Technology
What is a 503 error?
POPULAR websites all over the world have been down today after a huge internet outage.
Frustrated users were seeing ‘503 error messages’ instead of the websites they wanted to view.
Many popular websites have been affected[/caption]
What is a 503 error?
If you try and click on a website but get a ‘503 Service Unavailable’ response, this means there’s been a server error response.
It’s a code to show the server cannot handle your request right now so the website you want to view isn’t avaliable at the moment.
This could be because a website is down due to maintenance issues or because too many people are trying to go on the website at the same time.
A server called Fastly has been blamed[/caption]
Server just means a computer that allows access to an online resource or network.
All websites rely on servers that can connect people to them when they type in their address.
Sometimes server errors can be fixed by reloading the website, clearing your browser cache or simply being patient and coming back to the website later in the day.
Why are so many sites affected by Fastly outage?
Fastly is a data centre provider that crashed earlier this morning.
It allows users to view online content quickly and can provide things like video, imagery and cloud security.
Lots of website rely on Fastly’s services for their websites to function.
The likes of Amazon, Reddit, Spotify, AirBnB and even the NHS website all use Fastly.
Fastly has said it’s implemented a fix for all affected websites.
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In other news, Apple is updating its new AirTag trackers to make them less creepy.
Spotify has launched a new “Only You” feature for its Android and iOS app.
And, a rejected Samsung AI assistant is causing a stir on the internet as some fans have created ‘porn’ involving the character.
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