What is a HTTP 500 Error & How Can You Fix It?

One of the most valuable features of AlertBot’s web monitoring solution is that is automatically and continuously scans web pages for hundreds of possible errors, uniquely identifies them, and even captures a screenshot. Today, we’re going to take a deeper look at one of the many possible errors that AlertBot flags as part of its ongoing scans: HTTP 500 errors.

What is a HTTP 500 Error? An HTTP 500 error is an all-purpose error code. Basically, any error that doesn’t fit into an existing error code (e.g., 400: bad request, 403: forbidden, 404: not found, etc.), gets labeled as HTTP 500. Here’s what an HTTP 500 error looks like over at Google:

Image source

Potential Causes & How to Fix Them Here are some of the common triggers for an HTTP 500 error, along with possible solutions:

• A corrupt .htaccess file. This is a text file that instructs software to enable or disable certain functions. It may be possible to fix this by examining your site’s .htaccess file and verifying that it is properly structured. Check out this easy-to-follow tutorial.

• A permission error. This could be caused by networking issues, end user mistakes, or that most hated of virtual creatures: bugs! It may be possible to fix this by adjusting the permission on a CGI or PHP script.

• A database connection error. Begin your (hopefully short) troubleshooting journey by verifying that the database login credentials are correct. If that doesn’t do the trick, then your database may be corrupted. Unfortunately, this is quite common; especially if you use WordPress, since the database is constantly being modified by users, plugins, and themes. Start by logging into phpMyAdmin, selecting all of the tables in the database, and then choosing the “Repair Table” option from the drop-down menu. If this doesn’t work, then restore your site from a working backup (you DO have a working backup, right?).

• Faulty plugins. As you might expect, the simplest (but admittedly, not all that enjoyable) troubleshooting approach here is to start deactivating plugins one-by-one, starting with the most recently added.

• Exceeding your PHP memory limit. Basically, PHP allows a default amount of memory to be used when processing a site. But sometimes, a certain page needs more than memory. If the problem is on the server-side, then try any/all of these methods: edit the PHP.ini file, edit the .htaccess file, edit the wp-config.php file (If working in WordPress), increase the PHP default memory using cPanel (if working in cPanel), or increase the PHP default memory via ini_set() function. Here is a simple tutorial for each method.

• Browser compatibility issues. The best way to deal with this is by avoiding it in the first place by conducting rigorous cross-browser testing. If you did that and you still get a HTTP 500 error (or if you didn’t do that, but you pledge to do it going forward!), then check out these potential solutions.

The Final Word Use the above strategies to help you pinpoint and eliminate HTTP 500 errors — ideally as quickly and easily as possible. You can also rely on AlertBot’s comprehensive failure reporting to get notified when and where HTTP 500 errors occur.

Start a free trial of AlertBot today. There is nothing to download or install, no billing information is required, and you will be 100% setup in minutes. Get started now: click here.

The (Not-So-Magnificent) 7 HTTPS Errors that Infuriate Customers and Ruin Reputations

by Louis Kingston

In the classic flick The Magnificent Seven, a pack of essentially decent but “don’t you dare park your horse in my spot or else you’ll get your spurs blasted” gunslingers come together to rid a village of some nasty bandits. There’s action. There’s drama. There’s tragedy. There’s humor. There’s romance. There’s Steve freakin’ McQueen. What’s not to love?

Well, on the dusty and dangerous internet landscape, instead of a magnificent seven to save the day, there exists seven not-so-magnificent HTTPS errors that are impossible to like, let alone love. Why? Because their purpose is to block visitors from reaching websites — which leads to lost customers and wrecked reputations.

Here’s a look at the reprehensible HTTPS errors that have their picture on Most Wanted Lists in every post office from Tombstone to Dodge City:

403 Forbidden: The 403 Forbidden error means that the server is absolutely refusing — no ifs, ands or buts — to grant permission to access a resource, despite the fact that a request is valid. Common causes include missing index files, and incorrect .htaccess configuration.

404 Not Found: The 404 Not Found error means that a web page or other resource can’t be found because they simply don’t exist. Common reasons for this include a broken link, mistyped URL, or that someone moved or deleted a page and didn’t update the server (which happens a lot).

408 Request Time Out: The 408 Request Time Out error means that the server can’t find the target or resource that it’s searching for, and after a while, just throws in the towel. Often, this is because the server is overloaded.

410 Gone: Whereas (as noted above) a 404 error implies that there might be some hope — i.e. the target file might be somewhere, just not where it’s supposed to be — the 410 Gone error snuffs out any possible optimism. It’s totally, completely and permanently gone.

500 Internal Server Error: The 500 Internal Server Error means that the server cannot process a request for any number of reasons, such as missing packages, misconfiguration, and overload.

503 Service Unavailable: The 503 Service Unavailable error means that the server is either down because of maintenance, or because it’s overloaded. Either way, the server is conjuring up its inner Gandalf and screaming: “YOU SHALL NOT PASS!”

504 Gateway Time-Out: The 504 Gateway Time-Out error means that a higher-level upstream server isn’t working and playing well with a lower-level downstream server. After a while, the downstream server gets the message that it’s not wanted, and says “Oh yeah? Well, I don’t need you either!”

Calling in the Marshall
The bad news is that these reprehensible HTTPS errors, if left unchecked, can cause a lot of damage. Indeed, few things irk and offend website visitors more than seeing an error code. But the good news is that you can call in the Marshall— a.k.a. AlertBot — to restore law and order.

AlertBot constantly scans your site’s pages to watch out for these and other HTTP errors. If and when they are detected, authorized employees (e.g. webmasters, sysadmins, etc.) are proactively notified so they can take swift action and fix the problem.

It’s lightening fast, always reliable, and as smooth as Steve McQueen. Dastardly, good-fer-nuthin’ HTTPS errors don’t stand a chance!

Louis is a writer, author, and avid film fan. He has been writing professionally for tech blogs and local organizations for over a decade. Louis currently resides in Allentown, PA, with his wife and German Shepherd Einstein, where he writes articles for InfoGenius, Inc, and overthinks the mythos of his favorite fandoms.