One of the most annoying errors in the whole web is the 502 bad gateway error. This error is frustrating as it can occur due to many different reasons. Therefore,it is difficult to troubleshoot and fix this error. Further,it occurs on WordPress and popular services like CloudFlare,Twitter,Gmail,and others.
If you are facing the 502 bad gateway error,we got your back. In this article,we shall show you how to fix this error easily using tried and tested methods.
But,if you want a professional to handle,click this link to reach us. -
What Is A 502 Bad Gateway Error?
An error that establishes anytime your WordPress hosting server receives an invalid response for any page requested.
Anytime you visit a website,the hosting server of that site receives a request from your browser. In turn,the hosting server locates that page and then sends it back to your browser alongside the status code.
In most cases,you will not see the status code of that page. Nevertheless,if there is an error,you get a display of the status code and an error message. For example,403 forbidden errors,503 services unavailable,404 not found,and others.
What Causes A 502 Bad Gateway Error?
Often,the 502 bad gateway error occurs when there is poor communication between servers. This results in the server taking too long to respond to your request. Here are some reasons for this error:
- DNS problems.
- An overloaded server.
- Either one or all your upstream servers are inaccessible or down.
- Your content delivery network (CDN) has some issues.
- Faulty PHP scripts like problematic WordPress themes or plugins.
- A misbehaving browser cache.
- Server mis-configurations resulting from various reasons like human error when your host is moving servers.
For the above reasons,it is clear that fixing this error requires you to try various solutions.
How To Fix The 502 Bad Gateway Error
For a 502 bad gateway error to occur,either the server or client side has an issue. Therefore,you should troubleshoot within the client and server side. Here is how to fix this error:
1. Reload / Refresh Your Website
In some instances,your server might take time to respond because of a high spike in traffic or low server resources. In addition,various reasons might make your servers go up and offline.
Hosting providers fix such issues without wasting time to avoid negative impacts on hosted websites. Therefore,the first solution is easier as most cases are temporary. Wait for a minute or two,and then refresh your website to see if the problem will disappear. Try another browser if reloading failed.
However,if this error keeps on appearing on your side yet the site is up for other users,then you need to fix something on your side.
2. Clear Your Browser Cache
Are you still seeing the 502 bad gateway error after trying the first solution? If so,then your browser is displaying the error page from its cache. This means it’s loading your site from cache.
Thus,you have to inform your web browser to load the recent version from the website. To do so,Windows/Linux OS users should press Ctrl+ F5 buttons. On the other hand,Mac OS users should press CMD+Shift+R buttons. Besides that,you can use your browser settings to clear the cache manually.
After that,try to reload your website again. Likewise,you can troubleshoot this problem using a different browser. Proceed to other methods if the error shows on all browsers.
3. Turn Off Your CDN Or Firewall Temporarily
Do you use a website firewall or CDN service like KeyCDN and CloudFlare on your site? If so,then there are higher chances of their servers acting up. Normally,CDNs route your site traffic to their servers to provide you with better website security and performance.
Thus,a small issue on their servers may give you the 502 bad gateway error. Furthermore,you can get this error if you made an incorrect configuration of your CDN.
To determine if this error is because of your firewall or CDN,try disabling them for some time. In turn,there is removal of the extra layer created between your hosting server and browser. Now,your site loads wholly from your server and the issue is fixed if firewall/CDN service was the cause.
After that,contact your firewall/CDN customer support for assistance. It takes them a few minutes to resolve the issue. Remember to enable your CDN/firewall after they fix the issue.
Btw,if this process is becoming a bit daunting for you to do yourself,reach out to Helpbot via social media. We’ll help you fix this asap!
4. Update Your WordPress Themes And Plugins
Have you tried all the above solutions,but the error still exists? If that is the case,you need to examine your plugins or theme.
To do so,start by deactivating all your WordPress plugins through FTP like FileZilla. Once you are done,go to your website to check if the error is fixed. If so,it means one of your plugins was the cause of the problem.
Thus,you need to find the plugin that is causing this error. This process is simple,as you need to do is enable your plugins one at a time and then visit your site. Once you find the problematic plugin,contact their support or get an alternative plugin.
In case deactivating the plugins never solved your problem,then go ahead and examine your WordPress theme. To do so,switch WordPress theme through phpMyAdmin.
Once you switch your theme to the default WP theme,go to your site to check if it is functioning. If the issue exists,then examine your hosting server.
5. Examine Your Hosting Server
Have you tried all the above troubleshooting methods without success? Then your hosting server could be the issue.
Contact your hosting provider customer support and inform them about this problem. While at it,tell them all the troubleshooting steps you have tried.
If the problem is a result of a server misconfiguration,any good WordPress hosting company should fix it quickly.
Final Thoughts
Troubleshooting and fixing a 502 bad gateway error on WordPress is easier,as it takes no time to resolve itself. Nevertheless,this can be a challenge for beginners as this error occurs for various reasons.
Even so,our how to fix the 502 bad gateway error on WordPress guide is enough to help solve the issue without problems.
In case you have any comments,questions or suggestions about the 502 bad gateway error,click this link to contact us. -