### Major Amazon Web Services Outage Disrupts Global Internet Services On October 20, 2025, a significant outage at Amazon Web Services (AWS) caused widespread disruptions across numerous popular websites and applications, including Snapchat, Fortnite, and Duolingo. The outage began around 3 a.m. Eastern Time and was attributed to issues with Amazon's domain name system, which is crucial for translating web addresses into IP addresses. By approximately 6 a.m., Amazon reported that recovery efforts were underway, although full restoration of services would take longer. This incident has raised concerns about the internet's heavy reliance on a few major cloud service providers, as similar outages have occurred in the past, notably in 2023 and 2021 [https://apnews.com/article/amazon-east-internet-services-outage-654a12ac9aff0bf4b9dc0e22499d92d7]. ### Breakdown of the Outage's Impact and Response 1. **Scope of the Outage**: - The outage affected a wide range of services, including social media platforms, gaming applications, and banking services. - Major apps like Snapchat, Roblox, Fortnite, and banking apps from Lloyds and Halifax were reported down [https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/snapchat-roblox-duolingo-fortnite-down-not-working-b2848289.html?callback=in&code=MDQYM2Q4ZWUTNWJHNY0ZZDUXLTG3NGMTYJBIM2YYOTBJMTFL&state=4027a864d806497a95c842d135eae06b]. 2. **User Reports and Reactions**: - Users flooded platforms like DownDetector with reports of service disruptions, indicating that "half the internet" was affected [https://metro.co.uk/2025/10/20/fortnite-roblox-nintendo-switch-online-thanks-amazon-web-services-24473801]. - Many companies issued apologies on social media for the inconvenience caused by the outage [https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/major-global-internet-outage-amazon-32709072]. 3. **Recovery Efforts**: - Amazon stated that it was working diligently to restore services and that recovery was already in progress by the morning hours [https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/20/amazon-web-services-outage-takes-down-major-websites.html?$DEVICE$=native-android-mobile&accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJSUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCIsImtpZCI6ImZhMDcyZjc1Nzg0NjQyNjE1MDg3YzcxODJjMTAxMzQxZTE4ZjdhM2EifQ.eyJzdWIiOiI0OTgwODgxIiwiYXVkIjpbImNuYmMiXSwiaXNfcmVnaXN0ZXJlZF91c2VyIjoidHJ1ZSIsInNjb3BlIjoidXNlcnM6cmVhZF93cml0ZSIsImNsaWVudCI6IjIwNSIsImV4dGVybmFsX2lkIjoiNDk4MDg4MSIsImRpc3BsYXlfbmFtZSI6IiIsImJyYW5kIjoiY25iYyIsImFwcF9hY2Nlc3MiOltdLCJjaWQiOiIxNzU5NzY4NjU1NjI2IiwiaWF0IjoxNzYwOTU0MzgzLCJleHAiOjE3NjA5NTQ2ODMsImlzcyI6Imh0dHBzOi8vcmVnaXN0ZXJuZy5jbmJjLmNvbS9hcGkifQ.O7S2h5wD3d9igjy3uyl5UA8SFTxyzntKTQv53KJd4gV1LADd2i1XiJYfTU65aOPMzwl_W9Dic-0H5IHvzdzzlvE1dEXFWnRILsMaTYCdj-bO6CGN6x65X_CKgtdvKX3gntNDMR8hYnW1kpx8z27QUnVNtZEdOtJW93f49yRyDyBCbFsDgWUTOr0zRHVgO8oiu9DleoDaP_ZeQmeSHNj0JDECSrhFEaym3k9-vo4dcUBn4wjgoQVCe4rlH0_BSCQHvbiz3RH8Z3dCdCEQrLfB53MmfqCUrOpQpc6iobP3Ht3ECvDLKkF7D8qP4_aKnjxEcknAMUmekAbFb_jSITUr1w]. 4. **Potential Causes and Future Implications**: - Experts have suggested that the outage could be indicative of vulnerabilities in the infrastructure of major cloud providers, emphasizing the need for diversification in cloud service usage [https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329687/amazons-aws-outage-disrupts-fortnite-snapchat-and-major-apps-worldwide]. ### Summary of Findings **The AWS outage on October 20, 2025, significantly disrupted global online services, affecting numerous popular applications and websites.** 1. **Widespread Impact**: Major platforms like Snapchat, Fortnite, and banking services were rendered inoperable, leading to user frustration and widespread reports of outages. 2. **Recovery Efforts**: Amazon initiated recovery processes shortly after the outage began, with reports of restoration efforts underway by the morning. 3. **Expert Concerns**: The incident has raised alarms about the internet's dependency on a few cloud service providers, highlighting the need for improved infrastructure resilience. This incident serves as a reminder of the fragility of our digital infrastructure and the potential consequences of outages at major service providers [https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2025/10/20/aws-outage-what-happened-and-what-to-do-next].