Cloudflare, the American Content Delivery Network and IT service company, has announced several key changes to prevent significant disruptions to internet services, following incidents in November and early December 2025. The most significant outage occurred on November 18, when a large portion of the internet became intermittently inaccessible after Cloudflare deployed a “wrong configuration,” which was linked to a bug in their Bot Management feature.
The problem arises from the differing deployment methods of software updates versus configuration changes. Software updates are rolled out in a controlled manner, wherein each version must pass through various checks before it goes live. If any issues are detected, the company can reverse the update automatically.
In contrast, configuration changes are pushed out instantly, affecting all users immediately. Cloudflare’s Chief Technical Officer, Dane Knecht, indicated that this needs to change, emphasizing the need for the same caution applied to software updates to be extended to configuration changes.
To address these issues and enhance system resilience, Cloudflare has initiated a plan called “Code Orange: Fail Small.” This plan includes implementing controlled rollouts for configuration changes, reviewing and improving failure modes in their systems, and updating their internal procedures to enable quick access to systems during an incident.
The projects under this plan are designed to make continuous improvements rather than a single comprehensive change. By the end of the first quarter of 2026, Cloudflare aims to ensure that all production systems are compliant with Health Mediated Deployments for configuration management. By this target date, the company will also have updated systems to handle failure modes effectively, allowing for proper response during emergencies.
Dane Knecht acknowledged the impact of these incidents on customers and the broader internet community, expressing deep regret and emphasizing that these improvements are a top priority for Cloudflare.
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