Coinbase Supercharges Solana Support with 5x Faster Block Processing
- Coinbase revamped its Solana transaction system by adopting asynchronous block processing and shifting to bare-metal machines for speed.
- The upgrade improves RPC performance fourfold, adds failover systems, and boosts stability during high-volume trading and market surges.
In a move to win back user confidence after facing widespread criticism earlier this year, Coinbase has rolled out major updates to how it handles Solana transactions. The improvements, announced on April 17, aim to fix long-standing issues with slow transaction times that left users frustrated in recent months.
We’ve been hard at work scaling our @Solana infrastructure to be faster, more resilient, and more scalable.
We have upgraded our systems to:
→ Process transactions asynchronously, leading to a 5x improvement in block processing throughput.
→ Leverage bare metal machines for 4x… pic.twitter.com/WFINzCutNK— Coinbase Platform (@CoinbasePltfrm) April 17, 2025
The update brings a big shift in Coinbase’s infrastructure for Solana transfers, not just on its main exchange but also within Coinbase Wallet. One major change is the adoption of asynchronous block processing. This lets the platform handle multiple Solana transaction blocks at once instead of one at a time.
Coinbase has also taken a more hands-on approach by ditching cloud reliance and switching to bare-metal machines. This means the system now runs on dedicated hardware, which translates into quicker, more reliable performance. In fact, Coinbase says its Remote Procedure Call (RPC) capability has improved fourfold, a figure that highlights how significant the upgrade really is.
Stronger Systems After Slow Start to 2025
The timing of the announcement follows a rough start to 2025 for the platform. Back in January, complaints flooded social media from users experiencing long delays in Solana transactions. Many said transfers took much time to complete despite Solana being known for its near-instant speeds. Brian Armstrong, Coinbase’s CEO, acknowledged the backlash, which put a spotlight on the platform’s technical weaknesses.
Interestingly, these delays didn’t line up with any known issues on the Solana network itself. The blockchain, while occasionally prone to outages, was running smoothly when Coinbase users faced the slowdown. That contrast made it clear the root of the issue was on Coinbase’s end — not Solana’s.
Coinbase’s upgrade is not limited to just faster RPC speeds. The company also introduced enhanced failover mechanisms — essentially backup systems that kick in if something goes wrong. This should help keep transactions flowing even if part of the infrastructure goes offline.
Coinbase Tackles Trading Delays With Smarter Liquidity
Liquidity optimization was another part of the upgrade. Coinbase has fine-tuned how it handles trading demand, aiming to reduce friction during high-traffic periods. This matters because in fast-moving markets, even a few seconds of delay can frustrate traders or lead to missed opportunities.
A wider goal for Coinbase is to future-proof its infrastructure as Solana adoption grows. With more traders entering the market and more apps built on Solana, volume is expected to rise. These backend changes position Coinbase to keep pace with that growth, reducing the risk of outages and performance drops.
This isn’t Coinbase’s first tech struggle. Back in February 2024, the exchange went down completely after a massive Bitcoin rally pushed the price to $64,000. Just a month later, another wave of issues surfaced during a Solana price jump, again causing a disruption in trading services.