Consensus Upgrade
Also known as: Protocol Upgrade, Consensus Protocol Change, Blockchain Rule Change
A network-wide update that changes how consensus is achieved on a blockchain, often involving a fork or protocol enhancement.
A consensus upgrade refers to a modification in the underlying rules that determine how nodes in a blockchain agree on the state of the ledger. These upgrades may improve scalability, security, or introduce new features, and they often require coordinated implementation across the network. Consensus upgrades can be implemented via hard forks (backward-incompatible changes) or soft forks (backward-compatible). Major examples include Ethereum’s Merge and Bitcoin’s SegWit. Successfully upgrading consensus requires node coordination, community agreement, and careful testing to prevent chain splits or vulnerabilities.