Idiom idiom
Soft Fork
Meaning
A backward-compatible protocol upgrade that older software still accepts under certain conditions.
Examples
“SegWit was introduced through a soft fork.”
“A soft fork tightens the rules without forcing older nodes off the network.”
“Unlike its harder cousin, a soft fork stays backward-compatible, so nodes that never upgrade still accept the new blocks as valid.”
Origin
disputed origin
disputed origin
Soft signals that the change stays compatible with previous versions.
Last updated July 19, 2026