A hard fork is a significant change to the protocol of a blockchain network that makes previously invalid blocks or transactions valid, or vice versa. This requires all nodes or users to upgrade to the latest version of the protocol software. Essentially, it creates a permanent divergence from the previous version of the blockchain, resulting in two separate chains: the original one and the new one formed after the fork.
For example, if a blockchain community disagrees on a proposed update, some members may choose to implement the change while others stick to the old rules. This split leads to two distinct versions of the blockchain, each with its own set of rules and history.
In the context of cloud computing, if a company relies on a blockchain-based application and needs to manage infrastructure for different blockchain versions post-fork, services like Tencent Cloud's container service or virtual machines can help deploy and maintain separate environments for each chain. Additionally, Tencent Cloud's database services can store and manage data from both versions efficiently.