On Tuesday, the popular layer 2 (L2) blockchain of Ethereum, Base, suffered a 33-minute disruption. The complete shutdown of on-chain activity in this ecosystem generated enormous concern among users; however, the developers acted quickly. They provided more details about the incident in a subsequent report.
In a post on X, the developers emphasized that the network disruption was caused by a failure in the sequencer. This led to the complete shutdown of vital network functions such as flashblocks, block production, deposits, and withdrawals. The latter explains the commotion caused by this brief interruption.
The report highlights that the active sequencer, responsible for these network activities, experienced delays due to network activity. Specifically, when the Conductor (a component) attempted to transfer block production to a new sequencer, a failure occurred. They note that the new sequencer was provisioning, which prevented it from producing blocks. This was the cause of the disruption.
" The Conductor was not yet fully enabled in this sequencer and could not initiate another transfer," they wrote. Therefore, the unavailability of Base apparently was not the result of an external attack, but rather an internal failure. The developers stated that they will take the necessary measures to prevent further incidents.
The second attack on Base in a short time
It is important to note that disruptions in the blockchain due to internal failures are rare. However, they are possible events in the context of the evolution of functions, the growth of activity, and new demands arising from innovation. Some networks, like Solana, have experienced disruptions that caused alarm at the time.
In the specific case of Base, the recent shutdown is the second in its history. The previous one occurred in 2023 when it was offline for more than 40 minutes. Despite these incidents, the importance of this second layer in the Ethereum ecosystem continues to grow.
The growing activity of the Base network coincides with the hints of the report. Base is operating at full steam, and elements such as continuous updates project it as one of the largest networks in terms of activity. According to developer Jesse Pollak, these updates will allow Base to surpass Solana.
As you can see, the Base outage was an incident that users may have overlooked, aside from the immediate shock. The team's quick response allowed the problem to be resolved and the causes to be clarified publicly.
" We will update our infrastructure to ensure that when a sequencer is added to the board of directors, it can always transfer leadership if elected," Base emphasized, making it clear that this incident will not happen again.
