forking

Forking is the act of creating a copy or divergence of a project so that development can proceed separately from the original. The term is used in several domains, notably software development, version control, and decentralized networks. A fork establishes an independent line of development that may retain connections to the original while pursuing different goals, features, governance, or licensing terms.

In software repositories, especially those using distributed version control systems such as Git, a fork typically means copying a repository to another user’s account. This allows the fork’s maintainers to work independently while still having the option to propose changes back to the original project through pull requests. A fork is usually preserved as a separate repository; a branch, by contrast, remains within the same repository.

In blockchain and other decentralized systems, a fork refers to a split in the protocol that creates two separate chains. Hard forks introduce incompatible rule changes, producing a new chain; soft forks are backward-compatible. Examples include Bitcoin Cash, which split from Bitcoin in 2017, and the split between Ethereum and Ethereum Classic following the DAO incident.

Forking can reflect strategic, technical, or governance decisions and may offer benefits such as rapid innovation or community reorganization. It can also lead to fragmentation, duplicated effort, and compatibility challenges. Proper governance, clear licensing, and transparent communication help manage the effects of forking on communities and ecosystems.