The Open Network (TON) Struggles with Increased Usage
The Open Network (TON), hailed as the “most scalable blockchain ever,” experienced a significant spike in activity that resulted in delayed settlements. The surge of TON20 transactions starting on December 5 overwhelmed the blockchain, causing transaction per second (TPS) speed to plummet from 100,000 to under one, according to dTON.io data.
Hardware Limitations and Validators’ Role
Developers attributed the network’s struggle to suboptimal hardware used by some main network validators. These validators had rented hardware for low load without considering potential load growth. As a result, when the load increased by 50-100 times in just 30 minutes, these validators slowed down the entire network.
“These validators rented hardware for low load with no provision for load growth. Since the network had been running low load for the previous months, this was not a problem. As soon as the load increased by 50-100 times in 30 minutes, these validators started to slow down the whole network with them.”
TON Foundation
Measures to Address the Issue
To mitigate such incidents in the future, TON developers plan to implement a decentralized penalty system that would discourage network participants from conducting shoddy operations. Additionally, they aim to improve the system with stricter penalties. However, they have requested patience from community members to avoid penalizing innocent validators. In the meantime, a patch has been released to enhance transaction speed, and all validators have been advised to upgrade their hardware according to the blockchain’s requirements.
Impact on TON Token
When initial reports of the network outage surfaced, TON’s native token experienced a 5% decrease. However, the token managed to recover some of its losses and traded 0.6% higher, as per Coingecko.
TON’s Speed Record
CertiK declared TON as the world’s fastest blockchain, surpassing competitors like Solana, after achieving a record TPS speed of 104,715.
Hot Take: The Challenges of Scalability and Network Stability
TON’s recent struggles highlight the challenges that arise with increased blockchain usage and the importance of robust infrastructure. Scalability remains a key concern for blockchain projects aiming to handle high transaction volumes. As the demand for blockchain technology continues to grow, ensuring network stability and hardware optimization will be crucial for providing efficient and reliable services to users.
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