Canto Blockchain Faces Extended Outage: What You Need to Know

The Cosmos-based layer-1 blockchain Canto has been experiencing a significant outage for over 33 hours, reportedly due to an “issue with consensus.” The last recorded transaction occurred on August 11 at 2:29 am UTC, with no new transactions or blocks being processed since then.

Launched in August 2022, Canto is designed as a permissionless, general-purpose blockchain focused on decentralized finance (DeFi) applications. It is also Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatible. However, according to the CantoScan block explorer and Etherscan, the blockchain has been inactive for a considerable period, with only two transactions in the last 46 hours.

Scheduled Upgrade to Address the Issue

In response to the outage, Canto has announced an upgrade planned for 12:00 pm UTC on August 12. The upgrade aims to resolve the consensus issue that has halted the blockchain’s operations. The team has assured users that all funds are secure and that normal activities will resume once the upgrade is completed.

Prior to the outage, Canto had scheduled the Callisto upgrade for August 9 at 14:30 UTC. It remains unclear whether this upgrade was successfully implemented or if it is related to the current consensus problem. The Canto team has not provided additional details on this matter.

Canto previously announced plans to migrate to the Ethereum Network and become a layer-2 solution in September 2023. However, this decision was reversed in March 2024, and Canto has continued as a layer-1 blockchain.

Despite a surge in activity in February 2023, DefiLlama data indicates a decline in its standing, with Canto now ranked as the 80th largest blockchain by total value locked.

User Assurance and Next Steps

Canto has reassured its users that their funds remain safe and that all functionalities will be restored once the upgrade resolves the consensus issue. The team remains focused on stabilizing the blockchain and ensuring a smooth return to normal operations.

The ongoing outage of the Canto blockchain highlights the challenges faced by blockchain platforms, particularly those handling complex consensus mechanisms. As the upgrade is set to address the current issues, the community will be watching closely to ensure that Canto can regain its operational stability and continue supporting its DeFi ecosystem.