bitcoin's Future". The New Yorker. Conde Naste. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  3. ^ a b Alex Hern (17 August 2015). "Bitcoin's forked: chief scientist launches alternative proposal for the currency". the Guardian. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  4. ^ a b c "A list of Bitcoin forks and how they have changed the network - CNBC TV18". CNBCTV18. 2022-04-29. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  5. ^ Tim Hornyak (21 August 2015). "Bitcoin XT debate overshadowing growth opportunities". PC World. IDG. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  6. ^ Cade Metz (19 August 2015). "The Bitcoin Schism Shows the Genius of Open Source". WIRED.
  7. ^ Everett Rosenfeld (20 August 2015). "Bitcoin splits: Will it break, or be better than ever?". CNBC. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  8. ^ Paul Vigna (17 January 2016). "Is Bitcoin Breaking Up?". Wall Street Journal.
  9. ^ "Classic is Back". Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  10. ^ Ammous, Saifedean (2018). The Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 227, 228. ISBN 9781119473893. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  11. ^ Sigalos, MacKenzie (2021-06-09). "Bitcoin just got its first makeover in four years". CNBC. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
  12. ^ Kharif, Olga (2021-06-15). "Bitcoin to get more privacy features in Taproot update, making it harder to trace payments". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2021-06-23.
  13. ^ Locke, Taylor (2021-06-14). "7 key things that happened in crypto over the past week". CNBC. Retrieved 2021-06-23.
  14. ^ "All Bitcoin Improvement Proposals, including BIP340". 2021-06-01 – via GitHub.
  15. ^ March 2013 Chain Fork
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