The Importance of Decentralization – Lessons from zkSync’s Outage

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

On April 2nd, the zkSync team announced an unexpected outage caused by a failure in the block queue database. This incident highlights the need for decentralized systems, which can prevent single points of failure from bringing down entire systems. This article explores how decentralization can transform the reliability and resilience of modern technological infrastructure.

What Happened with zkSync’s Outage?

According to official reports, the zkSync team experienced an issue with their block queue database, which caused the blocking to stop. The server API, however, remained unaffected. Despite having comprehensive monitoring, logging, and alert systems, no alerts were triggered due to the API’s normal operation. The entire team was offline when the accident occurred, but the fix was implemented within just five minutes.

Why Decentralization Matters

zkSync’s outage highlights the dangers of centralization when it comes to modern technological infrastructure. When a centralized system fails, the entire system can fail with it. Decentralization offers a way to avoid this type of situation by creating a distributed network with no single point of failure. This means that even if one node fails, the rest of the network can continue functioning.

The Benefits of Decentralization

Decentralized systems offer many benefits to modern technological infrastructure. For example:
– **Improved resilience:** Decentralized systems can withstand failures in individual nodes, ensuring that the network continues functioning even if some nodes go offline.
– **Increased security:** Decentralized systems use cryptography and other security measures to ensure that sensitive data remains protected.
– **Greater transparency:** Decentralized systems are often more transparent than centralized systems, as they keep a public ledger of all transactions.

How zkSync is Addressing the Issue

To address the issue that caused the outage, the zkSync team has introduced new monitoring procedures that allow database monitoring agents to collect metrics continuously. This enables the team to identify issues before they develop into major problems. Additionally, the team has implemented new alert mechanisms that notify the team when monitoring agents fail to establish a connection to the database.
However, the only true solution to this problem is decentralization – creating a network with no single point of failure. This would ensure that even if one node fails, the rest of the network can continue functioning normally.

Conclusion

The zkSync outage is a stark reminder of the importance of decentralization in modern technological infrastructure. Decentralized systems offer increased resilience, security, and transparency – all things that are critical in today’s digital landscape. While zkSync has taken steps to address the issue, the only long-term solution is the adoption of decentralized systems.
# FAQs

1. What is zkSync?

zkSync is a Layer 2 scaling solution for Ethereum that allows for fast and low-cost transactions.

2. How did the zkSync team fix the outage?

The team identified the issue and implemented a fix within just five minutes.

3. Why is decentralization important?

Decentralization offers improved resilience, security, and transparency. It can prevent single points of failure from bringing down entire systems.