TL;DR
- Network Disruptions: Zilliqa’s mainnet faced consecutive disruptions affecting block production, prompting the technical team to work tirelessly to maintain network integrity.
- Fix and Rollout: Despite setbacks, the team successfully restored full network functionality by deploying a fix and rolling out Zilliqa version 9.3.4 with EVM compatibility enhancements.
- Resilience and Challenges: The incident highlights the complexities of maintaining a robust blockchain infrastructure, and the community hopes for stronger safeguards moving forward.
The Zilliqa blockchain has faced a challenging week with back-to-back network disruptions affecting its mainnet’s block production. Despite these setbacks, the Zilliqa team has successfully restored full network functionality as of May 10, while the root cause remains under active investigation.
The Zilliqa network is back online following temporary disruptions to block production on mainnet. Functionality has now been restored and the network is once again processing transactions normally.
The infrastructure team continues to monitor the stability of the network as it…
— Zilliqa (@zilliqa) May 10, 2024
The community was promptly informed about the operational issues, which began on May 8 with a noticeable slowdown in block generation. The technical team at Zilliqa worked tirelessly for nearly 48 hours to mitigate further issues and maintain network integrity.
A significant malfunction was detected on May 9 at approximately 9:30 am UTC, which resulted in a null value error during a database lookup. In response, the team established internal rehearsal networks to simulate the problem and test potential fixes in a controlled setting before implementing them on the Testnet and mainnet.
EVM Compatibility Enhancements: Zilliqa Version 9.3.4 Rollout
By 2:30 pm UTC on the same day, the team deployed a fix and proceeded with the planned rollout of the Zilliqa version 9.3.4 network upgrade. This latest version promises enhancements to EVM compatibility, aiming to improve the overall user experience. The team extended their apologies for any inconvenience caused during this period.
However, the network faced another hurdle later that evening at around 7:05 pm UTC, leading to additional disruptions in block production. The technical team intensified their debugging efforts to diagnose and resolve the underlying issue.
This incident is not the first instance of technical difficulties for Zilliqa. A previous disruption in December 2023 resulted in a significant drop in daily transactions, highlighting the network’s vulnerability to such events. As the Zilliqa team continues their investigation into the recent disruptions, they express gratitude for the community’s patience and support.
The resilience of the network and the dedication of its team underscore the challenges and complexities inherent in maintaining a robust blockchain infrastructure. The community remains hopeful that these disruptions will lead to stronger safeguards and a more resilient network moving forward.