All Systems Operational for Arbitrum After Temporary Outage
Arbitrum, a layer-2 blockchain on Ethereum, experienced a temporary outage lasting about an hour and a half after a surge of Bitcoin Ordinals-inspired transactions triggered a sequencer to stop. Hildobby, a pseudonymous data researcher at VC firm Dragonfly, reported that 90% of transactions were inscriptions before the chain halted. Gas prices on the network have since stabilized, and all operations are back to normal. The team behind Arbitrum is gathering more information about the incident and plans to provide a full post-mortem in the coming days. Co-founder and CTO of Offchain Labs, Harry Kalodner, acknowledged the challenges faced and expressed dedication to building a better future.
Similar Incidents with Ordinals-Like Tokens
In the past, similar problems have occurred with Ordinals-like tokens on other blockchains. The Telegram Open Network (TON) blockchain slowed to one transaction per second due to an influx of inscriptions. Polygon also experienced spikes in volumes and gas fees caused by these types of transactions last month.
About the Author
Anna is a senior policy reporter and assistant editor at The Block. With a background in political journalism, she has covered Russian civil society for various news outlets in Moscow. Anna has spent the past five years investigating cryptocurrency policies and adoption worldwide at CoinDesk. She owns bitcoin and a sentimental NFT.
Hot Take: Lessons Learned from Arbitrum’s Temporary Outage
Arbitrum’s temporary outage serves as a reminder of the challenges faced by layer-2 blockchains and the importance of maintaining operational stability. The surge of Bitcoin Ordinals-inspired transactions caused a sequencer to stop, resulting in an hour and a half of downtime. However, the team quickly resolved the issue, and gas prices on the network have stabilized. This incident highlights the need for continuous improvement in web3 engineering and reinforces the commitment to building a better future for blockchain technology. Overall, it serves as a valuable learning experience for the Arbitrum team and the wider crypto community.
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