GitHub powers the work of millions of developers, and clear communication about platform health is vital. Following earlier reliability investments, GitHub is rolling out a series of improvements to its status page. These changes—guided by transparency, accuracy, and timeliness—introduce more precise incident classifications, per-service uptime metrics, and granular insights for critical components like Copilot AI. Here are the 10 essential things you need to know.

1. A Commitment to Honest Communication

GitHub has long prioritized reliability, but equally important is how it communicates during and after incidents. The new status page updates are designed to provide clearer, more accurate information about service health. By moving beyond binary 'up' or 'down' indicators, GitHub aims to give users a realistic view of platform performance, reducing alarm during minor disruptions.

2. Building on Recent Reliability Work

Earlier this year, GitHub shared an update on availability challenges and the steps being taken to address them. The new status page changes complement those reliability investments. The focus is not just on fixing issues, but on improving the entire incident response lifecycle, including more detailed post-incident reports and real-time status updates.

3. Introducing 'Degraded Performance' Severity

GitHub is adding a new incident severity level: Degraded Performance. This fills a gap in the previous two-tier system (Partial Outage and Major Outage). Now, incidents that cause elevated latency, reduced functionality, or intermittent errors for a small percentage of requests can be accurately classified without overstating the impact.

4. Why a Three-Tier System Matters

Previously, even minimal service disruption was classified as at least a Partial Outage, leading users to believe a service was unavailable when it was still functional. The three-tier system—Degraded Performance, Partial Outage, and Major Outage—better reflects the spectrum of real-world issues. This nuance improves trust and reduces unnecessary panic among developers.

5. Per-Service Uptime Percentages Now Live

For the first time, GitHub displays uptime percentages for each service over the last 90 days directly on the status page. This allows users to quickly assess a service's recent reliability. The percentages are calculated based on incident severity, duration, and weighting, following industry standards.

6. How Uptime Is Calculated

Each severity level carries a specific downtime weight: Major Outage counts as 100% downtime, Partial Outage as 30%, and Degraded Performance as 0% (since the service remains functional). For example, a one-hour Partial Outage equates to 18 minutes of effective downtime in the 90-day calculation. This ensures the metric reflects true user impact.

7. A Clearer Picture of Service Health

By publishing per-service uptime, GitHub empowers users to make informed decisions about which services to rely on. The data is updated regularly and provides a transparent historical record. This is especially valuable for organizations that depend on multiple GitHub features and need to verify SLAs.

8. Granular Insights for Copilot AI Model Providers

GitHub is introducing dedicated status components for specific sub-services, starting with Copilot AI Model Providers. This gives more granular insight into disruptions that may affect only the AI model availability, not the entire Copilot feature. Users will see separate status indicators for model providers, improving clarity during incidents.

9. Improved Incident Communication During Events

Alongside these structural changes, GitHub is enhancing real-time incident updates. Future status page posts will include more specific data, such as affected components, geographic regions, and expected resolution times. This aligns with the goal of providing transparency, accuracy, and timeliness in every communication.

10. What This Means for Developers

These updates reduce noise and improve trust. Developers can now differentiate between a minor hiccup (Degraded Performance) and a significant outage. The per-service uptime metrics and Copilot-specific components offer deeper visibility into the tools they depend on. GitHub's status page is now a more reliable source for operational insights.

In conclusion, GitHub’s enhanced status page marks a significant step toward honest, data-driven communication. By refining incident classifications, publishing granular uptime data, and adding component-specific status, GitHub gives developers the clarity they need to work confidently. These changes reinforce the platform’s commitment to reliability and transparency.