Base Halts 33 Minutes After Backup Sequencer Failure

Base Halts for 33 Minutes After Backup Sequencer Fails to Launch

Written by Aaron S.,

Editor-In-Chief

Last Updated: August 06, 2025

Key Takeaways

Base paused block production for 33 minutes after a backup sequencer failed to process transactions;
The issue revealed that Base’s sequencer system depends heavily on a single decision tool, Conductor;
Developers plan to update the system so all sequencers are always ready to handle traffic if needed.

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On August 5, Base, Coinbase’s $1.11B Layer-2 blockchain, stopped producing blocks for 33 minutes due to a problem that occurred during a routine switch to a backup system.

At 6:07 AM UTC, the main sequencer began falling behind in its task of processing transactions. Base uses a system called Conductor to manage which sequencer is active.

When the main one slowed down, Conductor automatically redirected traffic to another sequencer. However, the new sequencer was not ready, it had not been fully prepared to handle live transactions.

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Therefore, the network could not process any new blocks until the issue was fixed. By 6:40 AM UTC, block production was running normally again, according to Jesse Pollak, creator of Base.

Following the incident, the team took extra time to confirm that the chain did not need to be reorganized.

This short outage explained that Base relies on centralized control to keep things running. Although several sequencers exist, they all depend on Conductor to decide which one should be in charge. If Conductor makes the wrong call or selects a sequencer that is not ready, the entire network can stop.

Base currently holds over $4.1 billion in total value. The team plans to make changes so that every sequencer in the group is always ready to take over, not just some of them.

Coinbase recently announced plans to raise $2 million through a private sale of convertible notes. What is the purpose of the funding? Read the full story.