BREAKING: GitHub REST API Experiencing Degraded Availability – Workarounds Inside

GitHub REST API is experiencing degraded availability. Check your status and implement immediate workarounds.

What's Affected

GitHub is currently investigating degraded REST API availability. This impacts:

REST API calls (read/write operations)

Automated workflows and CI/CD pipelines relying on REST endpoints

Third-party integrations using the REST API

GitHub Actions that call REST API endpoints

Scheduled deployments and bot operations

Status unclear: GraphQL API availability status is unconfirmed; assume potential impact until confirmed otherwise.

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How to Check If You're Affected

1. Official Status: Visit [status.github.com](https://status.github.com) for real-time updates 2. Test Connectivity: Try a simple REST call: ```bash curl -i https://api.github.com/zen ``` If you receive slow responses (>30s) or 5xx errors, you're experiencing the degradation.

3. Monitor Your Logs: Check for: - 500/502/503 HTTP errors from api.github.com - Request timeouts (>60 seconds) - Unusual rate limiting responses

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Immediate Workarounds

For CI/CD Pipelines

Implement retry logic: Add exponential backoff (3-5 retries, 10-30 second intervals) to API calls

Use GraphQL as fallback: If REST is degraded, test if GraphQL API remains stable

Cache credentials and metadata: Reduce unnecessary API calls by caching GitHub Actions runner info, commit data, and user permissions locally

Defer non-critical operations: Postpone optional API operations (analytics, notifications) until service recovers

For Deployments

Queue deployments: Hold critical deployments until GitHub API stabilizes

Use Git protocol directly: For clone/push operations, use SSH/HTTPS Git protocol instead of REST API calls

Implement circuit breakers: Automatically bypass GitHub integrations if API fails N consecutive times

For Third-Party Integrations

Switch to webhook batching: If receiving webhooks, batch process them locally; don't immediately make REST calls back to GitHub

Use GraphQL: If GraphQL is unaffected, migrate queries away from REST endpoints

Rate limit aggressively: Reduce API request volume by 50% to avoid hitting rate limits during recovery

For Local Development

Work offline: Continue coding; avoid git operations requiring GitHub connectivity

Use local git: Push changes later once service recovers

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Alternatives While GitHub is Degraded

Use GitLab API (if mirroring repos): Redirect read operations to GitLab temporarily

Query Git protocol directly: Use git ls-remote and SSH for essential operations

Manual operations: For urgent changes, use GitHub web UI (if available) instead of API calls

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Next Steps

1. Monitor [status.github.com](https://status.github.com) continuously 2. Subscribe to GitHub's status page for updates 3. Implement recommended retry/fallback logic immediately 4. Post-incident: Review and harden GitHub API dependencies

Duration unknown. Estimate 15-60 minutes for typical GitHub incidents, but monitor official channels.

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Last Updated: Real-time – Check status.github.com for current information.