Ethereum Layer-2 Network Starknet Back Online Following Outage
The Ethereum layer-2 scaling network, Starknet, is fully back online after experiencing a significant disruption earlier this week. The downtime, lasting over four hours, was caused by a block production issue on Monday morning, bringing transactions on the chain to a halt. Here’s what happened and what it means for developers and users of the network.
The Incident: What Happened?
The issue first emerged just before 5:00 am ET when Starknet’s mainnet block production slowed considerably and eventually stopped. A statement on the network’s status page revealed that the problem stemmed from a proving error observed during a transaction. As a precaution, developers paused sequencing to ensure the safety and consistency of the chain data. Transactions were temporarily halted during this period.
By 7:00 am ET, the development team identified the root cause of the issue. After conducting thorough testing, validation, and downstream assessments, the blockchain was rolled back to block 5187263. The network resumed full operations around 9:00 am ET, although some transactions submitted during the downtime may not have been processed properly.
Starknet’s Official Communication
Starknet addressed the incident promptly in its online communities and provided updates to keep users informed. A post on their X (formerly Twitter) account read:
“Starknet is back online and fully operational. Transactions submitted between 9:24 am and 9:42 am UTC may not have been processed properly. A retrospective, including full timeline, root causes, and long-term prevention measures, will follow.”
Users can expect further details about the outage, including the steps Starknet will take to ensure such disruptions are minimized in the future.
Previous Outages and Implications
This recent downtime comes just a few months after another significant disruption following the network’s Grinta upgrade in September. That incident lasted over five hours and required two chain reorganizations, which reverted approximately 80 minutes of transactions. While these interruptions may raise concerns about reliability, Starknet remains one of the leading Ethereum scaling solutions due to its focus on enabling cost-efficient and scalable decentralized applications.
What Does This Mean for the STRK Token?
Interestingly, the price of Starknet’s native token, STRK, was relatively unaffected by the incident, showing less than a 1% dip over the last 24 hours to $0.090. It still remains up approximately 11% on the week, demonstrating resilient investor confidence. Ethereum (ETH), which Starknet supports, has also been on an upward trend, rising nearly 9% in the last seven days to $3,192.
Building Confidence in Layer-2 Technology
Starknet and other layer-2 scaling solutions are essential for Ethereum’s scalability and adoption. Downtime incidents like these underline the importance of robust testing and preventative measures as these networks continue to mature. Despite the outages, Starknet has proven itself a vital part of the blockchain ecosystem, offering features such as Bitcoin staking and the ability to natively stake top cryptocurrencies while earning rewards in STRK tokens.
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