The decentralised social network Bluesky experienced a notable service outage, leaving users unable to access the platform via web and mobile applications for approximately an hour.
Bluesky attributed the disruption to significant networking problems with its data server (PDS) infrastructure. According to the platform’s official status updates, the service interruption began at 6:55 p.m. ET. Technicians started addressing the issue by 7:38 p.m. ET, quickly restoring full functionality.
The outage triggered discussions regarding the vulnerabilities of decentralised platforms. Although Bluesky uses the AT Protocol, designed for decentralisation, most of its user base currently depends on infrastructure managed directly by Bluesky. Users operating independently maintained AT Protocol components remained unaffected, underscoring the platform’s ongoing transition toward true decentralisation.
🚨 Users are reporting problems with Bluesky. Is Bluesky down for you? RT if you are having issues. https://t.co/ThHhH3OPIJ #blueskydown
— IsDown – Is a service down? (@isdownapp) April 24, 2025Ultimately, Bluesky aims to create a diverse, distributed ecosystem, with communities controlling their infrastructure, moderation policies, and client applications. However, at this stage, centralised dependency means server outages can impact many users simultaneously.
The incident revived competitive banter between Bluesky and Mastodon, a decentralised network built on the ActivityPub protocol. Mastodon users highlighted their platform’s reliability, with one noting their independent servers operated seamlessly during Bluesky’s outage.
Bluesky is down https://t.co/FQoITIFjIk
— The Verge (@verge) April 24, 2025Despite this setback, Bluesky swiftly resumed operations after resolving the networking issue. The platform reaffirmed its long-term commitment to developing robust, decentralised infrastructure to prevent future disruptions.
