Shaurya Malwa | Edited by Sheldon Rebeck Updated August 6, 2025, 1:47 PM Published August 6, 2025, 7:35 AM
The Coinbase (COIN) Base blockchain was down for 33 minutes early Tuesday due to a sequencer issue that failed to automatically recover, the developers reported in a research note Wednesday.
The incident started at 06:07 UTC on August 5, when the main sequencer stopped handling the load due to high network activity. Despite a correct attempt by the Conductor module, the central element of the OP stack responsible for operational stability, to switch to the backup sequencer, it was inactive and could not continue generating blocks.
The sequencer is responsible for organizing transactions before they are included in blocks. The system successfully initiated the transfer of functions to the backup device, but it did not complete preparation and remained inoperative.
The automatic switchover failed, causing the processes to stop until the fault was manually fixed by engineers. According to the data, the network was fully restored by 06:40 UTC.
To avoid the risk of a chain reorganization, in which confirmed blocks could be replaced by alternative versions, the team temporarily disabled Conductor and organized a controlled role reassignment. This procedure partially explains the length of the downtime.
The case demonstrated a vulnerability in the architecture of Layer 2 solutions that use centralized sequencers to process transactions. Such systems require instant switching to reserves and their full synchronization, and a single failure can paralyze the entire network.
Base announced plans to modify its infrastructure to ensure all sequencers are operational before integrating them with Conductor, as well as to increase testing of critical processes.
The incident followed similar shutdowns on other OP Stack chains and coincided with a surge in traffic due to new token and NFT launches via on-chain platforms including Farcaster and Zora.
Read also: Base network experiences first downtime in two years: work was interrupted for 29 minutes
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *