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If you’ve come across the ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH error on someone’s site and are wondering what it is or, better yet, are experiencing it on your own site and want to know what you can do to fix the issue – you’ve come to the right place.

What Is ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH Error?

ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH is a relatively common SSL error that occurs when the web browser fails to establish a secure connection with the website.

The error can occur in any web browser – regardless of whether it’s Firefox, Google Chrome, or Microsoft Edge.

When a website visitor attempts to connect to your website by connecting to the server that hosts your website using SSL/HTTPS – various steps take place to ensure that this connection is established securely:

• Decryption
• A TLS handshake
• Verification of the SSL certificate with the certificate authority (CA)

If any of the steps mentioned above doesn’t happen properly, it can lead to the ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH error.

So, what could cause the ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH error on your site or someone else’s site?

What Causes the ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH Error?

The ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH error only occurs on websites that use HTTPS encryption and SSL certificates to secure access and information exchange. These websites usually have a lock icon in the URL bar.

Another reason why ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH error usually happens is due to the use of old web browsers or operating systems.

To break this down even more, let’s break down the name of the error:

• SSL has had multiple versions since its creation
• Cipher is a set of rules, instructions, or algorithms that determines how the secure connection will be established

Therefore, when the error occurs, it’s pretty self-explanatory where is the actual problem — either the SSL version doesn’t match, or the cipher has no way to establish a secure connection between you and the webserver because you’re not using the same cipher.

Other causes that can lead to ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH error are:

• Server-side issues
  • The problem with your SSL certificate
  • Certificate name mismatch
  • The latest version of TLS is not being used
  • Use of RC4 Cipher Suite
• Client-side issues
  • Using an old version of the Operating system or web browser
  • Use of QUIC Protocol
  • Settings of your antivirus software interfere with your browser’s default security settings.
  • SSL state not being updated

All the issues, as mentioned earlier, become a cause of the ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH error. However, they can be easily fixed, which will be discussed in the next section.

How To Fix the ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH Error?

Let’s see each one of the causes and what you can do to fix them.

Server-side Issues

To check if the error is from the server-side, you will need to look at the following things:

Check The SSL certificate

Ensure your SSL certificate is correct and is issued by a trusted CA, which you can check from the free SSL certificate checker, and it takes only a few minutes to scan your website’s SSL/TLS configuration on your web server.

You can use Qualys SSL Labs to check your SSL certificate.

• Go to the website and click on ‘Test your server’.
• In the given field, type your hostname and press enter.

After a few seconds, you can see all the information about your SSL certificate to ensure that everything with the certificate is okay.

If something turns out to be a problem and your SSL certificate is incorrect, we advise switching to an SSL certificate from a trusted CA.

Certificate Name Mismatch

Check if the name in the certificate is incorrect. It’s important to see if the domain name and the name on the certificate are the same. According to SSL labs, other reasons for mismatch are:

• The website uses a content delivery system that doesn’t support SSL.
• The website doesn’t use SSL, though the IP address is shared with a different site.
• The website is unavailable, but the domain still mentions the old IP address, where there is some other website.

One way to check for certificate name mismatch is through Chrome DevTools, which you can do so by:

• Right-click on the website.
• Go to Inspect → Security Tab → View Certificate.

This will show all the required details of the certificate. If the information doesn’t match, then there is an issue with the certificate.

Sometimes, the error will not allow you to let in the Chrome DevTools, further confirming the issue in the certificate.

Use The Latest Version Of TLS

Whether an old or unsupported version of TLS is being used, the hosting service providers will generally use TLS version 1.2 or higher. Regardless, check the TLS version and look at the backward compatibility because some users might be using an old operating system that supports the older version of TLS.

The latest TLS version can be checked by going to the server test results from your SSL labs. Just under the site score, you can see what TLS version your site supports.

Also, it can happen that TLS 1.3 is supported by your server, but it is not enabled. You can find the same by entering ‘chrome://flags’ into the address bar of the Chrome browser. It will show you the Chrome Experimental Page, where enter ‘TLS 1.3’ into the search bar. The search results will show TLS 1.3 hardening for local anchors, where you need to select the enable button in the dropdown menu. Restart your browser and visit the website again.

Verify The RC4 Cipher Suite

RC4 cipher is an old encryption tool that modern browsers don’t support. If your website is still configured for RC4, you will likely face the ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH error on the latest browsers.

To avoid the error, move your website from RC4 or disable it and add the TLS 1.3 protocol, which you can do so by going to the configuration page of your SSL Labs and checking what is listed under the Cipher Suites. Generally, TLS 1.3 protocol should be listed there instead of RC4. But if RC4 is listed, it will be shown in red that you can disable it under the Protocol details section.

