A significant global outage at internet infrastructure giant Cloudflare caused widespread disruptions to major online platforms, including X (formerly Twitter) and ChatGPT, on the morning of November 18, 2025.
Services Impacted and User Reports
The outage began to affect users just before 7 a.m. Eastern Time. According to data from Downdetector.com, nearly 1,000 users reported issues with X at that time. The problem was not isolated to a single platform, however. Other major services reporting difficulties included Shopify Inc., Dropbox, the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, the online game League of Legends, the analytics firm Moody's, and even the transit service NJ Transit.
Cloudflare's Response and Fixes
Cloudflare quickly acknowledged the issue on its status page. The company stated it had identified the problem and was actively working on a resolution. As part of its initial response, Cloudflare was forced to disable some features specifically for users in the United Kingdom to help stabilize the situation.
In an update, the company reported progress, noting, "We have made changes that have allowed Cloudflare Access and WARP to recover." The statement confirmed that error levels for these services had returned to normal, pre-incident rates. Furthermore, Cloudflare announced it had re-enabled WARP access in London and was continuing efforts to fully restore all other affected services.
Broader Implications for Internet Reliability
This incident highlights the critical role that underlying infrastructure providers like Cloudflare play in the modern digital ecosystem. When such a pivotal service experiences a failure, the ripple effects are felt across a vast array of popular websites and applications that millions rely on for work, communication, and entertainment. The outage serves as a stark reminder of the internet's interconnected nature and the potential vulnerabilities within its core architecture.
