What is a 500 error?

The 500 error is what is called a server-side problem. In other words, a failure of the hosting service that hosts the website has occurred.

This is an extremely generic warning, usually due to problems with PHP configuration, programming or website permissions.

Since each web server can use its own texts and nomenclature, the error message can take several forms.

Here are some of the most common error messages:

• "Error 500 (Internal Server Error)"
• "Error 500 - Internal Server Error"
• "Internal Server Error"
• "HTTP ERROR 500"
• "Error 500"
• "HTTP Error 500"

In addition to the simple error 500, there are other error codes that e-commerce sites (or not) can experience. In total, there are more than 11 different codes, each of these codes having a different origin. We present to you the most common codes among the family of error codes 500:

Error 502: bad gateway

The web server has accepted the request but has prevented its execution. Generally, this error is related to the fact that the server has received an incorrect response from another server (this situation occurs when you use a proxy, for example).

A network problem may also be the cause of this error 502. The request takes too long to reach the server, and therefore the server decides to cancel the request or interrupt the connection to the database. In both of these situations, all you need to do is wait, clear the cache and reload the page in question to resolve the problem.

In some cases, a 502 error code is due to a DNS (Domain Name Services, which corresponds to the link between the domain name and the server) problem. This DNS problem occurs if you have migrated your site to a new host. As with the network problem, all you need to do is wait (approximately 24 hours) for the connection between your domain and the IP of the new web server to be established.

Error 503: Service unavailable

The error code 503 means that the web server is temporarily unavailable. This message indicates that your site is online and working properly, but is temporarily inaccessible. This error code is often related to website maintenance or an update. Usually, this error disappears after a few minutes, when the update is complete. If the error code persists, take a look at your site's extensions or theme, which may be the source of the problem.

Error 504: gateway timeout

This error occurs when your site uses several servers to ensure its operation. Specifically, the error code 504 occurs when the waiting time for a response between these two servers has expired.

The first server has indeed received the request from the browser, it transmits it and waits for the response from the second server. In what scenario does this happen? In several situations, for example, if your site needs an API to function or if you have a CDN (Content Delivery Network). This also happens if your database is hosted on a different server.

As with the 503 error, this problem is temporary, you just have to wait. Be careful not to leave your site down and in a 504 error for more than 6 hours, otherwise Google and search engines will consider the 504 error as a structural problem on your website and would be able to penalize your natural referencing.

To find solutions to the 500 errors on your website, consult the articles Correcting a 500 error, and 500 error after installing or updating a module