The XRP Ledger (XRPL) experienced an unprecedented disruption as its block production ceased operation for approximately one hour, halting network activity at ledger height 93927173. This marked a rare event for a network known for its relative stability and longevity, prompting immediate investigation and raising crucial questions about the robustness of its consensus mechanism.
The network freeze triggered swift action from validators, who initiated a thorough investigation into the cause of the outage. Fortunately, the XRPL subsequently resumed normal operations, with reassuring reports confirming no loss of assets or transactions.
XRP Ledger Outage Explained
David Schwartz, CTO of XRPL, offered insights into the incident, stating on X that while consensus appeared operational, validations were not being published, leading to network divergence.
He noted the surprising aspect of the recovery, suggesting that the network self-corrected with minimal external intervention.
“Very few UNL operators actually made any changes, as far as I can tell, so it’s possible the network spontaneously recovered,” he observed.
Schwartz’s comments pointed to the Unique Node List (UNL), a pivotal component of the XRPL’s consensus mechanism. The UNL serves as a trusted directory of validators, essential for maintaining network integrity and guaranteeing transaction finality.
The UNL’s composition has undergone significant changes in the past. In January 2023, the XRPL Foundation implemented a “one entity, one validator” policy, removing a Ripple-operated validator and reducing Ripple’s influence.
A subsequent March 2023 update expanded the UNL to 36 validators, incorporating community-run nodes, while maintaining an 80% quorum threshold. The removal of an unresponsive validator from the University of Korea further adjusted the validator count to 35.
XRPL Rising Concerns
Despite these measures, critics voiced concerns, anticipating potential consequences of this adjusted validator structure. Daniel Keller, CTO of XRPL node operator Eminence, responded to these concerns shortly after the halt, affirming that “all 35 nodes were actively proposing blocks.”
The recent outage incident raised concerns regarding transaction safety. Schwartz addressed these anxieties directly, emphasizing the absence of asset risk. He clarified that the disruption only affected the trust status of ledgers for approximately one hour.
“It just caused ledgers not to be seen as trusted for about an hour,” Schwartz stated. “The servers knew the network wasn’t working correctly and so did not report any ledgers as trusted during the incident.”
The incident’s impact extended beyond technical considerations, influencing XRP’s market performance. Following the disruption, XRP experienced an 8.3% decline, settling at $2.52 according to CoinGecko data.