Cloudflare experienced a significant outage on November 18, 2025, affecting a wide range of services across the internet. The disruption led to error messages for users attempting to access various websites, including popular platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and ChatGPT. Cloudflare, a company that provides web infrastructure services, confirmed the outage was related to a traffic spike and took steps to address the issue.

The service disruption lasted for several hours, leaving some users unable to connect to affected websites. Cloudflare's technical team worked to restore normal operations, and the outage was resolved after an update was rolled out. The company did not specify the exact cause of the traffic surge that triggered the issue, but it led to widespread outages for sites relying on Cloudflare's services.

During the outage, users faced difficulties accessing various online platforms, with social media sites and chat services being among the most impacted. Cloudflare’s services, which are integral to the functioning of many websites, help with web traffic distribution, security, and performance. The incident highlighted the vulnerability of the internet infrastructure despite the advances in cloud-based services.

Following the restoration, Cloudflare reassured users that its systems were back to normal and issued a statement outlining measures to prevent similar disruptions in the future. The company has not yet provided further details regarding the underlying cause of the traffic spike or whether there were any additional security concerns involved in the outage.

Sources: The Guardian, Yahoo News, CNBC