Monero is a privacy-focused cryptocurrency that uses advanced cryptography to hide transaction details, such as the sender, recipient, and amount transferred. One of the key features of Monero is its commitment to regular hard forks to improve its privacy and security features.

A hard fork is a significant software upgrade that changes the rules of a blockchain network. In Monero’s case, the hard forks aim to improve the network’s privacy and security features by implementing new protocols, fixing bugs, and introducing new features.

We will explore Monero’s hard fork history and the changes that were made in each upgrade.

1. Table of Contents

   Toggle

   Monero’s First Hard Fork (April 2014)

Monero’s first hard fork took place in April 2014, just six weeks after the launch of the cryptocurrency. This hard fork aimed to adjust the emission curve and reduce the block reward to address the issue of inflation.

2. Monero’s Second Hard Fork (September 2014)

The second hard fork of Monero was implemented in September 2014. This upgrade focused on improving the network’s scalability and block size limit. Additionally, it introduced ring signatures, a privacy feature that allows for the creation of anonymous transactions.

3. Monero’s Third Hard Fork (April 2015)

The third hard fork of Monero was released in April 2015. This upgrade aimed to improve the network’s privacy by implementing a feature called RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions). RingCT ensures that transaction amounts are hidden and that transactions are indistinguishable from one another.

4. Monero’s Fourth Hard Fork (September 2016)

Monero’s fourth hard fork was released in September 2016. This upgrade focused on reducing the transaction size and improving the network’s dynamic block size algorithm. Additionally, it introduced a new feature called “Smart Mining,” which adjusts the mining difficulty based on the miner’s hardware and the network’s hash rate.

5. Monero’s Fifth Hard Fork (April 2017)

The fifth hard fork of Monero was implemented in April 2017. This upgrade introduced several new features, including multi-signature support, improved ring signature construction, and support for stealth addresses.

6. Monero’s Sixth Hard Fork (September 2017)

Monero’s sixth hard fork was released in September 2017. This upgrade focused on improving the network’s dynamic block size algorithm, reducing transaction fees, and increasing the ring signature size from five to seven.

7. Monero’s Seventh Hard Fork (April 2018)

The seventh hard fork of Monero was released in April 2018. This upgrade aimed to improve the network’s ASIC resistance by implementing a new algorithm called Cryptonight V7.

8. Monero’s Eighth Hard Fork (October 2018)

Monero’s eighth hard fork was implemented in October 2018. This upgrade focused on further improving the network’s ASIC resistance by implementing Cryptonight V8, reducing transaction size, and improving the network’s bulletproofs, a privacy feature that reduces the transaction size and fees.

9. Monero’s Ninth Hard Fork (March 2019)

Monero’s ninth hard fork was released in March 2019. This upgrade introduced a new feature called “RandomX,” a new mining algorithm designed to be more resistant to ASICs and FPGA mining. RandomX utilizes a CPU-focused approach to mining, making it more accessible to individual miners.

10. Monero’s Tenth Hard Fork (November 2019)

Monero’s tenth hard fork was implemented in November 2019. This upgrade focused on further improving the network’s privacy and security features by implementing Triptych, a new ring signature construction that reduces the size of the signatures, improving network scalability.

11. Monero’s Eleventh Hard Fork (November 2020)

Monero’s eleventh hard fork was released in November 2020. This upgrade focused on improving the network’s privacy and security by implementing several new features. One of the main changes was the introduction of a new ring signature scheme called CLSAG (Compact Linkable Spontaneous Anonymous Group), which improved the signature size and verification speed. The upgrade also introduced a new transaction format called “Dandelion++,” which improved the privacy of transaction propagation.

12. Monero’s Twelfth Hard Fork (October 2021)

Monero’s twelfth hard fork was implemented in October 2021. This upgrade focused on improving the network’s security by mitigating several potential attack vectors. One of the key changes was the introduction of a new transaction format called “CLSAG Bulletproofs,” which improved the privacy and efficiency of transaction validation. The upgrade also introduced a new difficulty algorithm called “Monero 0,” which makes it more difficult to launch 51% attacks on the network.