Outage on zkSync: Understanding the Root Cause and the Need for Decentralization

On April 2, according to official news, the zkSync team announced the reason for the outage on Twitter. Blocking stopped due to a failure in the block queue database. However, the server API was not affected. Transactions continue to be added to the memory pool, and the query service is normal. Although all components have comprehensive monitoring, logging, and alerts, no alerts were triggered due to the API’s normal operation. The entire team was offline when the accident occurred. The fix was implemented in 5 minutes. To address similar issues, zkSync assigns a special role to database monitoring agents, enabling them to connect to the database and continuously collect metrics. At the same time, the team introduced an alert mechanism that alerts when the database monitoring agent fails or cannot establish a connection to the database. In addition, if the situation escalates significantly, the team on standby will be notified immediately through multiple channels. But the only long-term solution is decentralization.

ZkSync: Database failures lead to downtime, and decentralization is the only long-term solution

Introduction

– Overview of the zkSync team’s announcement regarding the recent outage
– Purpose of the article: to delve deeper into the root cause of the outage and discuss potential solutions

The Root Cause of the Outage

– Details on the failure in the block queue database
– The unanticipated nature of the outage due to the normal operation of the server API
– Overview of the team’s response and the quick fix implemented

Addressing Similar Issues

– The special role assigned to database monitoring agents as a preventative measure
– Introduction of the alert mechanism to notify the team when monitoring agents fail or cannot establish a connection to the database
– Immediate notification of the standby team in case of escalated situations

The Need for Decentralization

– The limitations of centralized systems that make them susceptible to outages
– The advantages of decentralized systems, including increased resilience and security
– The role of decentralization in mitigating the risks of similar outages in the future

FAQs

1. What is zkSync?
2. How does decentralization mitigate the risk of outages?
3. What steps can be taken to prevent similar outages in the future?

Conclusion

– Recap of the root cause of the outage, the team’s response, and the need for decentralization
– Final thoughts on the potential impact of decentralized solutions in building a more resilient digital future
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On April 2, the zkSync team announced the cause of the recent outage on Twitter. The system had experienced a failure in the block queue database, which caused the blocking to stop. However, the server API remained unaffected, and transactions continued to be added to the memory pool.
Despite the comprehensive monitoring, logging, and alerts implemented in all components, no alerts were triggered due to the normal operation of the API. The entire team was offline when the accident occurred, which further compounded the issue. Nevertheless, the team was able to implement a quick fix within five minutes.
To address similar issues in the future, zkSync has assigned a special role to database monitoring agents, enabling them to connect to the database and collect metrics continuously. Additionally, the team has introduced an alert mechanism that notifies them when the monitoring agent fails or cannot establish a connection to the database. If the situation escalates significantly, the standby team will be notified immediately through multiple channels.
However, the only permanent solution to such issues is decentralization. Centralized systems such as zkSync are more susceptible to outages due to their inherent limitations. Decentralization provides a way to mitigate these risks by increasing resilience and security.
The need for decentralized solutions is becoming increasingly evident as digital technologies continue to expand. By implementing decentralized systems, we can build a more resilient and secure future for our digital world.
FAQs
Q1. What is zkSync?
A1. zkSync is a Layer 2 scaling solution based on the ZK rollup architecture that allows for fast and cheap transactions on the Ethereum blockchain.
Q2. How does decentralization mitigate the risk of outages?
A2. Decentralization distributes the risk across a network of nodes, making it more resilient to outages caused by hardware failures, attacks, or natural disasters.
Q3. What steps can be taken to prevent similar outages in the future?
A3. To prevent similar outages in the future, monitoring and alert mechanisms must be continually improved, and systems should be decentralized to increase resilience and security.