A significant technical failure at internet infrastructure giant Cloudflare triggered a major global outage on Tuesday, 18th November 2025, causing widespread disruption to popular websites including X and Spotify.
When and How the Outage Unfolded
The problems began shortly after 11am on Tuesday, according to data from the monitoring service DownDetector. Ironically, DownDetector itself was among the first sites to be affected by the incident. The platform registered a dramatic spike in user reports, with more than 10,000 users flagging issues specifically related to Cloudflare's services within a short period.
Users attempting to access a host of different websites were met with a message stating the issues were due to an “internal server error on Cloudflare’s network”. The film review site Letterboxd was also confirmed to be among the platforms experiencing problems.
A Rollercoaster of Service Restoration
The outage was characterised by its instability. Some of the affected websites, including the social media platform X, managed to come back online temporarily, only to succumb to further technical problems shortly after. This created a frustrating experience for users and businesses relying on these digital services for communication and operations.
Understanding Cloudflare's Role
This incident highlights the critical, yet often invisible, role that companies like Cloudflare play in the modern internet ecosystem. Cloudflare provides network and security services for a vast number of online businesses, helping their websites and applications operate smoothly and securely. When such a central provider experiences a failure, the ripple effects are felt across the global web, underscoring the interconnected nature of our digital infrastructure.
