Avalanche blockchain faces technical disruption, investigates block production halt

Avalanche, the decentralized application (DApp) platform renowned for its proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchain, encountered a significant technical disruption, causing a halt in block production. This disruption, occurring on Feb. 23 at 12:02:27 pm UTC, stirred concerns among the cryptocurrency community, raising questions about the stability of the network.

Block production disruption

Avalanche’s primary network experienced block production issues, halting the generalization of new blocks across its P-Chain, X-Chain, and C-Chain subnets. This disruption, lasting over an hour, severely impacted the network’s functionality, causing delays in transaction processing and raising alarms within the community.

In response to the disruption, developers swiftly initiated investigations to pinpoint the root cause. Kevin Sekniqi, the co-founder of Ava Labs, provided insights into the issue, suggesting a potential connection to a recent influx of inscriptions. Sekniqi hinted at a probable “esoteric bug” arising from an edge case related to the mempool handling of inscriptions, signaling a potential software glitch affecting block finalization.

Clarification and resolution

An initial assumption that the disruption stemmed from performance handling was later clarified by Sekniqi, who identified the issue as a code-related bug. Although inscriptions might have triggered the disruption, it was affirmed that the incident did not adversely affect network performance. Sekniqi assured the community of a prompt resolution, emphasizing a commitment to swift action.

This recent disruption echoes a similar incident on March 23, 2023, when the C-Chain experienced block production halts. Sekniqi attributed the instability to a bug within version 1.9.12 of the Avalanche network, necessitating the deployment of a fix to restore stability.