The Solana network has faced technical problems in the past, which have negatively affected the price of its native cryptocurrency, SOL. These issues have led to temporary shutdowns of the network, revealing its centralized nature. However, there is now a second client, Jito Labs, that has reached 31% of staking on the Solana network. This growth is significant considering Jito Labs had no stake last year. The introduction of a second client provides more decentralization and resilience to the Solana network.
The Solana network currently has around 2,800 validator nodes worldwide, divided into RPC nodes and validator nodes. Compared to Ethereum’s 6,100 validator nodes spread across four clients, Solana’s previous reliance on a single client made it vulnerable to software problems affecting all nodes. With two clients now available, the likelihood of simultaneous issues with both clients is extremely low.
Despite the technical problems and temporary shutdowns experienced by Solana in the past, it has not hindered the network’s operation since February of this year. However, these issues have impacted SOL’s price performance. SOL reached an all-time high of $260 in November 2021 but has since experienced three significant collapses due to external factors such as market downturns and failures of associated projects. The introduction of a second client should improve the network’s resilience but may not directly impact SOL’s price.
While it is difficult to predict future price movements for SOL, it is expected that the technical problems from 2022 have been largely resolved. However, it’s worth noting that during the bear market of 2022, SOL never fell below $28 until the FTX collapse. The current price range for SOL remains lower than after the bursting of the 2021 bubble and the collapse related to Terra/Luna.
Hot Take: Solana Network Strengthens with Second Client, but SOL Price Remains Uncertain
The Solana network has made progress in decentralization and resilience with the addition of a second client, Jito Labs. This development allows the network to continue operating even if issues arise with the original client. However, the price of SOL, Solana’s native cryptocurrency, has been affected by external factors and technical problems in the past. While the introduction of a second client improves the network’s stability, it may not directly impact SOL’s price performance. As SOL continues to trade within a range, its future price movements remain uncertain. Nevertheless, the resolution of previous technical issues suggests that Solana’s network is on a path towards increased stability.