 |
| Cloudflare |
If you tried to access X (formerly Twitter), Letterboxd, or even Downdetector today and were met with a frustrating white screen, you aren't alone. A major Cloudflare outage has struck the backbone of the internet, leaving millions of users staring at "500 Internal Server Error" messages.
On November 18, 2025, vast swathes of the web effectively stopped working. The culprit wasn't a cyberattack on a single website, but a technical failure at Cloudflare, the internet infrastructure giant that powers a significant portion of today's online experiences.
In this report, we break down exactly what happened, why a single company's glitch can take down the global web, and what you need to know about the latest infrastructure failure of 2025.
What Happened: The November 18, 2025 Cloudflare Outage
The trouble began around 11:30 AM UK time, when users globally started reporting inability to access major platforms. Instead of their social feeds or film reviews, visitors saw a generic error message indicating that Cloudflare's network could not display the page.
According to initial data, the issue wasn't localized. While scheduled maintenance was occurring in data centers like Los Angeles (LAX) and Miami (MIA), the ripple effects were felt worldwide.
The "500 Internal Server Error" Explained
The hallmark of this outage was the 500 Internal Server Error. Unlike a "404 Not Found" (which means the page is missing), a 500 error indicates a "server-side" problem. In this case, the "server" failing wasn't necessarily X or Letterboxd itself, but the Cloudflare "edge" servers that sit between you and those websites to speed up traffic and provide security.
Official Response from Cloudflare
Cloudflare moved quickly to acknowledge the disruption but was initially vague on the root cause.
"Cloudflare is aware of, and investigating an issue which potentially impacts multiple customers," the company stated in an update shortly after reports spiked. "Further detail will be provided as more information becomes available."
Later, they confirmed the scope was significant: "Widespread 500 errors, Cloudflare Dashboard and API also failing."
Which Websites Were Affected?
Because Cloudflare acts as a reverse proxy for millions of websites, the outage didn't discriminate by industry. [Link to internal article: Top Tech Outages of 2025]. Major platforms hit by the blackout included:
- X (Twitter): Users were unable to load timelines or post updates.
- Letterboxd: The popular film review site became inaccessible.
- OpenAI (ChatGPT): AI services faced intermittent connectivity issues.
- Downdetector: In a twist of irony, the very site used to track outages was itself knocked offline, struggling to load its own crash reports.
- Gaming Servers: Several multiplayer games relying on Cloudflare's network reported login failures.
Expert Insight: "When Downdetector goes down during an outage, you know the problem is structural, not isolated. It highlights how dependent the modern web is on a handful of service providers."
Why Does Cloudflare "Break the Internet"?
To understand why a Cloudflare outage feels like a global blackout, you have to understand their role. Cloudflare isn't just a website; it's a content delivery network (CDN).
Understanding CDN and Internet Infrastructure
Imagine Cloudflare as the security guard and traffic controller for a building (the website). If the security guard falls asleep or locks the front doors by mistake, it doesn't matter if the building is open for business—nobody can get in.
Cloudflare sits in front of websites to:
- Protect from Cyber Attacks: blocking malicious traffic.
- Speed Up Loading: caching content closer to the user.
- Manage Traffic Spikes: ensuring sites don't crash under load.
Comparison: Cloudflare vs. AWS Outages
This isn't the first time we've seen centralized failure in 2025. Just last month, Amazon Web Services (AWS) experienced a similar technical glitch that took down apps like Snapchat and WhatsApp.
Feature | Cloudflare Outage | AWS Outage |
|---|---|---|
Primary Role | Network/CDN/Security | Hosting/Compute/Storage |
Typical Error | 500 Internal Server Error | Connection Timed Out |
Global Impact | Immediate access loss | Backend service failure |
Recovery Time | Usually <2 hours | Can last 4-8+ hours |
Troubleshooting Guide: What To Do When Cloudflare is Down
When you see that "Internal Server Error," panic is the natural reaction. Here is how to handle it efficiently.
For Regular Users (Browsing Tips)
- Do Not Refresh Aggressively: Spamming refresh adds more load to the struggling network. Wait 2-3 minutes between tries.
- Check Official Status Pages: Look for the "Cloudflare Status" page (if it loads) or check Twitter (if accessible) for hashtags like
#CloudflareDown. - Try a Different Network: Sometimes routing issues are regional. Switching from Wi-Fi to mobile data (5G) might route you through a different data center.
- Use a Cache Viewer: If you just need to read text, use Google Cache or the Wayback Machine to see a stored version of the site.
For Website Owners (Mitigation Strategies)
- Pause Cloudflare (Carefully): If your origin server can handle the traffic, you can temporarily "Grey Cloud" (bypass) Cloudflare in your DNS settings. Warning: This exposes your real IP and removes DDoS protection.
- Check Your Origin Server: Ensure the 500 error is actually Cloudflare. Sometimes, their outage masks a crash on your actual host.
- Communicate: Use social media to tell your users you are aware of the issue. Transparency builds trust.
Technical Analysis: Common Causes of Global Outages
While Cloudflare is currently "investigating," industry veterans know there are usually three suspects in these scenarios:
- BGP Routing Errors: Border Gateway Protocol is the postal service of the internet. If Cloudflare broadcasts the wrong "address" for its servers, traffic disappears into a black hole.
- Bad Configuration Deployments: A single line of bad code pushed to thousands of servers simultaneously can lock out traffic instantly. This is the most common cause of "500 errors" across a CDN.
- Hardware Cascades: If one data center fails (e.g., LAX) and reroutes traffic to another (e.g., SFO), the second one might get overwhelmed and crash, creating a domino effect.
Conclusion: The Fragility of the Connected Web
The November 18, 2025 Cloudflare outage serves as a stark reminder of the internet's centralization. While services like Cloudflare make the web faster and safer 99.9% of the time, that remaining 0.1% can bring global productivity to a halt.
As websites like X and Letterboxd come back to life, the question remains: How do we build a more resilient web for 2026 and beyond?
FAQ: Cloudflare Outage Essentials
Is Cloudflare down right now? As of our latest update on November 18, 2025, Cloudflare is investigating a major issue. Some services are recovering, but intermittent 500 errors persist globally.
What does "500 Internal Server Error" mean? It is a generic error message indicating the server encountered an unexpected condition. During a Cloudflare outage, it usually means Cloudflare's edge servers cannot process your request or connect to the website's origin server.
How long do Cloudflare outages usually last? Historically, Cloudflare is very fast at resolving critical incidents. Most major outages are resolved within 60 to 90 minutes, though full stability may take a few hours.
Why do so many sites use Cloudflare? Cloudflare offers free and enterprise-tier protection against DDoS attacks, making it an essential utility for millions of websites. Its ubiquity is why an outage affects everything from gaming to government sites.