diff --git a/backend/src/api/bitcoin/esplora-api.ts b/backend/src/api/bitcoin/esplora-api.ts
index 37f6e5892..0366695d1 100644
--- a/backend/src/api/bitcoin/esplora-api.ts
+++ b/backend/src/api/bitcoin/esplora-api.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,13 @@
 import config from '../../config';
 import axios, { AxiosRequestConfig } from 'axios';
+import http from 'http';
 import { AbstractBitcoinApi } from './bitcoin-api-abstract-factory';
 import { IEsploraApi } from './esplora-api.interface';
 
+const axiosConnection = axios.create({
+  httpAgent: new http.Agent({ keepAlive: true })
+});
+
 class ElectrsApi implements AbstractBitcoinApi {
   axiosConfig: AxiosRequestConfig = {
     timeout: 10000,
@@ -11,52 +16,52 @@ class ElectrsApi implements AbstractBitcoinApi {
   constructor() { }
 
   $getRawMempool(): Promise<IEsploraApi.Transaction['txid'][]> {
-    return axios.get<IEsploraApi.Transaction['txid'][]>(config.ESPLORA.REST_API_URL + '/mempool/txids', this.axiosConfig)
+    return axiosConnection.get<IEsploraApi.Transaction['txid'][]>(config.ESPLORA.REST_API_URL + '/mempool/txids', this.axiosConfig)
       .then((response) => response.data);
   }
 
   $getRawTransaction(txId: string): Promise<IEsploraApi.Transaction> {
-    return axios.get<IEsploraApi.Transaction>(config.ESPLORA.REST_API_URL + '/tx/' + txId, this.axiosConfig)
+    return axiosConnection.get<IEsploraApi.Transaction>(config.ESPLORA.REST_API_URL + '/tx/' + txId, this.axiosConfig)
       .then((response) => response.data);
   }
 
   $getTransactionHex(txId: string): Promise<string> {
-    return axios.get<string>(config.ESPLORA.REST_API_URL + '/tx/' + txId + '/hex', this.axiosConfig)
+    return axiosConnection.get<string>(config.ESPLORA.REST_API_URL + '/tx/' + txId + '/hex', this.axiosConfig)
       .then((response) => response.data);
   }
 
   $getBlockHeightTip(): Promise<number> {
-    return axios.get<number>(config.ESPLORA.REST_API_URL + '/blocks/tip/height', this.axiosConfig)
+    return axiosConnection.get<number>(config.ESPLORA.REST_API_URL + '/blocks/tip/height', this.axiosConfig)
       .then((response) => response.data);
   }
 
   $getBlockHashTip(): Promise<string> {
-    return axios.get<string>(config.ESPLORA.REST_API_URL + '/blocks/tip/hash', this.axiosConfig)
+    return axiosConnection.get<string>(config.ESPLORA.REST_API_URL + '/blocks/tip/hash', this.axiosConfig)
       .then((response) => response.data);
   }
 
   $getTxIdsForBlock(hash: string): Promise<string[]> {
-    return axios.get<string[]>(config.ESPLORA.REST_API_URL + '/block/' + hash + '/txids', this.axiosConfig)
+    return axiosConnection.get<string[]>(config.ESPLORA.REST_API_URL + '/block/' + hash + '/txids', this.axiosConfig)
       .then((response) => response.data);
   }
 
   $getBlockHash(height: number): Promise<string> {
-    return axios.get<string>(config.ESPLORA.REST_API_URL + '/block-height/' + height, this.axiosConfig)
+    return axiosConnection.get<string>(config.ESPLORA.REST_API_URL + '/block-height/' + height, this.axiosConfig)
       .then((response) => response.data);
   }
 
   $getBlockHeader(hash: string): Promise<string> {
-    return axios.get<string>(config.ESPLORA.REST_API_URL + '/block/' + hash + '/header', this.axiosConfig)
+    return axiosConnection.get<string>(config.ESPLORA.REST_API_URL + '/block/' + hash + '/header', this.axiosConfig)
       .then((response) => response.data);
   }
 
   $getBlock(hash: string): Promise<IEsploraApi.Block> {
-    return axios.get<IEsploraApi.Block>(config.ESPLORA.REST_API_URL + '/block/' + hash, this.axiosConfig)
+    return axiosConnection.get<IEsploraApi.Block>(config.ESPLORA.REST_API_URL + '/block/' + hash, this.axiosConfig)
       .then((response) => response.data);
   }
 
   $getRawBlock(hash: string): Promise<Buffer> {
-    return axios.get<string>(config.ESPLORA.REST_API_URL + '/block/' + hash + "/raw", { ...this.axiosConfig, responseType: 'arraybuffer' })
+    return axiosConnection.get<string>(config.ESPLORA.REST_API_URL + '/block/' + hash + "/raw", { ...this.axiosConfig, responseType: 'arraybuffer' })
       .then((response) => { return Buffer.from(response.data); });
   }
 
@@ -77,12 +82,12 @@ class ElectrsApi implements AbstractBitcoinApi {
   }
 
   $getOutspend(txId: string, vout: number): Promise<IEsploraApi.Outspend> {
-    return axios.get<IEsploraApi.Outspend>(config.ESPLORA.REST_API_URL + '/tx/' + txId + '/outspend/' + vout, this.axiosConfig)
+    return axiosConnection.get<IEsploraApi.Outspend>(config.ESPLORA.REST_API_URL + '/tx/' + txId + '/outspend/' + vout, this.axiosConfig)
       .then((response) => response.data);
   }
 
   $getOutspends(txId: string): Promise<IEsploraApi.Outspend[]> {
-    return axios.get<IEsploraApi.Outspend[]>(config.ESPLORA.REST_API_URL + '/tx/' + txId + '/outspends', this.axiosConfig)
+    return axiosConnection.get<IEsploraApi.Outspend[]>(config.ESPLORA.REST_API_URL + '/tx/' + txId + '/outspends', this.axiosConfig)
       .then((response) => response.data);
   }
 
diff --git a/backend/src/index.ts b/backend/src/index.ts
index a81275066..919c039c3 100644
--- a/backend/src/index.ts
+++ b/backend/src/index.ts
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ import bitcoinRoutes from './api/bitcoin/bitcoin.routes';
 import fundingTxFetcher from './tasks/lightning/sync-tasks/funding-tx-fetcher';
 import forensicsService from './tasks/lightning/forensics.service';
 import priceUpdater from './tasks/price-updater';
+import { AxiosError } from 'axios';
 
 class Server {
   private wss: WebSocket.Server | undefined;
@@ -178,7 +179,7 @@ class Server {
 
       setTimeout(this.runMainUpdateLoop.bind(this), config.MEMPOOL.POLL_RATE_MS);
       this.currentBackendRetryInterval = 5;
-    } catch (e) {
+    } catch (e: any) {
       const loggerMsg = `runMainLoop error: ${(e instanceof Error ? e.message : e)}. Retrying in ${this.currentBackendRetryInterval} sec.`;
       if (this.currentBackendRetryInterval > 5) {
         logger.warn(loggerMsg);
@@ -186,7 +187,9 @@ class Server {
       } else {
         logger.debug(loggerMsg);
       }
-      logger.debug(JSON.stringify(e));
+      if (e instanceof AxiosError) {
+        logger.debug(`AxiosError: ${e?.message}`);
+      }
       setTimeout(this.runMainUpdateLoop.bind(this), 1000 * this.currentBackendRetryInterval);
       this.currentBackendRetryInterval *= 2;
       this.currentBackendRetryInterval = Math.min(this.currentBackendRetryInterval, 60);