The internet is wobbling again, and this time Amazon’s mighty cloud is to blame.
Amazon Web Services (AWS), the backbone of much of the modern web, is experiencing a major outage that’s affecting dozens of apps and websites globally.
Users across the world are reporting issues with services like Snapchat, Canva, Duolingo, Fortnite, and even major UK banks such as Lloyds, Halifax, and Bank of Scotland.
AWS has confirmed “increased error rates” in one of its busiest regions, US-East-1 (Northern Virginia), a key hub that powers large portions of global internet traffic.
What’s Actually Happening?
According to AWS’s status page, engineers are investigating a DNS resolution issue affecting the DynamoDB API endpoint in the Virginia data center.
In plain English: the system that helps apps “find” their servers just lost the map. That means requests can’t go through, and services depending on AWS’s databases and storage are stalling or failing outright.
There’s no evidence of a cyberattack at this stage. It appears to be a technical fault inside AWS’s infrastructure.
Who’s Affected?
So far, the ripple effect has spread fast:
- Snapchat users can’t log in or send Snaps
- Duolingo lessons won’t load
- Fortnite players are getting connection errors
- Canva users report save and export failures
- UK banking apps have gone offline or are timing out
If you can’t log in, send, save, or upload, it’s not you. It’s the cloud.
The Bigger Picture
AWS is more than just a hosting provider. It’s the unseen engine behind much of today’s internet. From social media and streaming services to fintech and gaming, thousands of companies depend on Amazon’s infrastructure.
When AWS goes down, the web feels it. Hard.
It’s a sharp reminder that “the cloud” isn’t some magical, invincible network in the sky. It’s a bunch of very real servers sitting in data centers that occasionally break.
What’s Next
AWS engineers say they’ve identified the “potential root cause” and are working to restore normal operations. There’s no ETA yet on full recovery.
If you’re a business running on AWS, now’s the time to check your dashboards, update your customers, and prepare for some downtime.
For everyone else, breathe. The internet isn’t broken, just a little congested.
📍 Live Updates
Geekhub will continue to monitor the situation as AWS releases new information.
Stay tuned for recovery progress and analysis on how this outage exposed just how fragile our cloud dependence really is.
