Highlights:
- A scheduling bug caused a major outage on the Sui Network.
- Validators resumed block production after a swift fix was implemented.
- During the downtime, exchanges like Upbit temporarily suspended SUI transactions.
On November 21, Sui Network suffered a major outage that caused the halt of block production for almost two hours. The downtime was caused by validators crashing due to a bug in their transaction scheduling logic. This is the first major disruption for Sui Network since its mainnet launch in May 2023.
The Sui Network team quickly identified and fixed the problem. Normal operations resumed after rolling out the v1.37.4 patch on Mysten Validators. The official Sui Network X (formerly Twitter) account announced the restoration. ” The Sui network is back up and processing transactions again, thanks to swift work from the incredible community of Sui validators,” they stated.
The Sui network is back up and processing transactions again, thanks to swift work from the incredible community of Sui validators.
The 2-hour downtime was caused by a bug in transaction scheduling logic that caused validators to crash, which has now been resolved. https://t.co/TJh2zwvQcD
— Sui (@SuiNetwork) November 21, 2024
SUI Transactions Temporarily Suspended On Exchanges
Several cryptocurrency exchanges, including Upbit, suspended SUI deposits and withdrawals during the outage. They warned users that transactions might have issues. Upbit warned that the funds deposited or withdrawn after the announcement might not be recoverable. This action helped avoid potential losses to the users due to failures of the Sui Network in executing transactions.
Sui Network users and investors were concerned about the outage. The price of the SUI token fell by 10% during the downtime. However, the price of the token bounced back with the network’s resumption of the transaction processing. The swift action of the Sui Network team contributed to rebuilding trust within the community.
Technical Details of the Outage
The bug originated from the transaction-scheduling logic, which resulted in the blackouts of validators and the disruption of the block production. The Sui Network status page confirmed the existence of the “major outage” and indicated that validators were down. Such issues can arise due to software bugs or even the inability of nodes to synchronize properly.
There are several factors that can lead to blockchain outages including software bugs, overloading of transactions or attacks. In this case, the outage reported by the Sui Network was because of a software bug. There are other blockchain networks that have the same problems. For example, the TON blockchain experienced outages due to high demand for the minting of tokens.
Reactions from the Community
The outage quickly prompted reactions from the crypto community. Some users compared it to Solana, which had a recent outage in February. Afterward, memes and comments emerged, with phrases like “No wonder Sui is the next Sol.” Crypto Youtuber Ajay Kashyap wrote in his post, “SUI blockchain is down. And they promised to be a Solana Killer.”
$SUI blockchain is down 🔻
And they claimed to be a Solana Killer 🤷🏻 pic.twitter.com/CzyVi151mQ
— Ajay Kashyap (@EverythingAjay) November 21, 2024
However, many were pleased with the prompt response of the Sui Network team following the downtime. The issue was identified and resolved within a span of two hours, minimizing disruptions. After the fix was rolled out, the network’s status page was updated to “all systems operational”
Recent Developments in Sui’s Ecosystem
This outage comes amidst significant milestones on the Sui Network. Some of the recent launches are support for the FDUSD stable coin and programmable USDC, increasing liquidity as well as the speed of transactions. The total value locked of the network reached $1.65 billion, which reflects the growing usage of the network.
Recently, Sui-based financial products were launched by Grayscale and VanEck integrating Sui into decentralized finance (DeFi). The network’s ability to overcome setbacks swiftly increases its appeal to users and developers.