Case Study: gdgt achieves uninterrupted live coverage—11.6 million updates during the Apple keynote—with Rackspace Technology

How gdgt stayed live during the Apple keynote—and delivered more than 11 million updates in less than two hours

gdgt, a San Francisco–based tech site known for live event coverage and product reviews, faced the classic challenge of Apple keynotes: massive, concentrated traffic spikes that took many major outlets offline. With thousands of auto-refreshing users tuning in simultaneously, gdgt needed a hosting solution that could handle intense load in a very short window.

Working with Rackspace—using Cloud Sites and Cloud Files and coordinated pre-event planning and real-time support—gdgt was able to scale instantly by spinning up infrastructure and staying in constant communication with Rackspace’s team. The result: gdgt served 11.6 million update requests over 1 hour and 45 minutes and supported about 85,000 simultaneous users at peak without falling over.

gdgt

Ryan Block

Co-founder