Version Bits
A Bitcoin soft-fork signaling mechanism where miners set bits in the block version field to show readiness.
Version bits, described by BIP9, lets miners signal support for several soft-fork deployments at once by setting specific bits in a block's version field. Nodes count signaling over defined windows.
If signaling crosses the required threshold before timeout, the upgrade can lock in and later activate. Version bits is a coordination tool; it does not by itself decide whether a rule change is desirable.
Related terms
3 linkedExplore connected entries beyond the alphabetical index.
Soft Fork
→A backward-compatible protocol change where upgraded nodes enforce stricter rules without splitting the network.
Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP)
→A design document proposing changes or standards for Bitcoin.
SegWit
→A Bitcoin upgrade that moved signatures into witness data, fixing third-party malleability and changing block capacity.
All terms and definitions may update as the Cryptionary improves.
