diff --git a/app/models/fork_network.rb b/app/models/fork_network.rb
index 60c8c167b21..fd2510d0a4c 100644
--- a/app/models/fork_network.rb
+++ b/app/models/fork_network.rb
@@ -1,3 +1,11 @@
 class ForkNetwork < ActiveRecord::Base
-  belongs_to :root_project
+  belongs_to :root_project, class_name: 'Project'
+  has_many :fork_network_members
+  has_many :projects, through: :fork_network_members
+
+  after_create :add_root_as_member, if: :root_project
+
+  def add_root_as_member
+    projects << root_project
+  end
 end
diff --git a/app/models/fork_network_member.rb b/app/models/fork_network_member.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..6a9b52a1ef8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/models/fork_network_member.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+class ForkNetworkMember < ActiveRecord::Base
+  belongs_to :fork_network
+  belongs_to :project
+  belongs_to :forked_from_project, class_name: 'Project'
+
+  validates :fork_network, :project, presence: true
+end
diff --git a/app/models/project.rb b/app/models/project.rb
index 608b545f99f..aff8fd768f5 100644
--- a/app/models/project.rb
+++ b/app/models/project.rb
@@ -118,11 +118,20 @@ class Project < ActiveRecord::Base
   has_one :mock_monitoring_service
   has_one :microsoft_teams_service
 
+  # TODO: replace these relations with the fork network versions
   has_one  :forked_project_link,  foreign_key: "forked_to_project_id"
   has_one  :forked_from_project,  through:   :forked_project_link
 
   has_many :forked_project_links, foreign_key: "forked_from_project_id"
   has_many :forks,                through:     :forked_project_links, source: :forked_to_project
+  # TODO: replace these relations with the fork network versions
+
+  has_one :root_of_fork_network,
+          foreign_key: 'root_project_id',
+          inverse_of: :root_project,
+          class_name: 'ForkNetwork'
+  has_one :fork_network_member
+  has_one :fork_network, through: :fork_network_member
 
   # Merge Requests for target project should be removed with it
   has_many :merge_requests, foreign_key: 'target_project_id'
@@ -1119,8 +1128,8 @@ class Project < ActiveRecord::Base
     end
   end
 
-  def forked_from?(project)
-    forked? && project == forked_from_project
+  def in_fork_network_of?(project)
+    forked? && project.fork_network == fork_network
   end
 
   def origin_merge_requests
diff --git a/app/services/projects/fork_service.rb b/app/services/projects/fork_service.rb
index ad67e68a86a..eb5cce5ab98 100644
--- a/app/services/projects/fork_service.rb
+++ b/app/services/projects/fork_service.rb
@@ -23,11 +23,31 @@ module Projects
 
       refresh_forks_count
 
+      link_fork_network(new_project)
+
       new_project
     end
 
     private
 
+    def fork_network
+      if @project.fork_network
+        @project.fork_network
+      elsif forked_from_project = @project.forked_from_project
+        # TODO: remove this case when all background migrations have completed
+        # this only happens when a project had a `forked_project_link` that was
+        # not migrated to the `fork_network` relation
+        forked_from_project.fork_network || forked_from_project.create_root_of_fork_network
+      else
+        @project.create_root_of_fork_network
+      end
+    end
+
+    def link_fork_network(new_project)
+      fork_network.fork_network_members.create(project: new_project,
+                                               forked_from_project: @project)
+    end
+
     def refresh_forks_count
       Projects::ForksCountService.new(@project).refresh_cache
     end
diff --git a/db/migrate/20170928133643_create_fork_network_members.rb b/db/migrate/20170928133643_create_fork_network_members.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c1d94e7d52e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/db/migrate/20170928133643_create_fork_network_members.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+class CreateForkNetworkMembers < ActiveRecord::Migration
+  include Gitlab::Database::MigrationHelpers
+
+  DOWNTIME = false
+
+  disable_ddl_transaction!
+
+  def up
+    create_table :fork_network_members do |t|
+      t.references :fork_network, null: false, index: true, foreign_key: { on_delete: :cascade }
+      t.references :project, null: false, index: { unique: true }, foreign_key: { on_delete: :cascade }
+      t.references :forked_from_project, references: :projects
+    end
+
+    add_concurrent_foreign_key :fork_network_members, :projects,
+                               column: :forked_from_project_id,
+                               on_delete: :nullify
+  end
+
+  def down
+    if foreign_key_exists?(:fork_network_members, column: :forked_from_project_id)
+      remove_foreign_key :fork_network_members, column: :forked_from_project_id
+    end
+    drop_table :fork_network_members
+  end
+end
diff --git a/db/schema.rb b/db/schema.rb
index d7e1a2c94fa..aac37b6b455 100644
--- a/db/schema.rb
+++ b/db/schema.rb
@@ -591,6 +591,15 @@ ActiveRecord::Schema.define(version: 20171006091000) do
 
   add_index "features", ["key"], name: "index_features_on_key", unique: true, using: :btree
 
