Global cloud network Cloudflare experienced an outage on Monday, leading to significant disruptions for users worldwide. The incident was first reported by Downdetector around 10 am EST. Cloudflare, headquartered in San Francisco, supports more than 20% of all websites globally and handles approximately 10% of global internet requests. Users reported issues accessing websites like X, Reddit, and Zoom on Downdetector. AWS, on the other hand, confirmed that its services were running normally without any disruptions.
Cloudflare updated its official website, attributing the outage to a fiber cut in Eastern North America. This issue resulted in increased latencies and timeouts for customers connecting through North America or accessing services in Europe. Cloudflare engineers worked to resolve the situation.
Cloudflare’s extensive global network serves as a secure reverse proxy between websites and visitors, enhancing speed, reliability, and cybersecurity. Numerous companies worldwide, including 35% of the Fortune 500 companies and tech giants like Microsoft and Shopify, rely on Cloudflare’s services.
Downdetector, a widely-used platform for real-time status and outage tracking, witnessed a surge in reports during the Cloudflare outage. Users highlighted difficulties with dashboards and API authorization, with some encountering continuous “404 Error” messages during login attempts.
Cloudflare provided further updates on its website, scheduling maintenance in the Newark datacenter to address potential traffic rerouting, leading to slightly increased latencies. The company assured customers of ongoing fixes and network adjustments. In a separate incident, the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office reported an internet outage affecting phone and email services.
This recent Cloudflare outage echoes a similar incident last November, underscoring the significant impact such disruptions can have on global internet services.