Major Reddit Outage Disrupts Service for Millions, Platform Recovers After Hours-Long Fix
In a significant disruption to one of the internet’s most popular platforms, Reddit experienced a widespread outage on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, affecting tens of thousands of users across its website and mobile applications.
The service interruption, which began around 3 p.m. Eastern Time, prevented many users from accessing the platform’s vast network of communities.
Users attempting to access Reddit were met with various error messages, including “upstream connect error or disconnect/reset before headers” on the website and a simple “We have encountered an error. Please try again later” on the mobile app. The timing of the outage was particularly notable as it affected the platform during peak usage hours.
The problem’s scope became apparent when Downdetector, a service that tracks website outages through user reports, recorded a dramatic spike in problem reports, reaching nearly 50,000 shortly after the initial disruption. Many users found themselves completely locked out of the platform, unable to access Reddit’s vast content and communities.
Reddit’s response to the crisis was swift but initially brief. At approximately 4 p.m., the company posted a short update on their social media channel, stating simply, “Yes. We’re working on it.” This was followed by more detailed communications as the situation developed.
Tim Rathschmidt, a Reddit spokesperson, later clarified the root cause: “There was a bug in a recent update we made, but a fix is in place, and we’re ramping back up.” The company’s technical team worked through the afternoon to resolve the issue, with service restoration beginning around 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
The impact of this outage was particularly significant given Reddit’s massive user base. The platform, which went public earlier this year, recently reported impressive growth figures, including:
- 97.2 million daily active users, representing a 47% increase from the previous year
- More than 100,000 active communities
- Its first profit as a publicly traded company
Interestingly, the outage coincided with technical difficulties at Bluesky, another social media platform gaining traction as an alternative to X (formerly Twitter). Bluesky reported its server connection issues on the same day, affecting its rapidly growing user base of over 20 million people.
The Reddit outage follows a similar incident on Election Day (November 5), when the platform experienced “degraded performance.” However, Wednesday’s outage was more severe in both scope and duration.
By Wednesday evening, Reddit’s status page indicated that the platform was “monitoring the results” of their fix. However, some users might still experience “degraded performance” as systems return to regular operation. A Reddit spokesman confirmed at 7:39 p.m. that the platform was “up and running on all fronts.”
This incident reminds us of how deeply integrated social media platforms have become in our daily lives, with even brief outages affecting millions of users worldwide. It also highlights the challenges significant tech platforms face in maintaining consistent service while implementing updates and managing growing user bases.
For Reddit, which has been making headlines with its successful public offering and growing user engagement, the swift resolution of this outage demonstrates the platform’s resilience and technical capability in crisis management. As the platform continues to grow and evolve, maintaining stable service will be crucial for retaining its position as one of the internet’s most visited websites.