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What happened
Cloudflare's recent outage exposed the deep interconnection of the internet with its infrastructure, affecting numerous major online services. The company operates a vast network of data centers across over 100 countries, processing around 81 million HTTP requests per second. Approximately 20.4% of all websites utilize Cloudflare as a reverse proxy, and its services reach more than 200 cities globally. This outage impacted well-known platforms such as LinkedIn, ChatGPT, and Canva, illustrating the risks associated with centralized internet services. The incident highlights the fragility of internet infrastructure, as a failure at a key provider like Cloudflare can have widespread repercussions across various tiers of web traffic, from niche blogs to large enterprises.
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Key insights
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Widespread Internet Dependency
Cloudflare supports around 20.4% of all websites globally.
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Impact of Outages
Service disruptions can affect both major and minor online platforms.
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Centralization Risks
Reliance on a few providers creates vulnerabilities in internet infrastructure.
Takeaways
The Cloudflare outage serves as a critical reminder of the internet's dependency on centralized infrastructure. As more services rely on such providers, the potential for widespread disruption increases, highlighting the need for robust and resilient internet architecture.