Bluesky Social Network Hit by Denial-of-Service Attack, Experiencing Service Issues

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 22:18:00 +0200

The popular decentralized social network, Bluesky, is currently experiencing significant service disruptions following a denial-of-service (DoS) attack. The issues began around 2:42 a.m. ET on Thursday, impacting both the website and the mobile application. Users are encountering slow loading times, error messages, and limitations on accessing feeds, including popular ones like Discover and the Bluesky Team's official feed. The error messages often indicate “Rate Limit Exceeded,” suggesting the platform is struggling to handle the influx of traffic. Bluesky protocol engineer Bryan Newbold acknowledged the severity of the situation, stating services were facing a particularly challenging night. While the company has yet to officially disclose the cause of the slowdown or provide a timeframe for resolution, COO Rose Wang attributed the problems to the DoS attack. Interestingly, other communities built on the same underlying protocol powering Bluesky appear to be unaffected. This incident