Dev Tools
Ably
Realtime messaging infrastructure used by developers to power live data feeds, multiplayer features, and pub/sub at scale.
What is Ably?
Ably provides the realtime infrastructure layer that applications use to push data from servers to clients the moment something changes — powering live leaderboards, collaborative editing, live sports scores, trading dashboards, multi-player game state, and any other feature that needs sub-second update latency. Founded in London in 2013, Ably differentiates itself from simpler WebSocket infrastructure by operating a globally distributed, fault-tolerant pub/sub system with message ordering guarantees, connection state recovery (clients reconnecting after drops receive any messages they missed), and presence features for tracking which users or devices are currently connected.
The technical architecture uses a globally distributed message broker network with nodes across multiple cloud providers and regions. Client libraries (available for every major language and platform) establish persistent WebSocket connections to the nearest Ably edge node, which routes published messages to all subscribed clients in that channel. The platform guarantees message ordering and at-least-once delivery, with message history available through the REST API for clients that need to catch up on missed events. Channels can be attached to Ably Queues or Firehose for persistence and downstream processing. Presence channels track connected clients, enabling features like typing indicators and user online/offline status.
When Ably experiences a service disruption, the impact is direct and visible to end users of the applications built on it rather than to developers checking an admin console. Live collaboration features freeze — cursors stop moving, changes stop propagating in real time, and users must refresh to see updates. Live data dashboards show stale values. Multi-player game state stops synchronizing. Chat messages stop appearing until recipients refresh. The experience is particularly jarring because realtime features are typically presented to users as seamlessly live, and the sudden shift to a static or stale experience is immediately noticeable. Ably's connection recovery features minimize message loss when connectivity briefly drops, but sustained outages deplete the recovery buffer.
Outage.gg monitors Ably's service health in real time. Check the live status page when realtime features stop updating.
Common Ably Problems
Issues users most frequently report when Ably is having problems.
Login failures
Players are unable to sign in, receiving authentication errors or being stuck on loading screens.
Matchmaking problems
Unable to find or join matches, long queue times, or errors when trying to connect to game servers.
Disconnections mid-session
Getting unexpectedly kicked from active sessions, losing in-game progress or items.
In-game store & purchases
Cannot load the in-game store, complete purchases, or received items are not appearing in inventory.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Ably outages and server status.
You can check the live Ably server status at outage.gg/services/ably. The page shows real-time community-submitted outage reports, an hourly trend chart, and the current health status.
Ably can stop working for a number of reasons including scheduled maintenance windows, unexpected server failures, network infrastructure problems, or DDoS attacks. Check the live status page on Outage.gg for the latest community reports to see if others are experiencing the same issue.
Go to outage.gg/services/ably and click the "Report an Issue" button. Your report is counted immediately and helps confirm whether a problem is widespread. Reports from multiple users trigger a status change visible to everyone watching the page.
Click the "Notify Me" bell button on the Ably status page at outage.gg/services/ably. Create a free account and we will send you an email the moment Ably comes back online — no app download required.
Many services maintain official status pages with planned maintenance notices. Outage.gg aggregates real-time community-reported outages which often surface faster than official channels.
Related Services
Other services you might be tracking alongside Ably.
