Base Mainnet Fix Restores Network Stability After Delays

• Congestion caused up to two minute confirmation delays as some transactions failed to propagate, though blocks kept producing.

• Base deployed fixes by Jan 31, restored stability and promised an RCA and postmortem on root causes.

• Base will double the minimum base fee on Feb 2 to reduce congestion while monitoring for minor delays.

Base Protocol’s mainnet experienced intermittent transaction inclusion delays this week, causing longer confirmation times for users across the network. The issue, occurring under periods of network congestion, affected some transactions, which were delayed or occasionally dropped. Base officials confirmed that blocks continued to be produced and transactions processed throughout the incident.

Transaction Delays and Network Response

The delays were first reported on January 30, 2026, with users noting confirmation times of up to two minutes. Base immediately began investigating high transaction failure rates within the txpool and block builder.

Officials explained that the issue caused some transactions to fail to propagate correctly under load, prompting temporary network instability. Throughout January 31, Base deployed multiple fixes to improve transaction inclusion, monitor congestion, and ensure blocks were correctly produced.

The team emphasized that despite delays, overall transaction processing continued uninterrupted. By 22:42 UTC on January 31, Base confirmed that the corrective measures had restored network stability.

Ongoing Monitoring and Future Updates

Base warned users that periods of high congestion could still occasionally result in delayed or dropped transactions. The team stated it is working on long-term solutions to address these issues. Users are advised to monitor the Base status page for updates, particularly during peak network activity.

Additionally, Base plans to release a comprehensive Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and a public postmortem report in the coming days. The report will provide further insights into the technical causes and steps taken to prevent similar events in the future.

Fee Adjustment and Operational Notes

To support smoother transaction processing, Base announced that on February 2, 2026, the minimum base fee on mainnet would increase from 1,000,000 wei to 2,000,000 wei. At current ETH prices, this adjustment translates to approximately $0.001 per transaction.

Officials noted that monitoring remains active, and all implemented fixes are under continuous observation to prevent recurrence. Users submitting transactions during congestion may still experience minor delays but can expect significantly improved performance after the latest fixes.