chain halt
A blockchain temporarily stops processing new transactions due to a critical problem.
A chain halt occurs when a blockchain network stops validating and adding new blocks to its ledger. This can happen automatically when the network detects a serious bug, security threat, or consensus failure, or it can be deliberately triggered by developers or validators to prevent damage. During a halt, users cannot send transactions, and the network essentially freezes in place.
Halts are rare and usually indicate significant problems. They reveal that blockchains, despite being designed to run continuously, have safeguards to pause operations when needed. When you see this in headlines, it typically means the network faced an unexpected issue serious enough that stopping was preferable to continuing. These events are usually resolved once developers identify and fix the underlying problem, though they highlight the risks of running decentralized systems at scale.
Written once as a plain-English reference, not as advice. Nothing here is a recommendation to buy or sell anything.