What Is A Soft Fork In Bitcoin?

A soft fork is a backward-compatible protocol upgrade in blockchain technology, where only previously valid transactions or blocks might be rendered invalid. While it doesn't necessitate all nodes to upgrade, a majority should agree to enforce the new rules. Soft forks can be miner-activated (MASF) when driven by hash power or user-activated (UASF) when led by users. Notably used in Bitcoin, soft forks allow additions like new transaction types without disrupting existing participants. In some cases, they can even rectify unintended hard forks.