Solana (SOL) network is currently facing congestion issues primarily due to an increase in spam transactions. This congestion has led to noticeable delays in processing transactions and the cancellation of numerous transactions. As a result, users of popular wallet applications like Phantom on Solana have been advised to expect longer wait times for their transactions to complete. Following these issues, the altcoin’s development team came together to discuss potential solutions to resolve the problems.
Problems Hit the Solana Network
The congestion issue largely stems from an increase in spam transactions and automated bots trying to prioritize their activities over those of regular users. This issue has deepened with a sharp increase in transactions related to newly launched memecoins, creating an unprecedented demand for the network’s block space and blocking many users from accessing the network.
In the first quarter of 2024, the Solana Blockchain saw a significant increase in memecoin activity with a record number of new altcoins introduced in Solana DEXs. This rise indicates that Solana is being heavily used by new and individual users due to relatively affordable transaction costs, with spam transactions emerging as a significant bottleneck.
Development Team Works on Resolving Issues
Matt Sorg, technology and product leader at the Solana Foundation, drew parallels between Solana’s architecture and internet infrastructure, noting that in the network’s setup, individual validators process transactions without relying on a main pool, similar to how IP endpoints and servers operate on the internet. Sorg acknowledged that an excessive increase in spam transactions could strain this system, potentially leading to many transactions not being processed.
The Solana development team addressing these issues is actively working on effective solutions, including ongoing software updates. Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana, emphasized that the effective implementation of these updates might take some time. A significant step in resolving the problems is the 1.18 update planned for release in April, which aims to strengthen transaction scheduling and thereby facilitate transactions and reduce bottlenecks.
Currently, the congestion issue extends to the network’s infrastructure, affecting users’ ability to use the Blockchain. To alleviate this, Anza, a developer from Solana’s Agave validator clients, will offer fixes targeting specific issues with the QUIC implementation. These updates are expected to enhance the client’s performance, especially in scenarios involving high demand volumes.
Moreover, the implementation of priority fees will be a critical matter. Many applications running on Solana are currently not using priority fees, leading to transaction delays or non-processing. A blog post published by Solana Labs in March anticipates that integrating dynamic priority fees into decentralized applications (dApps) will resolve issues affecting user experience.
