How to Fork Bitcoin — Part 1

Fork Bitcoin

In this series of articles we’ll be creating our own blockchain application. This is Part 1 (Part 2 here).

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We will be using the source code from Bitcoin Core. The software is a result of hundreds of developers over nearly a decade. Bitcoin Core contains many optimizations regarding decentralized networking, Denial of Service (DoS) prevention measures, as well as sync performance enhancements. In addition, Bitcoin Core is open source with an MIT license, so we are allowed to use the code free of charge. Learning foundational principles from this code repository will give you a solid foundation for blockchain application design.

Considerations

There are some considerations to make when creating a blockchain application. These customizations are meant to be educational, the actual customizations you make should take into account the tradeoffs. For example, hashpower on other networks can be used to attack smaller, newer networks, and this must be taken into account. There is more to blockchain than just the code and technology, the number and diversity of users (especially mining hashpower) will determine the balance of power and possibility of attacks.