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Millions of users around the world faced frustration today as some of the biggest names in technology — including Zoom, Snapchat, Lyft, and even Amazon itself — went offline due to a major outage at Amazon Web Services (AWS).
The disruption, which began early this morning around 08:00 BST, caused widespread issues across hundreds of popular apps and websites. From financial platforms like Venmo and Coinbase, to gaming giants like Roblox and Fortnite, the outage exposed just how dependent the digital world has become on Amazon’s cloud infrastructure.
What Caused the Outage?
According to Amazon, the root of the problem was a malfunction in DNS resolution — a crucial internet function that helps computers connect to websites and apps. Without it, many systems simply stop communicating.
In a statement, Amazon explained that engineers identified the source of the issue and were working to restore services as quickly as possible. While the company claimed that the “underlying issue” has now been fixed, millions of consumers continue to report problems accessing apps.
Website-monitoring platform Downdetector confirmed the massive scale of the disruption, reporting 6.5 million outage reports from users and noting that over 1,000 companies were affected at one point.
Who Was Affected?
The list of affected companies reads like a who’s who of the internet:
- Zoom users reported being unable to start or join meetings.
- Lyft drivers and passengers said their apps froze mid-ride.
- Snapchat users complained about failed logins and disappearing chats.
- Venmo and Coinbase — two major financial apps — faced transaction delays and login failures.
- Roblox and Fortnite players were temporarily unable to access online servers.
Even Amazon’s own e-commerce site experienced interruptions, with some customers unable to check out or view orders.
Frustration for Financial Users
The outage caused particular distress among users of financial platforms. Mark, a retired banker from Essex, told the BBC he was unable to access his investments with Hargreaves Lansdown, a major UK financial services company.
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“I used to work for a large corporate and we had an offsite system in case of issues like this,” Mark said. “It’s sad that Hargreaves Lansdown doesn’t have a proper backup or disaster recovery plan.”
He expressed frustration at being unable to view his portfolio, which holds thousands of pounds in investments.
“My terms and conditions say I should have access whenever I want,” he added. “It’s unacceptable for a company with billions in assets not to have the basics covered.”
Amazon’s Response
Amazon has been posting updates about the AWS outage roughly every 30 minutes, saying that recovery efforts are ongoing across all regions. The company confirmed that its Lambda service, a key component that allows cloud-based apps to run smoothly on devices, continues to experience disruptions.
Users may see error messages when trying to access certain apps or cloud-based functions, the company warned. “We’re seeing steady improvement, but there are still isolated issues,” Amazon said in its latest update.
Experts Weigh In
While some systems are coming back online, the recovery has not been smooth. Mike Chapple, an information technology professor at the University of Notre Dame, described the situation as a “cascading failure.”
“It’s like a large-scale power outage,” Chapple explained. “Crews get things back up, but the power might flicker a few times. That usually means they’ve fixed the symptoms — not necessarily the root cause.”
He added that with complex cloud systems like AWS, it can take hours or even days to fully restore stability once core services are affected.
A Wake-Up Call for the Tech Industry
The outage has reignited debate about the centralization of the internet, with many experts warning that too much of the world’s digital infrastructure depends on a few major providers like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft.
For millions of people, today’s chaos was more than just an inconvenience — it was a reminder of how fragile the online ecosystem can be.
As Amazon engineers continue to restore services, users across the world are watching closely, hoping this will be the last flicker before full recovery. But for now, the incident has raised serious questions about redundancy, resilience, and whether companies — both large and small — are truly prepared for a digital disaster.
