Amazon Web Services Battles to Restore Global Web Outages | Internet News
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is currently facing a significant battle to restore functionality after a global outage disrupted numerous websites and applications. Popular platforms, including Signal, Coinbase, and Robinhood, were knocked offline due to connectivity issues linked to AWS’s cloud services.
AWS Outage Impacts Major Applications Worldwide
On October 20, 2025, AWS reported extensive problems affecting multiple services, noting significant API errors. The company, which operates its main data center in Virginia (US-EAST-1), indicated that the root of the issues stemmed from its DynamoDB database service.
Services Affected
- Signal
- Coinbase
- Robinhood
- Zoom
- Roblox
- Fortnite
- Duolingo
- Canva
- Wordle
As of 10 AM ET (14:00 GMT), AWS began to stabilize some applications such as Reddit and Roblox. However, issues persisted for others like Snapchat and Duolingo, as users reported ongoing outages via Downdetector, a website dedicated to tracking such disruptions.
Ongoing Investigations and Updates
AWS provided updates throughout the day, claiming that the underlying DNS issues had been mitigated. However, they warned that some requests might still be throttled as they work toward complete resolution.
“If you are experiencing issues, please try flushing your DNS caches,” AWS advised its users.
Industry Reactions
The outages triggered widespread concern among affected users and companies. For instance, Aravind Srinivas, CEO of AI startup Perplexity, confirmed the outage was due to AWS issues. Meredith Whittaker from Signal also acknowledged difficulties affecting their messaging service.
Additional Impact on Financial Institutions
The outage did not only impact tech services; several financial institutions reported issues as well. Customers in the UK faced difficulties accessing banking services, including the Bank of Scotland, which issued a public apology for the disruptions.
This incident highlights the significant reliance on AWS for digital services and the potential disruptions that can ensue when a major cloud provider faces technical challenges. AWS continues to fight to restore operations and stabilize its services for millions of users across the globe.
