- XRP Ledger recovered after a 64-minute halt with potential self-recovery.
- Around 88,000 transactions were delayed; customer funds remained secure.
The XRP Ledger (XRPL) experienced an unexpected block production halt on February 4, lasting 64 minutes. Ripple CTO David Schwartz confirmed the disruption, citing validation publication issues as the cause. Network activity froze at ledger height 93927174 before validators manually intervened to restore operations.
During the halt, the consensus mechanism appeared functional, but validations were not published. Schwartz noted this caused the network to drift apart. Validator operators eventually selected a common starting point to resume validation and re-establish ledger synchronization. RippleX confirmed that customer funds remained safe throughout the incident.
Network Recovery and Centralization
Despite the manual intervention, Schwartz emphasized that the network might have self-recovered. He observed that only a few Unique Node List (UNL) validators made changes. The XRPL explorer page later confirmed the network’s complete recovery.
The incident delayed around 88,000 transactions based on XRPSCAN data. The platform typically processes up to two million daily transactions from 30,000 to 60,000 unique senders. Ripple’s swift response helped minimize disruptions.
Critics highlighted concerns about XRPL’s centralization. Daniel Keller, CTO of node operator Eminence, pointed out that all 35 nodes resumed validation simultaneously. This sparked debates about the network’s reliance on a limited number of validators. In contrast, decentralized networks like Ethereum have over one million active validators.
Despite the technical glitch, XRP’s market performance remained stable. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse continues to push for XRP to gain recognition as a U.S. reserve asset, with support reportedly from Trump’s crypto czar, David Sacks. Ripple’s ability to resolve the issue quickly demonstrated the resilience of the XRPL network. However, questions about its decentralization remain.
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