A massive technical outage at Amazon Web Services (AWS) on Friday temporarily crippled major sections of the internet, taking down hundreds of websites and apps worldwide — including Snapchat, Roblox, Zoom, Reddit, and several UK banks.
According to CNN, the issue originated from AWS’s data center in Virginia, USA, and spread across its global network infrastructure. The cause was linked to DNS resolution errors — a critical process that helps apps and websites connect to their servers.
During the disruption, users reported being unable to log in or access data. Experts explained that affected companies couldn’t access their stored information on AWS’s DynamoDB database. “It’s like trying to start a car without an engine,” one IT analyst said.
Platforms affected included:
- Snapchat
- Roblox
- Zoom
- Duolingo
- Coinbase
- Venmo
- PlayStation
- Network
- Fortnite
- Amazon
- Alexa
- Lloyds Bank,
- Halifax,
- and Bank of Scotland
Amazon later confirmed that it was “seeing significant signs of recovery,” though some systems were still being restored. AWS classified the issue as an “IT problem,” not a full system crash.
Interestingly, Twitter (X) was among the few major platforms still accessible, as it uses a hybrid setup combining AWS and private data centers. Meanwhile, Meta (which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) remained unaffected since it operates on its own servers.
The temporary meltdown highlights just how dependent the digital world has become on AWS, which powers a massive portion of the global internet infrastructure.
