Reddit Experiencing Widespread Outage: Thousands Affected

Viktoria Ivanova

4 min read

Post on May 17, 2025

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Extent of the Reddit Outage

The Reddit outage appears to be widespread, affecting users globally. While the exact number of affected users is still being determined, reports from DownDetector and other outage tracking websites indicate tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, are experiencing issues accessing the platform. The impact is not limited to a specific region; users from North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia are reporting problems.

Many core Reddit features are currently unavailable or severely hampered. This includes:

• Inability to post new content: Users are unable to submit new posts to subreddits.
• Difficulty commenting: Commenting functionality is significantly impacted, with many users reporting delays or complete inability to leave comments.
• Problems browsing: Loading subreddits and navigating the platform is slow or impossible for many.
• Specific error messages: Users report encountering various error messages, including "502 Bad Gateway," "504 Gateway Timeout," and generic connection errors.
• Impacted subreddits: The outage affects all subreddits, from large general interest communities to smaller, niche groups. Major subreddits like r/funny, r/news, and r/gaming are all experiencing disruptions.

For real-time updates on the outage, check resources like and other similar outage tracking websites.

Potential Causes of the Reddit Outage

Several potential causes could be behind the current Reddit outage:

• Server issues: Overload or failure of Reddit's servers is a leading possibility. The platform handles massive traffic, and any significant server malfunction could lead to widespread disruptions.
• Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack: While less likely, a DDoS attack could overwhelm Reddit's servers, preventing legitimate users from accessing the site. This type of attack aims to disrupt service by flooding servers with traffic from multiple sources.
• Software bugs or glitches: A software bug or glitch in Reddit's code could also be responsible. This could range from a minor error causing performance issues to a critical bug preventing core functionalities from working.
• Planned maintenance: While unlikely given the scale of the outage, scheduled maintenance is another potential – albeit less probable – explanation. However, Reddit would typically announce planned maintenance in advance.

Past Reddit outages have been attributed to various causes, including server issues and unexpected traffic spikes. Resolutions have typically involved addressing the underlying technical problem, be it server upgrades, code fixes, or mitigation of DDoS attacks. At this time, the exact cause of the current outage is still under investigation.

Impact on Reddit Users and the Online Community

The Reddit outage has significant consequences for both individual users and the broader online community:

• Loss of access to information and community: Millions rely on Reddit for news, information, and participation in online communities. This outage cuts off access to these resources.
• Disruption to business operations: Businesses using Reddit for marketing, customer service, or community building are experiencing disruptions.
• User frustration and inconvenience: The outage causes considerable frustration and inconvenience among users who rely on the platform for communication, entertainment, and information.

The wider impact is felt across the online community. Many users are expressing their frustration on alternative platforms like Twitter, using hashtags like #RedditDown or #RedditOutage to discuss the situation. The impact is particularly felt in specific communities, where crucial discussions and information sharing may be delayed or completely halted.

Reddit's Response to the Outage

At the time of writing, Reddit has yet to issue an official public statement regarding the outage. We will update this section with any official announcements or communications from Reddit as they become available. We will provide links to official Reddit status pages and announcements as soon as they are released. This includes tracking the timeline of Reddit's response to help users understand the situation better.

Conclusion

The widespread Reddit outage is affecting thousands, if not millions, of users globally, causing significant disruption to the platform's functionality and impacting the wider online community. Potential causes range from server issues to software bugs, though the precise reason remains unclear pending an official statement. The impact extends to impaired access to information, community discussions, and business operations. Stay updated on the latest developments regarding the Reddit outage by checking [link to Reddit's official status page or a reliable news source]. For ongoing updates on the Reddit outage and other internet service disruptions, bookmark this page or subscribe to our newsletter. We will keep you informed about the restoration of Reddit services and any further developments related to this widespread Reddit outage.