+  create_table "fork_network_members", force: :cascade do |t|
+    t.integer "fork_network_id", null: false
+    t.integer "project_id", null: false
+    t.integer "forked_from_project_id"
+  end
+
+  add_index "fork_network_members", ["fork_network_id"], name: "index_fork_network_members_on_fork_network_id", using: :btree
+  add_index "fork_network_members", ["project_id"], name: "index_fork_network_members_on_project_id", unique: true, using: :btree
+
   create_table "fork_networks", force: :cascade do |t|
     t.integer "root_project_id"
     t.string "deleted_root_project_name"
@@ -1800,6 +1809,9 @@ ActiveRecord::Schema.define(version: 20171006091000) do
   add_foreign_key "environments", "projects", name: "fk_d1c8c1da6a", on_delete: :cascade
   add_foreign_key "events", "projects", on_delete: :cascade
   add_foreign_key "events", "users", column: "author_id", name: "fk_edfd187b6f", on_delete: :cascade
+  add_foreign_key "fork_network_members", "fork_networks", on_delete: :cascade
+  add_foreign_key "fork_network_members", "projects", column: "forked_from_project_id", name: "fk_b01280dae4", on_delete: :nullify
+  add_foreign_key "fork_network_members", "projects", on_delete: :cascade
   add_foreign_key "fork_networks", "projects", column: "root_project_id", name: "fk_e7b436b2b5", on_delete: :nullify
   add_foreign_key "forked_project_links", "projects", column: "forked_to_project_id", name: "fk_434510edb0", on_delete: :cascade
   add_foreign_key "gcp_clusters", "projects", on_delete: :cascade
diff --git a/spec/models/fork_network_member_spec.rb b/spec/models/fork_network_member_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..532ca1fca8c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/models/fork_network_member_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+require 'spec_helper'
+
+describe ForkNetworkMember do
+  describe 'validations' do
+    it { is_expected.to validate_presence_of(:project) }
+    it { is_expected.to validate_presence_of(:fork_network) }
+  end
+end
diff --git a/spec/models/fork_network_spec.rb b/spec/models/fork_network_spec.rb
index b7758a0fbb5..4781a959846 100644
--- a/spec/models/fork_network_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/fork_network_spec.rb
@@ -1,5 +1,42 @@
-require 'rails_helper'
+require 'spec_helper'
 
-RSpec.describe ForkNetwork, type: :model do
-  pending "add some examples to (or delete) #{__FILE__}"
+describe ForkNetwork do
+  include ProjectForksHelper
+
+  describe '#add_root_as_member' do
+    it 'adds the root project as a member when creating a new root network' do
+      project = create(:project)
+      fork_network = described_class.create(root_project: project)
+
+      expect(fork_network.projects).to include(project)
+    end
+  end
+
+  context 'for a deleted project' do
+    it 'keeps the fork network' do
+      project = create(:project, :public)
+      forked = fork_project(project)
+      project.destroy!
+
+      fork_network = forked.reload.fork_network
+
+      expect(fork_network.projects).to contain_exactly(forked)
+      expect(fork_network.root_project).to be_nil
+    end
+
+    it 'allows multiple fork networks where the root project is deleted' do
+      first_project = create(:project)
+      second_project = create(:project)
+      first_fork = fork_project(first_project)
+      second_fork = fork_project(second_project)
+
+      first_project.destroy
+      second_project.destroy
+
+      expect(first_fork.fork_network).not_to be_nil
+      expect(first_fork.fork_network.root_project).to be_nil
+      expect(second_fork.fork_network).not_to be_nil
+      expect(second_fork.fork_network.root_project).to be_nil
+    end
+  end
 end
diff --git a/spec/services/projects/fork_service_spec.rb b/spec/services/projects/fork_service_spec.rb
index fa9d6969830..a5ec4111b70 100644
--- a/spec/services/projects/fork_service_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/services/projects/fork_service_spec.rb
@@ -60,6 +60,33 @@ describe Projects::ForkService do
 
           expect(@from_project.forks_count).to eq(1)
         end
+
+        it 'creates a fork network with the new project and the root project set' do
+          to_project
+          fork_network = @from_project.reload.fork_network
+
+          expect(fork_network).not_to be_nil
+          expect(fork_network.root_project).to eq(@from_project)
+          expect(fork_network.projects).to contain_exactly(@from_project, to_project)
+        end
+      end
+
+      context 'creating a fork of a fork' do
+        let(:from_forked_project) { fork_project(@from_project, @to_user) }
+        let(:other_namespace) do
+          group = create(:group)
+          group.add_owner(@to_user)
+          group
+        end
+        let(:to_project) { fork_project(from_forked_project, @to_user, namespace: other_namespace) }
+
+        it 'sets the root of the network to the root project' do
+          expect(to_project.fork_network.root_project).to eq(@from_project)
+        end
+
+        it 'sets the forked_from_project on the membership' do
+          expect(to_project.fork_network_member.forked_from_project).to eq(from_forked_project)
+        end
       end
     end