TON Network experienced a major disruption in block production for nearly seven hours due to a massive influx of transactions related to a new memecoin, DOGS.
Although TON theoretically could handle up to 55,000 transactions per second, the network only reached a maximum of 280 TPS during this episode, well below initial expectations.
This outage led to temporary suspensions of TON deposits and withdrawals on platforms like Bybit to protect users from financial risks associated with delayed or unprocessed transactions, which also affected user trust in the network.
The Impact of a New Memecoin on the Network
This outage appears to have been triggered by a massive influx of transactions associated with a new memecoin named DOGS. This airdrop caused a sudden increase in traffic on the TON blockchain, highlighting the limitations of the network’s transaction processing capacity. Although TON was theoretically capable of handling up to 55,000 transactions per second (TPS), the network only reached a maximum of 280 TPS during this episode, well below initial expectations.
This situation has reminded of past troubles encountered by other blockchains, such as Solana, which experienced a similar outage last February, halting new block production for over five hours.
Consequences for Users and the Community
An interruption in block production on a blockchain can result in transaction delays, increasing security risks and impacting user trust in the network. In response to this outage, some platforms, including Bybit, have temporarily suspended TON deposits and withdrawals, citing network instability. This decision aims to protect users from the risks of financial losses due to unprocessed or delayed transactions.
Furthermore, this incident coincided with another unfortunate news for the TON ecosystem: the arrest of Pavel Durov, the CEO of Telegram, in France. Although Telegram and TON are separate entities, their close association led to a drop in the price of Toncoin following this arrest, further exacerbating the already felt turbulence on the network.
Recovery and Next Steps
After several hours of uncertainty, the TON blockchain has resumed block production, reassuring its users and the wider crypto community. TON developers are already working to strengthen the network’s infrastructure to prevent such outages in the future, especially as the popularity of the blockchain and its applications continues to grow.
This incident also highlights the crucial importance of being able to handle traffic spikes in decentralized networks, a challenge that TON and other blockchains will face in their quest for robustness and resilience. For now, the TON blockchain seems to be back on track, but the question remains as to how it will evolve to prevent future similar interruptions.
