Kraken websocket maintenance on March 23 prompts outages

Users of the Kraken websocket will briefly lose connectivity today as the exchange completes targeted infrastructure work on two key trading interfaces.

Details of the scheduled maintenance window

The Kraken team has announced planned maintenance on its websocket API, scheduled for Mar 23, 2026 between 13:00 and 13:15 UTC. During this 15 minute window, clients connected to the relevant trading feeds should expect temporary disconnections.

According to the official Kraken maintenance notice, the work will begin at 13:00 UTC today (2026-03-23). However, the exchange expects the impact to be short-lived, with reconnections occurring almost instantly once the updates are applied.

Services impacted by the Kraken update

This technical intervention specifically affects two services: Kraken Derivatives (Websocket API) and Kraken MTF (Websocket API). Moreover, clients using these endpoints for derivatives trading or multilateral trading facility access should monitor connection status during the stated period.

The maintenance does not reference any changes to other Kraken products or to its standard REST API. That said, professional users who rely on low-latency execution may want to be ready with automatic reconnection guidance built into their systems.

Expected impact and reconnection behavior

During the 13:00 to 13:15 UTC window, the derivatives websocket maintenance will cause sessions to drop as the servers are updated. However, the exchange states that reconnections should occur instantly, minimizing any disruption for active trading strategies.

For many algorithmic and institutional traders, this scheduled websocket maintenance means ensuring their code can gracefully handle short disconnections. Moreover, any risk systems that depend on continuous order book or market data streams should be prepared to validate state after reconnecting.

Timing and operational context

The exchange published this Kraken service update on Mar 23, 2026 at 09:11 UTC. That timing provides several hours of lead time before the 13:00 UTC start, allowing clients to plan around the maintenance window.

In practical terms, teams using the Kraken mtf websocket or derivatives streams can schedule any critical operations outside the 15 minute slot. However, those who continue trading through the window should carefully monitor connectivity logs and performance metrics.

Guidance for Kraken websocket users

Developers and traders connecting via the kraken websocket should confirm that their applications implement robust reconnect logic before the work begins. Moreover, it is advisable to validate subscriptions, resync order books, and verify balances immediately after a new connection is established.

Although the exchange expects a smooth process, prudent operational checks can help mitigate any residual risk. That said, no extended downtime is anticipated, and the maintenance is confined to a clearly defined 15 minute period.

In summary, Kraken will briefly interrupt derivatives and MTF streaming connectivity on Mar 23, 2026 from 13:00 to 13:15 UTC. Clients who depend on those websocket feeds should ensure reconnect procedures are in place and monitor their systems closely during the scheduled work.