Ethereum layer 2 scaling solution Arbitrum faced a significant disruption on Dec.15, 2023, due to a massive surge in network traffic, causing a partial outage that lasted approximately two hours.

Partial outage

This incident was primarily caused by a significant surge in network traffic, which led to the Arbitrum One Sequencer and Feed stalling. The Sequencer and Feed are essential components of the Arbitrum network, acting like an “air traffic control” for deciding the order of transactions. When they fail, it can disrupt the network’s normal operations.

The impact of the outage was considerable. It lasted about two hours, during which the network’s functionality was compromised, causing notable delays and transaction failures. While the Sequencer and Feed were eventually brought back up, the network continued to experience issues, including high transaction fees.

The Arbitrum team acknowledged the issue and worked diligently to resolve it. They also promised to provide a detailed post-mortem report to clarify the incident and the measures taken to rectify it.

Despite the quick resolution, the outage sparked a flurry of speculation within the cryptocurrency community. Some members suggested that an overwhelming number of NFT minting transactions could have contributed to the network’s limited transaction capacity.

Other theories suggested network glitches or security breaches. However, these speculations remain unconfirmed by the Arbitrum team. The incident has also raised concerns about the robustness and reliability of Arbitrum’s infrastructure, especially in comparison to the Ethereum mainnet.

Past issues

This is not the first time Arbitrum’s sequencer has faced issues. A similar outage occurred in early June due to a software bug, which was resolved within hours.

With Arbitrum being the largest layer-two network on Ethereum, boasting $2.34 billion in total value locked and substantial transaction volumes, such outages underscore the challenges blockchain networks face in managing sudden spikes in activity and the necessity for resilient infrastructure.

As the community awaits further details from the Arbitrum team, this event serves as a reminder of the growing pains associated with scaling blockchain technologies and the importance of continuous improvements in network architecture and reliability.