A hard fork is a major change to the blockchain that makes it incompatible with the old version. A soft fork is a small, backward-compatible change.
The official, public, and fully functional version of a blockchain network.
The process of using powerful computers to solve complex math problems to create new coins and add transactions to the blockchain.
A computer that runs the blockchain software and helps the network operate.
A separate, fake version of a blockchain used by developers to test new features without using real money.