Massive Cloud Outage Hits Global Websites
The microblogging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, experienced a significant global outage on Tuesday, November 18, impacting thousands of users. According to Downdetector.com, reports of the disruption began spiking around 5:20 pm IST, with over ten thousand users globally reporting issues almost immediately. Users attempting to access the Elon Musk-owned platform were met with errors loading posts, problems with their feed, website access, and server connection failures.
The incident’s scope quickly broadened beyond X. Many other popular websites relying on Cloudflare’s core internet infrastructure reported similar issues, indicating a far-reaching problem at a critical point in the global network stack. Users commonly encountered an “internal server error on Cloudflare’s network.”
Cloudflare Investigates “Internal Server Error”
Cloudflare, a leading web performance and security company whose services are vital for countless websites, acknowledged the situation promptly. In an initial update, the company stated it was “aware of, and investigating an issue which potentially impacts multiple customers.”
However, Cloudflare’s initial statement did not specify the cause of the outage or provide an estimated timeline for a fix. “We are working to understand the full impact and mitigate this problem. More updates to follow shortly,” the company added, confirming the severity and complexity of the disruption affecting numerous platforms concurrently.
User Experience and Platform Impact
The outage rendered X virtually unusable for a significant portion of its global user base. Problems ranged from the inability to log in to the platform to a complete failure in loading new posts on the main feed. Downdetector, which aggregates status reports from various sources, showed a sharp, dramatic spike in reported issues corresponding to the 5:20 pm timeframe.
The immediate reliance of X on Cloudflare’s infrastructure made it one of the most visible victims of the broader network disruption, causing frustration and communication bottlenecks for its millions of daily users. The simultaneous failure across multiple, unconnected sites highlighted the shared dependency on the few major companies that form the backbone of the modern internet.
Recent History of Outages for X
This outage is not the first major disruption for the platform under Elon Musk’s ownership. Earlier in May, X faced another significant outage that left thousands unable to access the service for hours. At that time, Musk publicly alleged that the disruption was caused by a powerful cyberattack involving a substantial amount of resources, suggesting a large group or even a state actor was behind the incident.
