List of Bitcoin Forks

Following the hard fork that created Bitcoin Cash (BCH), over twenty more new forked coins have been created. At present, Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Bitcoin Gold (BTG) have been regularly accepted by many of the top exchanges. In contrast, other more recent coins such as Bitcoin Diamond (BCD), or perhaps Bitcoin God (GOD) are met with considerably more skepticism. The most recent string of hard forked coins often lack legitimacy and are typically developed under the radar by developers looking to quickly generate easy money, usually through what is known as “premining”. New forked coins often lack transparency in terms of who their developers are and whether the code is publicly available. For this reason, extended caution is advised when considering any forked coins that involve premining or lack of public information.

A comprehensive fork policy report

Why might Hard Forks be a Concern?

Premining

Premining allows developers to mine a percentage of the total supply of a forked coin before it is listed on an exchange. This premined cryptocurrency is claimed to be allocated to project development and growth funding; however, this may not be the case, and there is the risk that once a hard forked coin generates speculative value on an exchange, the developers then sell their reserve of premined coins and vanish with a hefty profit. The coin then crashes and any unsuspecting investors quickly lose their original investments.

Safety and Security

The major concern with regards to any hard fork is centered upon network security, with most exchanges offering their support and/or listing for a hard fork only after a series of stringent minimum conditions are met over an extended review process. Often, hard forks are open to replay attacks in the absence of adequate protection, and struggle with issues related to network stability.

Ease of Creation

Another issue is the fact that the entry barrier for new forks is low. There are services offering a github fork of an original coin, as well as a full design and website, all inclusive for 0.01 BTC. There are often no public developers for these fork projects, and neither is there open source code. It is also fairly common to see quickly developed fork projects approach exchanges that are open for listing new coins, regardless of whether the forked coin currently exists or not (futures market).

Past List of Bitcoin Forks

Below is an extensive list of the confirmed hard forks that have occurred recently, along with an estimated date and official “block height” at which any fork occurred. Some important factors to consider that help gauge the riskiness of a forked coin include: whether or not there are public developers, open source code, or if the project includes a premine.