Stellar Protocol 24 Launches; Chainlink Introduces DataLink Amid AWS Outage Concerns

What shipped

October 2025 has brought a mix of updates and developments across several key blockchain networks, including Ripple, Stellar, Hedera, Flare Network, and XDC Network. Among the highlights, Stellar has been actively working on its Protocol 24 upgrade, aimed at improving the network’s performance and reliability. This upgrade is guided by a detailed developer blog post from Stellar, which walks through the changes and how they affect users and developers alike.

Additionally, Stellar recently hosted the Stellar i³ Awards 2025, a community-driven event that celebrates innovation and impactful projects built on the Stellar blockchain. This event highlights the growing ecosystem and the creative energy fueling new use cases.

Chainlink, a leading decentralized oracle network, released its Q3 2025 quarterly review, showcasing its continued growth and adoption. Chainlink also won the Swift Hackathon 2025 Business Challenge, demonstrating its strength in connecting traditional financial systems with blockchain technology. The team introduced DataLink, a new product designed to bring high-quality, institutional market data directly onto the blockchain, making smart contracts smarter and more reliable.

On the infrastructure side, the crypto industry faced a reminder of its ongoing challenges with decentralization when an Amazon Web Services (AWS) outage caused disruptions, sparking discussions about the reliance on centralized cloud providers despite blockchain’s decentralized ethos.

Why it matters

Upgrades like Stellar’s Protocol 24 are important because they help blockchains stay efficient, secure, and scalable as more users and applications join the network. For example, addressing “state archival inconsistencies” means better data integrity and smoother operation for everyone relying on Stellar for payments, asset issuance, or decentralized finance (DeFi) applications.

Events like the Stellar i³ Awards encourage developers and entrepreneurs to push the boundaries of what’s possible on blockchain, leading to more practical and innovative solutions that benefit end users.

Chainlink’s advancements with DataLink highlight the growing trend of integrating real-world data into blockchain applications. This is crucial for expanding the usefulness of smart contracts beyond simple token transfers to complex financial agreements, insurance, and more.

The AWS outage serves as a wake-up call to the crypto community about the importance of true decentralization. While blockchain networks themselves are decentralized, many still depend on centralized cloud services for hosting infrastructure, which can create vulnerabilities. This incident encourages builders and users to think critically about resilience and decentralization in every layer of the ecosystem.

Builders’ corner

Stellar Protocol 24 Upgrade: Developers should review the upgrade guide from Stellar to understand changes in network behavior and how to adapt their applications accordingly. This includes improvements in transaction processing and data storage consistency.
Chainlink DataLink: Smart contract developers can explore DataLink to access reliable market data on-chain, enabling more advanced decentralized finance products and real-world asset integrations.
Ripple & Stellar Focus: Both networks continue to push for faster, cheaper cross-border payments. Builders interested in financial inclusion and remittance solutions will find growing support and tools on these platforms.
Decentralization Awareness: Consider diversifying infrastructure beyond centralized cloud providers. Look into decentralized hosting options and multi-cloud strategies to increase uptime and reduce single points of failure.

Quick prices (as of Oct 21, 2025, 21:01 ET)

Bitcoin (BTC): $108,059 (down 2.2% in 24h)
Ethereum (ETH): $3,844.83 (down 3.2% in 24h)
Ripple (XRP): $2.42 (down 2.9% in 24h)
Stellar (XLM): $0.312 (down 3.8% in 24h)
Hedera Hashgraph (HBAR): $0.170 (down 2.9% in 24h)
Flare Networks (FLR): $0.0175 (down 0.14% in 24h)
XDC Network (XDC): $0.0623 (down 0.87% in 24h)

While many assets experienced slight declines over the past day, these movements are normal in the crypto market and often provide buying opportunities for long-term investors.

What to watch

In the coming weeks, keep an eye on the following:

Stellar Protocol Upgrade Vote: A community vote on the next steps for the protocol upgrade is scheduled. This will determine how quickly and widely the new improvements are adopted.
Ripple’s XRP Price Movement: XRP recently spiked 3%, even as gold prices slipped and Bitcoin gained momentum. Watch for potential trends in cross-border payment adoption and regulatory news impacting Ripple.
Decentralization Efforts: Following the AWS outage, expect more projects to explore decentralized infrastructure solutions. Innovations here could improve network reliability and user trust.
Chainlink Developments: New partnerships or product launches related to DataLink or other oracle services could expand blockchain’s connection to real-world data, opening fresh use cases.

TL;DR: Stellar is rolling out an important Protocol 24 upgrade and celebrating innovation with its i³ Awards, while Chainlink advances smart contract data integration with its new DataLink product. Despite a recent AWS outage reminding us of centralization risks, the crypto ecosystem continues to innovate and grow. Prices have dipped slightly but remain strong, and upcoming votes and product launches could open new opportunities for developers and investors alike.

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Stellar Protocol 24 Launches; Chainlink Introduces DataLink Amid AWS Outage Concerns