• The Sui Network, a Layer-1 blockchain, experienced its first major disruption since its May 2023 launch, with block production halted for two hours on November 21, 2024, due to a critical bug in the transaction scheduling logic.
  • The bug, triggered by a specific transaction type, caused all validators to crash, but the Sui development team and validators swiftly deployed fixes, restoring block production and stabilising the SUI price, which had fallen by 10% during the downtime.
  • The incident highlighted vulnerabilities in blockchain scalability and prompted Sui to commit to improving testing systems and optimising response times to prevent future disruptions.

On November 21, 2024, the Sui Network, a Layer-1 blockchain, faced its first major disruption since launching in May 2023. 

Block production was halted for approximately two hours, from 1:15 AM to 3:45 AM PT, due to a critical system bug.

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The Solana Killer Goes Down

The issue was traced to a bug in the transaction scheduling logic. Specifically, an error in the congestion control code caused all network validators to crash. The problem was triggered when a transaction with both a mutable shared object input and zero MoveCall commands entered the system. 

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This unusual combination exposed a vulnerability in the transaction handling process, leading to the unexpected shutdown. The Sui development team, alongside its validator community, promptly identified the source of the issue and deployed a fix. 

Version 1.37.4 of the Sui software was released to the Mainnet, while Testnet received version 1.38.1. Thanks to their swift response, block production resumed within two hours, restoring normal network operations.

However, that didn’t stop SUI, Sui’s native currency, from experiencing massive price swings throughout the day. 

The SUI price fell approximately 10%, dropping from US$3.70 (AU$5.68) to US$3.35 (AU$5.15) during the downtime. Once the outage was fixed, the price stabilised and even rebounded to US$3.66 (AU$5.62).

SUI’s daily price, source: CoinMarketCap

The incident sparked mixed and humorous reactions from the crypto community. Some users drew comparisons between Sui and Solana, another Layer-1 blockchain known for its history of outages. 

Sui, often seen as a potential competitor to Solana (and even dubbed the Solana Killer), had been recognised for its network stability, so the downtime highlighted vulnerabilities that many blockchains face as they scale.

While as bad as this was for the Sui community, at least we can crack some jokes about it, right?

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In response to the outage, the Sui team has committed to enhancing its testing systems and optimising incident response times. These measures aim to prevent similar disruptions in the future and to ensure quicker resolution of unexpected issues.