
What Is a Blockchain Fork? Hard Fork vs Soft Fork (2026)
A blockchain fork is a split or change in a chain's rules. Hard fork vs soft fork, why forks happen, and what they mean for you as a holder.
Step-by-step crypto and DeFi tutorials: how to trade on DEXs, read on-chain data, use DEXTools, spot scams, and manage risk. Practical guides for every level.

A blockchain fork is a split or change in a chain's rules. Hard fork vs soft fork, why forks happen, and what they mean for you as a holder.

The genesis block is a blockchain's very first block. Why it is hardcoded, the story behind Bitcoin's genesis block, and how it anchors the chain.

A block is a batch of transactions chained to the one before it. What a block contains, how block height and block time work, and how to read one.
A running tracker of 2026's major crypto exploits. Security firms counted 207 hacks in H1 2026 draining about $972M (TRM) to $1.32B (CertiK), with roughly 66% ($643M) attributed to North Korea. The full table of the biggest thefts, by amount, method and chain, including the incidents DEXTools News decoded on-chain ourselves (Drift $285M, Triple-A $11.8M, WEMIX, Ostium and more). The lesson: social engineering and stolen keys, not smart-contract bugs, cause the biggest losses.

A vanity address is a crypto wallet with a chosen pattern. How they are made, why the pattern is only cosmetic, and the safety risks that have drained wallets.

A testnet is a blockchain that works like the real one but with valueless tokens. How it differs from mainnet, where free test tokens come from, and the scams to avoid.

A DEXTools chart can plot price or market cap, and they answer different questions. Learn why market cap view is the honest lens for comparing tokens and when price view is the one to trade on.

One token can trade in many pools, and they are not equal. Learn how to find the deep, real pool on DEXTools, compare reserves and volume, and avoid the thin decoy pool.

DEXTools shows a dollar liquidity figure, but the raw pooled amounts tell you more. Learn to read a pool's two sides, why reserves drive price impact and exit, and how to use them as a risk check.

Stop watching charts all day. Learn how to set price alerts on DEXTools, which levels are worth an alert, and how to combine alerts with your watchlist and pre trade checks.

The transactions list under the chart is the least filtered view of a token on DEXTools. Learn to read the live trades tape: buy and sell flow, big prints, and bot clusters.

DEXTools covers many chains, so one ticker can return the real token, bridged versions and copies. Learn how to search across chains and confirm you land on the right, liquid pair.