Soft Fork - what is it?

A soft fork is one of the options for updating a cryptocurrency network, in which certain changes are made to the source code. Simply put, a soft fork changes the data encryption protocol, causing some previously valid blocks to be no longer valid. Unlike a more stringent mode (hard fork), a soft fork requires confirmation from several or most nodes to update and agree on a new version of the network. With a soft fork, there is no chaotic effect. Once the changes are implemented, new and old nodes recognize the new blocks, ensuring agreement and consensus across the entire blockchain.