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Layer 2 solution Arbitrum experiences downtime for a few hours, team attributes issue to node centralization, aims for decentralization in the coming months.

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Layer 2 solution Arbitrum experiences downtime for a few hours, team attributes issue to node centralization, aims for decentralization in the coming months.

After experiencing a brief network outage in September, Ethereum layer-two scaling solution Arbitrum encountered another downtime today on 1/10 for a few hours. The network has since recovered and user funds are safe. The specific cause of the downtime was a failure in the sequencer node.

Hardware Node Failure

According to a report released by Offchain Labs, the developer of Arbitrum, after the network was restored, both the Sequencer and public RPC nodes have resumed operation, with the downtime primarily caused by a hardware failure in the main sequencer node.

Arbitrum stopped producing blocks at 18:29 Taiwan time on 1/9, and the team ensured that all transactions before the network shutdown were backed up to Layer 1, eliminating the possibility of transaction reorganization.

The team emphasized that even if the sequencer node experiences permanent failure, Arbitrum can roll back all on-chain messages to Ethereum for transaction processing. After the network restarts, they will first release the 284 transactions that were pending before the shutdown.

The team pointed out that Arbitrum is currently in a testing phase and has not yet achieved full decentralization:

We will do our utmost to keep the network running smoothly. Currently, Arbitrum is still in beta, and the sequencer is operated by Offchain Labs, raising concerns about centralization. However, we have thoroughly researched reliable ways to achieve complete decentralization. Once Arbitrum is fully decentralized, it means we are fulfilling the maximum commitment to releasing the network for normal operation.

Sequencer Downtime in September

Offchain Labs raised $120 million in a Series B funding round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners last August, with participants including Polychain, Pantera, Alameda, and Mark Cuban. They announced the launch of the mainnet public testing version Arbitrum One on 8/31, lifting the whitelist restrictions and opening it to all users.

However, about two weeks later, Arbitrum experienced a 45-minute shutdown on 9/14 due to sequencer failure. The on-chain funds were not at risk, and the team claimed that the sequencer failed due to a large number of transactions received in a short period. The team immediately identified the problem and deployed a fix.

As various major public chains have emerged to challenge Ethereum's dominant position, issues such as "network interruptions" and "data center chains" are particularly sensitive topics that can trigger the nerves of the crypto community. Solana, which has experienced multiple downtimes, and Polygon, which recently underwent a hard fork, are within the crosshairs of supporters of various chains.

Terra founder Do Kwon, who recently had a dispute with the founder of MakerDAO, also expressed his opinion on the incident on Twitter:

If you haven't posted tweets about the Arbitrum downtime, then you can no longer complain about issues with the Solana network.

As of now, Arbitrum has a locked value of approximately $1.82 billion, ranking 10th, and its TVL has not been significantly affected, with a 1.18% decrease in the past 24 hours.

Offchain Labs emphasized that in the coming months, as long as the nodes remain centralized, they will continue to be in a testing phase. They will also strive to reduce sequencer downtime and achieve the ultimate goal of decentralization.