Starknet, a layer-2 protocol on Ethereum's network, recently suffered with a notable setback. An unexpected block reorganization within the network led to a transaction backlog, sending Starknet into a four-hour outage, leading to a halt in block production.

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Starknet's Revelation

On April 4, Starkscan, the block monitoring tool for Starknet, disclosed a noticeable gap between the creation of blocks 630028 and 630029, indicating a disruption in block production. 

Surprisingly, Starknet's official status page made no mention of any ongoing outage, raising questions. 

In a later statement, Starknet blamed the outage on a rounding error bug that triggered the block reorganization. Although block production appeared to have continued unaffected, the reorganization resulted in a transaction backlog, preventing the network from operating at full capacity.

As a result of Starknet's outage, STRK's value declined over 3.5% and is trading at $1.87, as of writing. 

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Starknet's Development Trajectory 

Launched in November 2021 by StarkWare, Starknet emerged as a pivotal layer-2 solution for Ethereum and its growing ecosystem of applications. Starknet reached an impressive $8 billion valuation with the help of substantial investments from industry heavyweights such as GreenOaks Capital, Tiger Global, and Paradigm. 

Starknet's recent outage joins a string of disruptions plaguing prominent blockchain networks. Solana, a notable example, encountered a significant outage in early February 2024, halting block progression on its mainnet for over five hours.