Proof-of-stake based blockchain Celo has suffered an intermittent network outage lasting 24 hours, although the blockchain appears to be operational again.
Celo is an open source blockchain that allows users with phone numbers to make cryptocurrency payments using their phone numbers as a proxy for public keys.
Zeal notified to his Twitter followers after the network became operational again, noting that it was the first network outage since the launch of the mainnet on April 22, 2020, and that he has begun a “comprehensive and accelerated technical analysis” to get to the bottom of the problem.
The protocol made the initial announcement that the network had stopped on July 14 at 12:04 am (UTC) at block 14,035,019, assuring that “all funds are safe”.
It resumed about nine hours later for several minutes before stopping again at block 14,035,045.
As of press time, the network appears to be back up and running following an update of its validator nodes to version 1.5.8, according to a Celo block explorer.
Update: Celo validators have resolved the network’s first outage since mainnet launch on April 22, 2020. A thorough and expedited technical analysis is ongoing and details will be readily shared with the Celo community.
— Celo (@CeloOrg) July 15, 2022
On the protocol’s Discord channel, one of the network’s validators with the username “Dee” said they viewed the recent outage as “part of the growing pains” of the network, but remained confident in the fundamentals, as it was the first such incident in more than two years.
“Even Visa had some network outage in the last two years, despite being the payment market leader for more than 60 years.”
The Celo protocol whitepaper claims that it allows users to send payments “as easily as sending a text message.” The network boasts an average block time of five seconds, is compatible with the Ethereum virtual machine, and supports smart contracts and decentralized applications.
The Celo network is also the protocol behind three stablecoins – Celo Dollar (cUSD), Celo Euro (cEUR), and Celo Real (cREAL), as well as its native token Celo (CELO).
Earlier this week, the Helium network suffered a four-hour outage due to validator failures due to a software update, which caused a delay in the completion of transactions.
On June 1, the Solana network experienced a further outage, causing block production to cease for four and a half hours. It was one of seven network outages in the last 12 months.
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