This article has been translated from English to Gen Z Slang.

A Hard Fork is like when a squad breaks up, forming two separate squads that vibe together simultaneously, running side by side, but not messing with each other. 😎

A hard fork is basically a glow-up for the blockchain’s code, thanks to the awesome software update needed to keep things fresh.

Some homies accept the update, while others decide to pass on it. 🤷‍♀️

The ones who level up with the update create a brand-new blockchain. 🆕✨

Any blocks that join the OG blockchain don't get added to the new one, fam. 🚫

Hard forks drop for all kinds of reasons, including:

  • fixing sketchy security vibes,
  • unfixable drama within the developer crew, 😤
  • undoing shady transactions from a hack,
  • adding cool new features,
  • switching up fee structures or mining rewards, and
  • revamping existing code that’s too much of a hot mess to fix. 💻

Some Ethereum miners are thinking about a hard fork of the Ethereum blockchain 'cause of the Merge happening in September 2022. 🔮

The Merge wants to flip Ethereum from Proof-of-Work (PoW) to Proof-of-Stake (PoS), knocking out the rewards miners score for validation skills. 💰

The PoW Ethereum blockchain will get a new tag: ETHPoW after the Merge. 🔍

Bitcoin has been through a bunch of hard forks since its debut, including:

  • Bitcoin XT
  • Bitcoin Classic
  • Bitcoin Unlimited
  • Bitcoin Cash
  • Bitcoin Gold
  • Bitcoin SV
  • eCash
  • Litecoin

Tons more forks went down. 🤙

Some hard forks, like Bitcoin Cash and Litecoin, have kept it fresh and are still poppin’ among the crypto elite. They're both hanging in the top 30 largest market cap cryptos. 🚀💎

Other forks hit the struggle bus, with their squads losing steam, and activity dropping, which usually shuts them down. 😬