OpenVSX, the open-source extension marketplace used by VS Code forks like VS Codium, experienced a 24-hour outage. The outage, which concluded around 10:30 UTC on August 14, 2023, prevented users from browsing, installing, and updating extensions. The root cause was identified as a storage backend issue related to Ceph and is now resolved. Full functionality has been restored to the platform.
A Zoom outage on August 14, 2024, impacting meetings and webinars, was caused by accidentally "shutting down" the zoom.us domain. The incident began around 7:30 AM PDT and was fully resolved by 9:34 AM PDT. While Zoom's status page initially indicated an issue with logins, the root cause was determined to be the mistaken deactivation of the domain, effectively making Zoom inaccessible. Services were gradually restored as the domain was brought back online.
Hacker News users discussed the irony of Zoom, a video conferencing service, accidentally shutting down its own domain and thus preventing users from accessing its status page during the outage. Some commenters questioned Zoom's DNS practices, wondering how a single mistake could take down the entire domain. Others speculated on the specific technical error, suggesting possibilities like a typo in a script or an accidental deletion of a DNS record. Several pointed out the importance of robust DNS setups, including redundant providers and automated checks. Some users expressed frustration at Zoom's reliance on its own service for status updates, suggesting alternative communication methods during outages. The incident sparked a wider discussion about the fragility of internet infrastructure and the potential for seemingly small errors to cause widespread disruptions.
The Canva outage highlighted the challenges of scaling a popular service during peak demand. The surge in holiday season traffic overwhelmed Canva's systems, leading to widespread disruptions and emphasizing the difficulty of accurately predicting and preparing for such spikes. While Canva quickly implemented mitigation strategies and restored service, the incident underscored the importance of robust infrastructure, resilient architecture, and effective communication during outages, especially for services heavily relied upon by businesses and individuals. The event serves as another reminder of the constant balancing act between managing explosive growth and maintaining reliable service.
Several commenters on Hacker News discussed the Canva outage, focusing on the complexities of distributed systems. Some highlighted the challenges of debugging such systems, particularly when saturation and cascading failures are involved. The discussion touched upon the difficulty of predicting and mitigating these types of outages, even with robust testing. Some questioned Canva's architectural choices, suggesting potential improvements like rate limiting and circuit breakers, while others emphasized the inherent unpredictability of large-scale systems and the inevitability of occasional failures. There was also debate about the trade-offs between performance and resilience, and the difficulty of achieving both simultaneously. A few users shared their personal experiences with similar outages in other systems, reinforcing the widespread nature of these challenges.
Summary of Comments ( 110 )
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43785039
Hacker News users discussed the implications of OpenVSX's 24-hour outage, particularly for those relying on VSCodium or other VS Code forks. Several commenters pointed out the irony of a system designed for redundancy and decentralization experiencing such a significant outage. Some questioned the true open-source nature of OpenVSX and its reliance on the Eclipse Foundation. Others suggested alternative approaches, like mirroring or self-hosting extensions, to mitigate the risk of future outages. A few users reported minimal disruption due to caching mechanisms, while others expressed concern about the impact on development workflows. The fragility of the ecosystem and the need for more robust solutions were recurring themes.
The Hacker News post titled "OpenVSX, which VSCode forks rely on for extensions, down for 24 hours" generated several comments discussing the outage and its implications.
Many commenters expressed frustration with the outage, particularly its duration and the impact on their workflow. Some questioned the reliability of OpenVSX as a critical infrastructure component for VSCode forks, highlighting the disruption caused by such a long downtime. The lack of communication during the outage was also criticized, with users noting the absence of updates or estimated recovery times.
Several commenters discussed the architecture and infrastructure of OpenVSX, speculating about the potential causes of the outage and suggesting improvements for future resilience. Some pointed to the reliance on a single provider and advocated for a more distributed or redundant setup to prevent similar incidents.
The discussion also touched upon the broader context of open-source software and the challenges of maintaining critical infrastructure with limited resources. Some commenters expressed sympathy for the OpenVSX team, acknowledging the difficulties of managing such a service and emphasizing the importance of community support.
Some users shared their experiences with alternative extension marketplaces or workarounds they employed during the downtime, including manually installing extensions or switching to different IDEs temporarily.
Finally, a few commenters highlighted the importance of OpenVSX as an alternative to the Microsoft-controlled marketplace, emphasizing the value of open-source options and the need for a robust and reliable community-driven platform. The incident sparked a discussion about the trade-offs between centralized and decentralized infrastructure and the role of community involvement in ensuring the stability of essential services.