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A significant disruption has struck Cloudflare’s network, leading to widespread service outages affecting various applications and websites. The company confirmed the issues on Friday, February 20, 2026, and is actively working to rectify the situation. Users have reported difficulties accessing popular platforms such as UberEats and Bet365, as well as the Steam gaming service, raising concerns about the reliability of this crucial web infrastructure provider.
Cloudflare Responds to User Complaints
In a statement on their website, Cloudflare acknowledged the ongoing issues, stating, “Cloudflare is investigating issues with our services and/or network. Users may experience errors or timeouts reaching Cloudflare’s network or services.” The company is known for its role in enhancing website performance and safeguarding against cyber threats, making these disruptions particularly concerning for both businesses and consumers relying on their services.
Reports of service interruptions began flooding in during the afternoon, with users taking to social media platforms like Reddit to voice their frustrations. While Cloudflare is no stranger to outages, this incident appears to be less severe than the significant disruptions experienced in November 2025, when thousands of users struggled to access major websites such as X and ChatGPT.
Ongoing Maintenance or Coincidental Outage?
It’s worth noting that Cloudflare had been conducting scheduled maintenance at one of its data centres in Portland around the time of the outages. However, the company has yet to confirm if this maintenance is linked to the current service issues. As of 2:45 PM Eastern Time, Cloudflare provided an update indicating that they were making strides to restore full service to affected customers, though the extent of the impact remains to be seen.
Notably, reports of disruptions peaked at less than 500 on DownDetector during this incident, a stark contrast to the November outage, which saw over 11,000 reports. This indicates the current outage, while significant, may not have reached the same scale of disruption.
A History of Outages
Cloudflare’s reliability has come under scrutiny following a series of outages in recent months. The November incident not only affected social media and gaming platforms but also disrupted e-commerce sites like Shopify and file transfer services such as Dropbox. Subsequently, a shorter outage occurred on December 5, 2025, compounding user frustrations.
Cloudflare has been relatively quiet regarding Friday’s situation on its official channels, with no updates posted on their “Cloudflare Help” X account as of 3:30 PM EST. This lack of communication has only added to user anxiety as they navigate the ongoing service disruptions.
Why it Matters
The reliability of Cloudflare’s services is crucial for countless businesses and millions of users worldwide. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities that can arise in the digital landscape. As more services migrate online, understanding the intricacies of web infrastructure becomes increasingly vital. The implications of such outages ripple through the economy, affecting everything from e-commerce to entertainment, underscoring the importance of robust, dependable internet services in our interconnected world.
