On Friday, December 5, 2025, Cloudflare, one of the world’s largest internet infrastructure companies, reported an “internal service degradation” that caused widespread disruptions across multiple apps and platforms globally. The outage left millions of users struggling to access essential services, including trading apps, communication tools, and gaming platforms, highlighting the critical role Cloudflare plays in powering much of the modern internet.

According to Downdetector, the popular outage-tracking platform, the disruption affected a wide range of services, including Indian trading platforms Zerodha and Groww, creative tools like Canva, video conferencing platform Zoom, e-commerce solutions such as Shopify, and the gaming platform Valorant. Users reported that websites either failed to load entirely or displayed error messages, creating significant inconvenience for professionals, students, gamers, and casual users alike. Even Downdetector itself experienced interruptions, underscoring the widespread nature of the outage.

For traders in India, the outage caused particular concern. Zerodha, one of India’s largest stock trading platforms, was temporarily inaccessible, preventing users from executing trades or monitoring their portfolios. In a statement, the company confirmed that its services had since been restored, adding, “You can now trade normally.” Prior to this, Zerodha had advised users to rely on the Kite WhatsApp backup as a temporary measure to manage trades while the issue was being investigated. Similarly, Groww, another prominent Indian investment platform, reported technical issues due to the global Cloudflare outage but later confirmed that its services were restored, thanking users for their patience.

Cloudflare acknowledged the disruption and stated that a fix had been implemented, with engineers continuing to monitor the results. The company also indicated that it was investigating the root cause of the disruption, which affected the Cloudflare Dashboard and related APIs. Customers relying on these services had experienced failed requests or error messages during the downtime, affecting both large enterprises and individual users.

This is not the first major global outage Cloudflare has faced in recent weeks. Just two weeks prior, the network experienced a significant outage that disrupted access to major platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), OpenAI/ChatGPT, Spotify, League of Legends, Perplexity, Gemini, Grindr, and Letterboxd. Such repeated incidents highlight the reliance of modern digital infrastructure on a few key service providers, and the cascading effect when one of these systems experiences technical issues.

Cloudflare functions as a critical layer between a website’s hosting server and the end user, managing traffic, security, and content delivery. Its network supports millions of websites globally, ranging from multinational corporations to small businesses, non-profits, and independent content creators. By providing services such as content delivery network (CDN), internet security, and DNS management, Cloudflare ensures that websites remain accessible, perform efficiently, and are protected against cyber threats. When Cloudflare experiences a service degradation, the effects ripple across industries and borders, affecting businesses, educators, gamers, and financial markets alike.

Industry experts have noted that the increasing dependence on a few global internet infrastructure providers exposes users to systemic risks. “Events like these highlight how critical it is to have redundancy and contingency plans,” said one analyst. “Whether it’s financial services, gaming, or collaborative tools, millions of users rely on Cloudflare’s network. Even a short disruption can have outsized impacts on productivity, trading, and communication.”

In addition to user inconvenience, outages can also have financial and operational repercussions for businesses. For instance, stock market participants relying on Zerodha or Groww during peak trading hours could face significant losses if unable to place timely orders. Similarly, e-commerce businesses dependent on Shopify or digital content creators using Canva may experience delays in service delivery and disruptions to workflows. Video conferencing tools like Zoom, which are widely used for remote work and online learning, also suffer when core network services are interrupted, impacting education and business continuity.

Cloudflare has consistently emphasized transparency during such incidents, providing status updates via its official channels while working to restore normal operations. The company has a history of promptly addressing technical issues and deploying fixes, but the recurrence of outages in recent weeks has prompted discussions about the resilience of global internet infrastructure and the need for diversified reliance across multiple service providers.

As of the evening of December 5, services on most affected platforms, including Zerodha and Groww, had been restored. Users were advised to check the official channels of their respective platforms for real-time updates and confirm operational status before initiating critical transactions. Meanwhile, Cloudflare continues its internal investigation to prevent future disruptions and ensure stability across its extensive global network.

This incident serves as a reminder of the interconnected nature of the digital ecosystem. Even a single point of failure in an infrastructure provider like Cloudflare can impact millions of users worldwide, spanning financial services, education, creative industries, and gaming. As more businesses and individuals rely on cloud-based solutions and online platforms, the importance of robust, redundant, and resilient internet infrastructure becomes increasingly evident.

While technical fixes have restored services for now, experts recommend that businesses maintain backup systems and contingency plans, including alternative communication channels and offline workflows, to mitigate the effects of similar disruptions in the future. The incident also highlights the growing role of network monitoring, cybersecurity, and operational resilience in an increasingly digital and interconnected world.

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