A glitch in the sequencer code of Arbitrum’s network briefly prevented the network from sending batch transactions to the Ethereum blockchain. In an effort to reduce the burden on the primary blockchain, Arbitrum, a Layer 2 network, batches up transactions and sends them to Ethereum in one single transaction. To accomplish this, it gathers these transactions, arranges them, and batches them into Ethereum using a tool called a sequencer.
Due to a fault in the sequencer and the ensuing transaction backlog that pressured the network, the Ethereum layer 2 network was inaccessible, causing a brief outage where transactions were not getting confirmed on the main chain for several hours. After a fix was put in place, the network started processing again.
The flaw was discovered when the Sequencer attempted to post a batch on-chain, the official Twitter account for the Arbitrum developers reported on Wednesday.
The amount of ether in the sequencer’s wallet at the time of this incident caused some misunderstanding. The amount of transaction fees that the wallet had paid was reimbursed when the system started operating as it was supposed to. The second wallet, programmed to automatically return it, didn’t do so since the transactions weren’t getting confirmed on Ethereum.
The community lead for the Arbitrum Foundation confirmed on Discord that a solution had been deployed and everything was working as it should. The community, “eli_defi” stated on Discord that the software error “created network stress caused by the large backlog of transactions which hadn’t been posted on-chain.” “Earlier today, a solution was deployed, and everything has been working as it should.”