Amazon Restores Cloud Services After Major Global Outage

Post by : Saif Nasser

Amazon Web Services (AWS), the world’s largest cloud computing provider, said its systems were back to normal on Monday after a major outage disrupted websites and apps used by millions of people across the world.

The problem began earlier in the day and affected many well-known services like Snapchat, Reddit, Zoom, Venmo, and several online gaming and financial platforms. The issue caused trouble for users in many countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and India. Many people were unable to use basic services such as making online payments, booking tickets, or joining work meetings.

What Happened

Amazon said the problem started at its main data center in northern Virginia, called US-EAST-1, which is known for being one of its oldest and busiest locations. This site has faced similar outages in 2020 and 2021.

According to Amazon, the main cause of the outage was an issue in the system that monitors the “health” of its network — a part that helps manage traffic between servers. This system failed and made it hard for many websites to connect to the right database, known as the Domain Name System (DNS). The DNS problem stopped apps from finding their correct addresses online.

AWS said the disruption also affected a cloud database service called DynamoDB, which many apps use to store user data. The company later confirmed that all its services had returned to normal operations around 3 p.m. Pacific Time (about 10 p.m. GMT). However, some services like AWS Config, Redshift, and Connect still needed a few more hours to clear their message backlogs.

Global Impact

The outage showed just how dependent the world has become on cloud services like AWS. Businesses across sectors — from banking and travel to gaming and communication — were hit.

In Britain, banks such as Lloyds Bank and Bank of Scotland, as well as telecom companies like Vodafone and BT, reported technical issues. The UK’s tax and customs website also faced temporary downtime.

Experts said this incident highlights how fragile modern internet infrastructure can be. Jake Moore, a cybersecurity advisor at ESET, said, “This outage once again shows how dependent we are on a small number of large cloud providers. When one fails, it can affect everyone.”

Nishanth Sastry, a computer science professor at the University of Surrey, added that many companies rely on just one cloud provider instead of having backups. “That’s the main reason these kinds of problems spread so widely,” he said.

Businesses and Users Affected

The outage caused disruptions for thousands of companies. Social media platforms such as Snapchat, Reddit, and Signal were among those affected. Popular gaming services like Fortnite, Clash Royale, and Clash of Clans also went down.

Financial and trading platforms, including Coinbase, Robinhood, and Venmo, were hit too. Even Amazon’s own services, such as its shopping website, Prime Video, and Alexa, faced interruptions.

Many users took to social media to complain about the problems. Some reported not being able to access their online wallets, while others said they couldn’t log in to apps or websites.

Data from Downdetector, a website that tracks internet issues, showed that more than 4 million users reported problems during the outage.

Expert Opinions

Technology experts say such outages can be prevented if companies design their systems with better backup and recovery plans. Ken Birman, a professor of computer science at Cornell University, said developers often try to save money by not creating strong backup systems. “When they skip those steps, a small problem can turn into a big one,” he said.

He added that AWS gives developers tools to avoid such issues, but many don’t use them fully. “Companies need to invest more in safety to avoid such large-scale breakdowns,” Birman explained.

AWS and the Cloud Market

Amazon Web Services provides computing power, data storage, and other digital tools for businesses, governments, and individuals. It holds the largest share of the global cloud market, followed by Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.

Because so many companies depend on AWS, even a short disruption can cause huge losses. Ryan Griffin, a cybersecurity expert at McGill and Partners, said, “For major businesses, hours of cloud downtime mean millions in lost revenue.”

Despite the outage, Amazon’s stock rose 1.6% on Wall Street to $216.48, showing that investors were not too worried about the issue.

Lessons from the Outage

This was the third major AWS outage in the last five years, and many experts say it’s a reminder that the internet’s backbone depends on a few large cloud providers.

The event also raised questions about whether too much of the world’s online activity depends on a handful of data centers. Experts say governments and businesses may now push for more backup systems and cloud diversification to prevent similar crises in the future.