In an official statement, Chainlink stated it will no longer support forked versions of the Ethereum blockchain following the much-anticipated shift from Proof of Work (PoW) to Proof of Stake (PoS), also known as the Merge, which will take place after the Merge has taken place. The Chainlink protocol and services will, however, remain available during and after the merger, so that users can continue using them.
Earlier this week, the Chainlink network made some interesting comments regarding Ethereum’s transition to public consensus . In addition to that, it would also include the fact that the protocol would remain operational both during and after the Merge of the two protocols. Providing further details on the potential for a hard fork, the network stated as follows:
Users should be aware that forked versions of the Ethereum blockchain, including PoW forks, will not be supported by the Chainlink protocol. This is aligned with both the Ethereum Foundation’s and broader Ethereum community’s decision, achieved via social consensus, to upgrade the Ethereum blockchain to PoS consensus.
Chainlink said in their recent post
Chainlink seems to have taken a cautious approach toward Ethereum PoW, sometimes referred to as ETHW, even though the project has been making the rounds. Additionally, the network recommended to developers and dApp teams that if they were unsure about the merging process of smart contracts, to put a hold on their operations. According to Chainlink, this will reduce the risk of unexpected incidents and offer a greater sense of security for end users. The network went on to highlight the possibility that dApps could function unexpectedly if they operate on the forked version of Ethereum.
With the upcoming network upgrade on the Ethereum network, the blockchain oracle provider assures its users that it will be doubling down on quality assurance to address the challenges posed by the upgrade.
dApps operating on forked versions of Ethereum, including PoW forks, might behave in unexpected ways due to both protocol and application-level issues, introducing increased risk for users.
Chainlink said in their recent post
The Chainlink Group holds a substantial position in the Defi, Enterprise, NFT & Gaming arenas, making it one of the leading professionals providing smart contract infrastructure on the Ethereum network. There is a lot of speculation ahead of the Merge that the network will break up into ETHPOW and ETH2.0 or ETHS as a result of the merger.
There are several security experts on the blockchain who point out that the possibility of Ethereum holders receiving the airdrop exists, and scammers might use the fluid situation surrounding Ethereum’s transition in order to take advantage of Ethereum holders. It is therefore very clear from Chainlink’s clarifications that it does not support any fork of Ethereum if there is a split on Ethereum at some point in the future. This clarifies things for developers and dApps on their network in case of a split in the Ethereum network.
As reported by a Bank of America analysis published in February, Chainlink is expected to drive mainstream blockchain adoption across a variety of industries, including gaming, gambling, and insurance, due to its over $60 billion in total locked-up value in smart contracts.
