What is a 502 Error Gateway Error?
occurs when the server receives an invalid response from the requested page "502 Error Gateway"Error. This issue can be caused by a number of reasons and the error message may vary depending on your server.
When a user visits a WordPress site, their browser sends a request to the server, which then retrieves the page and sends it back to the browser.
If an error occurs, the browser displays an error status code, such as 502 Bad GatewayThe
502 The most common cause of Error Gateway errors areRequests taking too longup toServer not respondingThe
The most common reason for this error isDelay in server response to requests. This delay may be due to theHigh flow,WordPress ThemesmaybeImproper coding of plug-insmaybeTemporary failure due to server misconfigurationThe
Other relevant error messages include404 Not found,503 Service unavailable,403 Prohibition erroretc.
Now, let's see how to fix 502 bad gateway error in WordPress.
1. Reload the website
Sometimes, due toIncreased flowmaybeInsufficient server resources, the server may take longer to respond. In this case, the problem may go away on its own within a few minutes.
Try reloading the page you are viewing to see if this is the cause.
2. Clear the browser cache
The browser may display an error page from the cache. Even if the problem is resolved, you will still see the 502 error because the browser is loading the site from the cache.
If the problem is caused by the browser, then use another browser to troubleshoot the cause.
3. Disable CDN or firewalls
If a CDN service or WordPress firewall is used on the site, then their servers may be down.
You can verify this by temporarily disabling the CDN or firewall. This process will vary depending on the service used.
Once disabled, it removes the extra layer created between the browser and the server. Sites will now load fetch resources entirely from your server. If the problem was caused by a CDN or firewall service, then the issue should be resolved.
After that, it's just a matter of contacting your firewall or CDN service for an official solution.
4. Update WordPress themes and plugins
Sometimes, 502 bad gateway errors can be caused by older versions of themes and plugins. You can check them one by oneWordPress themes and plugins.
First, deactivate all WordPress plugins via FTP or Control Panel. Then, refresh your site to see if the error is resolved.
If so, then one of the plugins is causing the issue. Now activate the plugins one by one and refresh the front end to see which plugin is causing the error. Once you find the plugin in question, just find a replacement plugin with the same functionality.
If disabling the plugin doesn't solve the problem, then check the WordPress theme. Switch your WordPress theme via phpMyAdmin.
After switching the theme to the default WordPress theme, refresh and visit the site to see if they work properly.
5. Restore WordPress website backups
For sites that use a backup plugin or have a site backup set up on the server and the data exists on the server. Encountering "502 Bad Gateway"When the error occurs, you can choose to restore the WordPress website backup to fix the problem. In this way, you can get your website back up and running.
Warm tips: website data backup is very important, no matter what errors occur on the site, as long as there is a backup, can solve the problem!
6. Checking for PHP timeouts
Sometimes, 502 error gateway errors are caused by PHP timeouts.
Scripts on a website may take a long time to execute, exceeding the time limit set by the server. This may be due to complex calculations, delayed database queries or poorly optimized code. When this happens, a PHP timeout error occurs.
By checking for PHP timeouts, you can identify these slow scripts that may be causing the 502 Error Gateway error.
Enabling debug mode allows you to check for PHP timeouts. It can provide some PHP error messages.
