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An Ethereum hard fork changes the network’s consensus rules. Because the new rules can accept blocks or other structures that the old rules reject, nodes running outdated software may stop agreeing with upgraded nodes and continue on an incompatible chain.
What a hard fork means on Ethereum
A hard fork is a change to the rules Ethereum nodes use to decide whether blocks and other network data are valid. EIP-4 describes the key distinction: a hard fork can make structures that were invalid under the old rules valid under the new rules.
This is a protocol and software-coordination change, not a physical hardware event. The Ethereum.org glossary also uses “hard fork” for a permanent blockchain divergence and cautions that the term is different from a software-repository or Git fork.
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Ethereum clients implement protocol changes, which are activated at a specified point. The Ethereum Foundation’s 2016 FAQ describes activation by block number; that is a historical example, not a statement of how a current upgrade is scheduled.
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After activation, an outdated node may reject blocks that upgraded nodes accept. It can therefore fall out of consensus with the upgraded network and continue following an incompatible chain. The precise result depends on the rules changed and which software participants run; a hard fork does not by itself mean that every user sees two lasting chains.
Hard fork versus soft fork
The distinction is about validity under the old and new rules, and whether older software can remain compatible with the resulting chain.
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| Change | Effect on validity | Compatibility implication |
|---|---|---|
| Hard fork | Can make structures invalid under the old rules valid under the new rules. | Nodes that have not upgraded may be unable to validate the new chain. |
| Soft fork | Makes some structures allowed by the old rules invalid; it does not make old-invalid structures valid. | Ethereum.org describes a soft fork as backward compatible. |
This validity-based distinction comes from EIP-4; the compatibility description is also reflected in the Ethereum.org glossary.
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Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) document proposed changes. A network upgrade can bundle multiple EIPs, which client teams implement so nodes can maintain consensus on Mainnet. An EIP is a proposal or specification; its existence alone does not show that the change has been activated.
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For network compatibility, EIP-2124 describes fork identifiers that summarize a network’s genesis and forks already applied. Nodes can use this information to distinguish networks and assess compatibility states. It is a technical aid, not a substitute for running client software that supports the applicable protocol rules.
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What users should take away
- A hard fork is a consensus-rule change, not simply a new software release or a change to a repository.
- Client upgrades matter because nodes must apply compatible rules to validate the same chain.
- Whether an EIP becomes part of an activated network upgrade must be distinguished from the proposal itself.
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