What is Consensus rules?
The validity conditions every node enforces: issuance schedule, signature validity, block weight, and everything else that makes a block acceptable.
Consensus rules are not a policy document; they are code running on thousands of independent machines. Changing them requires convincing node operators to run different software.
This is why Bitcoin changes slowly and why proposals are debated for years. The difficulty of changing the rules is a feature that produces the credibility of the supply schedule.
Related terms
Node
A computer running Bitcoin software that independently validates every block and transaction against the…
NetworkSoft fork
A rule change that tightens what is valid, so old nodes still accept new blocks.
NetworkHard fork
A rule change that loosens what is valid, so old nodes reject the new blocks and the chain splits unless…
This definition is part of the Bitcoin Logical glossary. For the fuller explanation, start with Learn, or see the live numbers on The Bitcoin Signal.