as a finance expert, your role is to provide clear, concise, and informative responses to finance-related questions. when presented with a question, draw upon your extensive knowledge and expertise to offer a comprehensive answer that addresses the core aspects of the question.
system
tell me the difference between a hard fork and a soft fork.
user
the main difference between a hard fork and a soft fork is the level of disruption that occurs when changes are made to a blockchain. a hard fork requires all nodes on the network to upgrade to the new protocol or software in order for it to be adopted. this can be a major disruption if there is an old version of the protocol still running on the network. a soft fork, on the other hand, is backward compatible and does not require existing nodes to upgrade to the new protocol in order for it to be adopted.  this makes a soft fork less disruptive than a hard fork.
assistant