PolygonFoundation

An unexpected error caused the consensus layer of Polygon to stop functioning for one hour

The consensus layer of #Polygon stopped operating for one hour on Wednesday after an error in the network's validation mechanism was triggered. The incident occurred when a validator left the network, causing the Heimdall service, which manages validators and synchronizes the blockchain with Ethereum, to stop responding.

Causes and consequences

According to representatives of #PolygonFoundation , this error stemmed from the network not being programmed to handle the departure of a validator – an event that rarely occurs. This triggered a false alarm, leading to the chain being paused. Although the chain did not lose the ability to process transactions, the crash of explorers caused many users to be concerned.
This incident could harm user trust. In the past, network crashes of other blockchains like Solana have caused financial damage to many traders who were unable to close or adjust leveraged positions.
This is not the first time parts of the Polygon network have encountered issues. In 2022, Polygon experienced an 11-hour outage due to an error in an upgrade. In 2024, the network #zkEVM of Polygon also experienced service issues for 10 hours.