{"id":750,"slug":"should-you-fork-an-existing-blockchain-or-build-a-new-mainnet-from-scratch","question":"Should you fork an existing blockchain or build a new mainnet from scratch?","intent":"informational","language":"en","url":"https://worldwiki.io/q/should-you-fork-an-existing-blockchain-or-build-a-new-mainnet-from-scratch","entity":{"slug":"blockchain-mainnet-development","name":"Blockchain Mainnet Development","url":"https://worldwiki.io/entity/blockchain-mainnet-development"},"answer":{"short_answer":"Forking or configuring an existing client, such as an Ethereum-compatible client, reuses proven code and tooling, but the team inherits the upstream design and has to keep up with its fixes. Frameworks such as the Cosmos SDK with CometBFT allow custom protocol-level logic without writing consensus. Rollup stacks rely on a base chain for security. Writing a new protocol gives the most freedom but costs the most in engineering, audits and coordination.","detailed_answer":"<p>Cosmos documentation notes that application-specific chains offer more control over fees, governance and execution than smart contracts, at the cost of running a full chain <span class=\"ref\">[5]</span>.</p>","format":"paragraph","confidence":75,"verified_at":"2026-09-18 07:10:23","updated_at":"2026-09-18 16:10:23"},"sources":[{"id":172,"title":"Networks","url":"https://ethereum.org/developers/docs/networks/","publisher":"ethereum.org","type":"official","accessed_at":"2026-09-18 18:01:28"},{"id":153,"title":"IR 8202, Blockchain Technology Overview","url":"https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/ir/8202/final","publisher":"National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)","type":"government","accessed_at":"2026-09-18 18:01:11"},{"id":185,"title":"Ethereum Launches","url":"https://blog.ethereum.org/2015/07/30/ethereum-launches","publisher":"Ethereum Foundation Blog","type":"official","accessed_at":"2026-09-18 18:01:36"},{"id":186,"title":"Timeline of all Ethereum forks (2014 to present)","url":"https://ethereum.org/ethereum-forks/","publisher":"ethereum.org","type":"official","accessed_at":"2026-09-18 18:01:36"},{"id":187,"title":"Application-Specific Blockchains","url":"https://docs.cosmos.network/sdk/v0.53/learn/intro/why-app-specific","publisher":"Cosmos Documentation","type":"official","accessed_at":"2026-09-18 18:01:39"},{"id":188,"title":"CometBFT Documentation","url":"https://docs.cosmos.network/cometbft","publisher":"Cosmos Documentation","type":"official","accessed_at":"2026-09-18 18:01:39"},{"id":189,"title":"Private Networks","url":"https://geth.ethereum.org/docs/fundamentals/private-network","publisher":"Go Ethereum (Geth) Documentation","type":"official","accessed_at":"2026-09-18 18:01:39"},{"id":190,"title":"Chain Operator Configurations","url":"https://docs.optimism.io/operators/chain-operators/configuration/overview","publisher":"Optimism Docs","type":"official","accessed_at":"2026-09-18 18:01:42"},{"id":191,"title":"Client diversity","url":"https://ethereum.org/developers/docs/nodes-and-clients/client-diversity/","publisher":"ethereum.org","type":"official","accessed_at":"2026-09-18 18:01:43"},{"id":192,"title":"Ethereum Bug Bounty Program","url":"https://ethereum.org/bug-bounty/","publisher":"ethereum.org","type":"official","accessed_at":"2026-09-18 18:01:43"},{"id":173,"title":"Holesky and Hoodi Testnet Updates","url":"https://blog.ethereum.org/2025/03/18/hoodi-holesky","publisher":"Ethereum Foundation Blog","type":"official","accessed_at":"2026-09-18 18:01:28"}],"published_at":"2026-09-18 07:10:23"}