Bitcoin Snapshot Explained

Understanding Bitcoin Snapshots

A Bitcoin snapshot is a record of Bitcoin balances at one specific point in the blockchain.

Instead of continuously tracking balances, a fork can reference a particular Bitcoin block and use the state of the ledger at that block to establish corresponding balances on a new blockchain.

The snapshot does not move Bitcoin, convert BTC into another asset, or initiate a transaction.

Your BTC remains on the Bitcoin network.

For ECX, the fork creates a separate ECX balance associated with Bitcoin addresses recorded at the relevant snapshot stage.

Why Snapshots Are Used

Blockchain forks can use snapshots to establish the initial state of a new network from an existing blockchain.

This means users do not need to register their Bitcoin addresses or complete a pre-claim simply to be represented in the snapshot.

Instead, the Bitcoin blockchain itself provides the reference for balances.

For ECX, this process allows BTC to remain unchanged on Bitcoin while corresponding ECX balances are established separately on the eCash network.

ECX Uses Three Snapshot Stages

The ECX launch now includes three Bitcoin snapshot stages rather than a single final snapshot.

Alpha Snapshot - Block ~963,648

Alpha is the first ECX snapshot stage.

It occurs at approximately Bitcoin block ~963,648.

BTC balances recorded at this stage are used to create corresponding practice ECX balances in the Alpha environment.

Alpha allows the ECX network and its users to operate with the forked state before Mainnet.

Beta Snapshot - Block ~967,680

Beta is the live second snapshot stage and began at approximately Bitcoin block ~967,680.

Like Alpha, Bitcoin balances recorded at Beta create corresponding practice ECX balances.

Beta is the current practice stage before the permanent Mainnet state.

Read the ECX Beta launch update →

Therefore, seeing an ECX balance during Alpha or Beta should not be interpreted as the final permanent ECX allocation.

Mainnet Snapshot - Block ~973,728

Mainnet is the critical snapshot for permanent ECX.

It occurs at approximately Bitcoin block ~973,728.

Bitcoin addresses holding BTC at the Mainnet snapshot receive a corresponding permanent ECX balance on the eCash network according to the fork's distribution rules.

For users interested in permanent ECX, this is the snapshot stage that matters most.

Your BTC Stays Yours

The ECX fork does not convert BTC into ECX.

It does not remove Bitcoin from your wallet and does not require you to exchange one asset for another.

After the fork, the assets exist separately:

Receiving a corresponding ECX balance therefore does not mean giving up your Bitcoin.

What Happens During the ECX Snapshot Process?

Do I Need to Register Before a Snapshot?

No registration or pre-claim is required for your Bitcoin address to be represented in a snapshot.

The snapshot is based on the state of the Bitcoin blockchain.

You do not need to send BTC to Claim eCash, register ownership of your Bitcoin, or move Bitcoin to a special ECX address for the snapshot itself.

However, where your BTC is held matters.

Why Self-Custody Matters

If you want to be certain that you directly control access to the ECX associated with your BTC, your Bitcoin should be held in a self-custodial wallet at the relevant snapshot.

With self-custody, you control the wallet credentials associated with your Bitcoin addresses.

If BTC is held on an exchange or another custodial service, that service controls the wallet at the blockchain level.

Whether customers receive corresponding ECX in that situation depends on whether the exchange or custodian chooses to support the fork.

Supported Self-Custody Wallet Guides

If you hold BTC in one of the following wallets, use the corresponding guide to understand the ECX process.

What Happens After the Mainnet Snapshot?

The Mainnet snapshot establishes permanent ECX balances, but users should understand one additional step before moving affected Bitcoin:

BTC and ECX need to be safely separated.

This process is known as coin splitting.

After the fork, BTC exists on the Bitcoin network and ECX exists on the eCash network. However, ECX replay protection is opt-in rather than automatic.

That means users should not assume that a BTC transaction is automatically isolated from the corresponding ECX chain.

Transaction Replay Explained

Transaction replay is one of the most important post-fork concepts to understand.

Before BTC and ECX have been properly split, a transaction created for one network may also be valid on the other network.

For example, you may intend to send BTC to a recipient, but if the affected coins have not been properly split, the transaction could potentially also be broadcast on the eCash network and send ECX to the same recipient.

This could result in the corresponding ECX being sent along with the BTC.

What Is Coin Splitting?

Coin splitting separates the post-fork BTC and ECX so they can be managed independently on their respective networks.

After a successful split:

Splitting does not create your ECX balance. The corresponding balance originates from the snapshot.

The purpose of splitting is to safely separate the assets for future transactions.

The official wallet can perform the split and warn users about replay risk when applicable.

Check Your ECX Eligibility

You can use the ECX Claim Checker to inspect your Bitcoin address without exposing private wallet credentials.

The checker requires only your public Bitcoin address.

It does not require:

• Your private key.
• Your recovery phrase.
• Access to your Bitcoin wallet.

Open ECX Claim Checker →

Frequently Asked Questions