Network Connectivity Issues Template
Jan 19, 2026 | by OpenStatus | [infrastructure]
Use this template when experiencing network-related issues affecting user connectivity, including CDN problems, regional outages, or ISP issues.
When to Use This Template
- Regional network outages
- CDN degradation or failures
- DNS resolution problems
- ISP-specific connectivity issues
- DDoS mitigation impacts
Template Messages
Investigating
We are aware of connectivity issues affecting some users. The issue appears to be network-related and we are investigating the root cause.
Our team is working to restore connectivity as quickly as possible.
Identified
We have identified the cause of the connectivity issues. Our team is working with our network provider to implement a fix.
Monitoring
Network connectivity has been restored. We are monitoring the situation to ensure stability across all regions.
Resolved
The connectivity issues have been fully resolved. All users should now have normal access to our services.
Real-World Examples
Fly.io: "Network instability in IAD region"
Context: Regional infrastructure problem Location: IAD (Ashburn, Virginia) Approach: Geographic specificity
What they did well:
- Named the specific region affected
- Used technical but clear naming ("network instability")
- Focused on infrastructure layer vs vague "connectivity problems"
Why it worked: Users in that region immediately knew they were affected, while users elsewhere knew they weren't experiencing issues.
GitHub: Infrastructure with Specific Impact Areas
Context: Multi-service infrastructure issues Approach: Service-by-service breakdown
Sample structure:
We're experiencing connectivity issues affecting:
- Issues and Pull Requests: 10% error rate
- GitHub Actions: 5% job failures
- API: Elevated latency
Other services operating normally.
Why it worked: Users could quickly assess if their workflow was affected.
Geographic Specificity Best Practices
Be Specific About Location
✅ Good:
- "Users in Europe experiencing connectivity issues"
- "Network problems in AWS us-east-1 region"
- "CDN degradation affecting Asia-Pacific"
❌ Vague:
- "Some users having problems"
- "Network issues"
- "Connectivity degraded"
Example: Regional Communication
For global outage:
We're experiencing network connectivity issues affecting users globally.
Our network provider is investigating. We'll provide updates every 30 minutes.
For regional outage:
We're aware of connectivity issues affecting users in the EU region.
This appears to be related to our CDN provider. US and Asia-Pacific
regions are operating normally.
For ISP-specific:
We're receiving reports of connectivity issues from users on [ISP Name].
We're working with the ISP to resolve. Users on other networks should
not be affected.
CDN-Specific Communication
When CDN issues affect your service:
During Investigation
We're experiencing degraded performance due to issues with our CDN provider.
Users may see slower load times or intermittent connectivity. We're working
with [CDN Provider] to resolve this quickly.
When Switching to Backup
We've temporarily switched traffic to our backup CDN to restore performance.
You may experience brief disruptions during this transition.
After Resolution
CDN performance has been fully restored. All traffic has been returned to
our primary provider, and we're monitoring closely for any recurring issues.
DNS Issues Communication
Initial Report
We're aware of DNS resolution failures affecting access to [service].
Some users may receive "site cannot be reached" errors. We're working
with our DNS provider to resolve this immediately.
Workaround: If you have our service's IP address cached, you can
still access via direct IP.
Resolution
DNS resolution has been restored. Changes may take 5-15 minutes to
propagate globally due to DNS caching. If you still can't access
the service, try clearing your DNS cache or waiting a few minutes.
Providing Workarounds
Always include workarounds when possible:
Example 1: CDN Issues
While we work on the connectivity issue, you can access the service
directly via: https://direct.yourservice.com (bypasses CDN)
Example 2: Regional Issues
Users in affected regions can temporarily use our US endpoint:
https://us.yourservice.com
Example 3: API Connectivity
If experiencing timeouts, try reducing request rate or adding retry
logic with exponential backoff. We'll send an all-clear when issues
are fully resolved.
DDoS Mitigation Communication
During Active Mitigation
We're currently mitigating a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack.
Some users may experience:
- Slower response times
- CAPTCHA challenges
- Temporary access blocks
These are protective measures. Your data and account remain secure.
Post-Mitigation
The DDoS attack has been successfully mitigated. All protective measures
remain in place. Service performance has returned to normal.
Timing Expectations
Set clear expectations about updates:
We're investigating network connectivity issues in the APAC region.
We'll provide updates every 15 minutes until resolved.
Next update: 10:15 UTC
Then honor that commitment:
[10:15 UTC Update] Still investigating. Network provider has identified
the issue and is implementing a fix. We expect resolution within 30 minutes.
Next update: 10:30 UTC or sooner if resolved.
Multi-Region Status Example
For services with multiple regions:
Current Status:
- 🔴 EU-West: Major connectivity issues
- 🟡 US-East: Minor latency increases
- 🟢 US-West: Operating normally
- 🟢 Asia-Pacific: Operating normally
We're prioritizing restoration of EU-West and monitoring other regions closely.
Third-Party Provider Communication
When the issue is with a third-party:
✅ Be transparent but professional:
We're experiencing connectivity issues due to problems with our CDN
provider, Cloudflare. They are working on a fix. We're monitoring
their status page and will update you as we learn more.
❌ Don't blame or criticize:
Cloudflare is down again! Not our fault! 🤷
Follow-Up After Resolution
Short-Term (Same Day)
Connectivity has been fully restored across all regions. We're continuing
to monitor for any recurring issues.
Medium-Term (Next Day)
Yesterday's connectivity issues were caused by [root cause]. We're working
with our network provider to implement additional safeguards to prevent
recurrence.
Related Templates
- Use API Service Disruption if network issues primarily affect API calls
- Use Database Performance if network latency affects database connections
- Use Security Incident if connectivity issues are attack-related