Discord Down: Is Discord Not Working?

Discord Experiences Widespread API Outage

A significant API issue impacted the Discord platform today, commencing shortly before noon Pacific Time. This disruption affected users across various communities, preventing the uploading of content, such as images in channels like a podcast’s #pets section.

Impact on Users and Startups

The outage extended beyond casual users. Some startups utilize Discord as an internal communication tool, similar to Slack. Consequently, this downtime potentially caused workflow interruptions and unexpected downtime for companies backed by investors like a16z.

Discord's Response and Initial Assessment

Discord acknowledged the problem, stating they had pinpointed the root cause of the API outage. However, a subsequent issue arose within one of their database clusters.

The platform mobilized its full on-call team to address the situation. As a temporary measure, Discord implemented login rate limits to manage network traffic during the resolution process.

Database Recovery and Gradual Reconnection

Approximately 45 minutes after the initial disruption, Discord reported that its database had recovered. The platform began a phased reconnection of users.

However, users were cautioned that immediate access might not be available, and error messages could still be encountered.

Full Restoration and Remaining Issues

After roughly two hours, Discord announced the removal of all rate limits and indicated that the platform was nearing full operational status.

Despite the overall recovery, some Discord servers experienced intermittent issues with bots utilizing slash commands.

Explanation and Apology

Discord explained that reducing the load on their databases necessitated temporarily disabling portions of the slash command system.

The company committed to a thorough postmortem analysis to understand the incident's specifics and issued an apology for any inconvenience experienced by users.