Chain Split
blockchain · governance
A divergence in which nodes accept competing block histories; it may resolve by reorganization or persist as separate networks.
A chain split exists when participants do not share one active chain tip. It can be temporary—such as two valid blocks found at nearly the same time—or durable when groups enforce incompatible rules and continue building both histories.
A temporary branch normally resolves when one valid history accumulates more proof of work and the other becomes stale. A durable split can create separate assets, replay and naming risks, duplicated pre-split history, and new operational decisions for wallets, exchanges, miners, and users.
Related terms
Fork
→A fork is a blockchain divergence caused by competing blocks, software changes, or incompatible consensus rules.
blockchain · event
Bitcoin Cash (BCH)
→A proof-of-work cryptocurrency that split from Bitcoin in 2017 and follows a separate on-chain scaling and CashVM roadmap.
cryptocurrency · bitcoin-cash
Bitcoin (BTC)
→The first widely adopted cryptocurrency, using proof of work and an issuance schedule capped near 21 million BTC under current rules.
cryptocurrency · btc