Massive internet outage takes Amazon, Reddit and more websites offline — here's why

News
By Darragh Murphy
published

Internet service provider Fastly experienced major issues

Microsoft Surface Laptop 4
(Image credit: Laptop Mag)

A recent internet outage affected hundred of websites including Amazon, Reddit, Paypal, eBay, Gov.uk and more, taking them offline for around an hour.

Content delivery network (CDN) provider Fastly experienced issues, which took out many websites that rely on the service provider to function. This included Laptop Mag and a number of our sister sites including TechRadar and Tom's Guide. 

Fastly identified and solved the issue, so all major websites affected should be back online. However, it is stated that visitors may still expereicne increased load times on the affected sites.

"A fix was applied at 10:36 UTC. Customers may continue to experience decreased cache hit ratio and increased origin load as global services return," Fastly says on its service status site.

Fastly first started investigating the issue at 09:58 UTC, identifying the problem 45 minutes later at 10:44 UTC. A majority of countries were affected, along with sites including CNN, The New York Times, Spotify, Amazon, eBay, along with UK government website Gov.uk.

Currently, all websites appear to be back online. 

Darragh Murphy
Darragh Murphy
Editor

Darragh Murphy is fascinated by all things bizarre, which usually leads to assorted coverage varying from washing machines designed for AirPods to the mischievous world of cyberattacks. Whether it's connecting Scar from The Lion King to two-factor authentication or turning his love for gadgets into a fabricated rap battle from 8 Mile, he believes there’s always a quirky spin to be made. With a Master’s degree in Magazine Journalism from The University of Sheffield, along with short stints at Kerrang! and Exposed Magazine, Darragh started his career writing about the tech industry at Time Out Dubai and ShortList Dubai, covering everything from the latest iPhone models and Huawei laptops to massive Esports events in the Middle East. Now, he can be found proudly diving into gaming, gadgets, and letting readers know the joys of docking stations for Laptop Mag.