502 Bad Gateway Error

When your website gets a 502 Bad Gateway Error, you don’t know:

• What it is
• Why it happened

You just know something is wrong and needs to be fixed.

What causes a 502 bad gateway error?

To fix a 502 Bad Gateway Error, in this article we will learn:

• What it is
• What causes it
• How to fix it

What is a 502 Bad Gateway Error?

A 502 Bad Gateway Error tells you there is something wrong with your website’s server communication.

But it’s a generic error, so:

• It doesn’t tell you the exact issue
• Your website shows an error web page to your visitors

Below are seven effective ways to find and fix the causes of 502 Bad Gateway Errors.

Let’s get into it.

Note: for WordPress websites, use this guide for WordPress solutions.

How to Fix a 502 Bad Gateway Error

• Reload the page
• Server connectivity issues
• Check for DNS changes
• Go through your logs
• Fix firewall configurations
• Find bugs in your website’s code
• Contact your host

Reload the page

Server connectivity issues can be fixed quickly.

When your website comes across this error page, to start off:

• Wait a minute or two
• Reload the page

If the page loads with no problems then it was a temporary connection problem.

But, it still shows an error:

• Clear your browser cache
• Try refreshing it once more

If that didn’t work, keep reading:

Server connectivity issues

A lot of websites are on multiple servers or third-party hosting providers.

So, your website could show visitors a 502 Bad Gateway Error page, if your server is doing maintenance or other reasons.

To troubleshoot this:

• Wait for your server to finish maintenance or fix the problem causing the error

Or:

• Run a ping test to see if messages go through to your IP

Check DNS changes

Two things that make changes to your website’s DNS server are:

• Changing host servers
• Moving your website to a different IP address

And this can cause your website to show its visitors a 502 Bad Gateway Error page.

So, wait a few hours for DNS changes to take effect before your website is up and running.

Go through your logs

Server logs give details about your server’s:

• Health
• status

So, Go through them to find and fix any incorrect information.

Fix firewall configurations

Your website’s firewall protects your site from:

• Malicious visitors
• Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks

And, firewall configurations cause 502 Bad Gateway Errors because they see content delivery network requests as server attacks and reject them.

So, double check your firewall configuration to find and fix this issue.

Find bugs in your website’s code

Your server can’t answer requests from its content delivery network if you have mistakes in your website’s code.

To fix this:

• Find bugs in your code

Or:

•  Copy your code into a development machine

Development machines:

• Take your code through the debug process
• Simulate when the 502 Bad Gateway Error occurred
• Show you when things went wrong

Contact your host

Give your host company a call if:

• You can’t find the problem on your own
• You think your host company is at fault

Your hosting provider can:

• Look deeper into the issue
• If the issue is their fault, they can easily fix it
• If the issue is related to your website, they can walk you through the solution