Explanation of Perpetual Contract System Outage on January 12, 2021

1. Incident Overview

On January 12, 2021, OKX's perpetual contract trading service experienced two trading suspension incidents at 15:19:00 HKT and 17:36:00 HKT, respectively.

Root Cause Analysis

First Outage

• Trigger: A configuration error during a scheduled system upgrade at 14:30:00 HKT caused the perpetual contract TBT channel to stop pushing depth data.
• Response: The emergency mechanism activated, leading to a temporary trading halt.

Second Outage

• Trigger: An anomaly in shared components between the WebSocket push system and perpetual contract trading system after a scheduled upgrade at 17:00:00 HKT.
• Response: Transaction processing was interrupted, necessitating another suspension.

Timeline of Resolutions

First Outage

• 14:30:00 HKT: Upgrade initiated as planned.
• 14:41:00 HKT: Upgrade completed; trading resumed.
• 14:42:00 HKT: Configuration error detected; repair initiated.
• 15:19:00 HKT: Trading paused for urgent maintenance.
• 15:39:00 HKT: Maintenance completed; trading restored.

Second Outage

• 17:00:00 HKT: WebSocket system upgrade began.
• 17:32:00 HKT: Upgrade finalized.
• 17:33:00 HKT: System anomaly detected; repair started.
• 17:36:00 HKT: Trading suspended for maintenance.
• 18:10:00 HKT: System restored; trading resumed.

2. Measures to Enhance Platform Stability

OKX is committed to delivering a 24/7 stable trading environment, though complex systems inherently face occasional disruptions. Our proactive strategies include:

1. Rigorous Quality Assurance

   • Enhanced testing protocols; new features undergo simulated trading before deployment.

2. Architectural Improvements

   • Multi-server and multi-region redundancy to minimize hardware/software failures.

3. Seamless Updates

   • Hot updates for stateless logic to reduce downtime during upgrades.

👉 Learn how OKX ensures uninterrupted trading

3. Staying Informed About System Updates

1. Post-Incident Reports

   • Detailed outage explanations are published on the Status Page.

2. Proactive Notifications

   • Upgrade alerts via the Status Page and community channels (API/user groups).
   • API users can subscribe to the system/status channel for real-time updates.

FAQ Section

❓ How often does OKX experience system outages?

• Outages are rare; we prioritize preventive measures and rapid resolution.

❓ Can users claim compensation for downtime losses?

• Review our Terms of Service for policies on service interruptions.

❓ How does OKX compare to other platforms in reliability?

• Our multi-region redundancy and testing protocols place us among the most resilient exchanges.

👉 Explore OKX’s advanced trading infrastructure