Amazon Web Services (AWS) suffered a major outage on Monday, disrupting more than 1,000 companies and millions of users worldwide.
The issue, caused by a Domain Name System (DNS) error, left many popular services unreachable. Snapchat, Reddit, Lloyds Bank, Halifax, Roblox and Fortnite were among those affected. Even government services like HMRC faced problems.
AWS, owned by Amazon, supports around a third of the internet’s operations. It provides computing power, data storage and network services to businesses across the globe. When AWS goes down, the internet shakes.
Experts said the disruption showed the danger of relying too heavily on one giant provider. The problem started in AWS’s massive data centre in northern Virginia – its oldest and largest facility.
While DNS errors are common, this one was unusually severe. It’s a simple technical failure that prevents computers from finding the right online destinations. One engineer joked, “It’s always DNS,” capturing the frustration of many in the tech industry.
Cloudflare’s chief executive even commented that AWS had “a bad day” – a rare moment of relief from a close rival.
The incident reignited debate about dependence on US tech giants. Europe has few large-scale alternatives, though Microsoft’s Azure, Google Cloud, IBM, Alibaba and Germany’s Stackit compete for market share.
Some voices in government suggest Britain and Europe need their own cloud infrastructure. Monday’s outage may prove why that idea deserves another look.
AWS later confirmed services were restored, but trust will take longer to recover.