Client-side Issues

In case your client is using an old web browser or operating system, they are likely to face the ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH error. The error can be avoided by:

Updating Web Browser And Operating System

Old web browsers or operating systems do not support the TLS 1.3 version, and because of that, SSL error occurs. Hence, it’s recommended to use the latest operating system and web browser.

Here we will show you how to update the Chrome browser. The steps will be similar if you’re using a different browser.

To update the Chrome browser:

• Click on the three vertical dots → Help → About Chrome
• The About Chrome page will show you whether you’re using the latest web version or if it needs an update
• If it needs an update, click on the update button. After Chrome gets updated, restart the web browser and visit the website again

Disable QUIC Protocol

The QUIC (Quick UDP Internet Connections) protocol is a popular alternative to HTTP2, TLS/SSL, and other security protocols. It is Google’s experimental project that sends simple data packages via User Datagram Protocol (UDP) without using any connection.

However, using a QUIC protocol can cause ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH error, which you can avoid by turning it off. You can disable the QUIC protocol by following the given steps:

• In the address bar of the new Chrome Tab, type ‘chrome://flags’, which will take you to the experimental page
• There, enter ‘quic’ in the search bar, which will show you all the searches related to ‘quic’
• On the first few searches, you will find ‘Experimental QUIC Protocol’. Next to it, click on the disable button from the dropdown menu
• Reboot your computer. The changes will be applied, and you can visit the website.

Turning Off Antivirus Software Temporarily

Antivirus software creates a layer between the web and your browser with their certificates, creating issues with the website’s settings. Additionally, they have their SSL/HTTPS protection function that becomes a cause for the ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH error. Thus, to avoid the issue, you can temporarily turn off your antivirus software.

Disable your antivirus for a few minutes or for an hour, just so you can test this. Once you disabled it, try opening the website where you encountered the issue.

If the problem persists, then your antivirus is not causing the issue. If you are, however, able to open the website without encountering this error, consider disabling the HTTPS scanning feature or selecting a different antivirus program.

Clearing the SSL State of Your Computer.

Sometimes your computer SSL state stores old SSL certificates that aren’t necessary anymore, which can also become a case of ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH error.

You can clear the SSL state in Windows by following the given steps:

• Type in “Internet Properties” in your search bar
• Once you open the Internet Properties or Internet Options box go to the Content tab
• Click “Clear SSL State”

This will clean the old SSL certificates and obtain a new one once you go back to Chrome, visiting websites.

What If the ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH Error Persists?

Even after checking through all the above-mentioned solutions, if you still face the ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH error, then try:

• Resetting your computer’s date and time.
• Delete all the cookies and cache from your web browser.
• Upgrade your operating system.
• Or, try using a different device.

Sometimes, not having a system up-to-date also contributes to the issue. But upgrading your web browser and resetting your computer’s date/time will fix the error.

Conclusion

Running into SSL errors is without a doubt not enjoyable – especially if it’s for your own site. We hope this guide has helped you get to the bottom of the SSL error you ran into today.

If you have any other questions about the ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH SSL error and how to fix it – join the conversation & leave a comment below!

You may have encountered the 504 Gateway Timeout Error a few times while trying to visit websites.

It can be frustrating as the 504 Gateway Timeout Error is one of the most common errors faced by users and site owners. Unfortunately, it’s also a mysterious error because it doesn’t specify what the issue is.

If you own a website or a blog, it will be helpful to understand what the 504 Gateway Timeout Error is, find out what is causing it, and ultimately fix it.

This article will help explain all you need to know about the 504 Gateway Timeout Error.

What is the 504 Gateway Timeout Error?

In simple terms, the 504 gateway timeout error happens when the website doesn’t receive a timely response from a server. Each time you visit a website, the browser will send a request to the server where the site is hosted. The server processes the requests and responds to the website with the requested resources.

The 504 gateway timeout error is mysterious and can be challenging to fix. It indicates the server was unable to process the request, but it doesn’t tell you why it was unable to do so. It also tells you the server is aware it couldn’t carry out the request but was unable to fix the issue in time.

Variations of the 504 Gateway Timeout Error

Depending on your operating system and browser, the 504 gateway timeout error can appear in various ways.

Some of the common 504 error messages may look like this:

• HTTP 504
• HTTP Error 504
• 504 Gateway Timeout
• The page isn’t working – Domain took too long to respond

Your browser and certain websites can customize how the error message is displayed. Though the message can be worded in different ways, it points to the same server error.

Potential Causes of the 504 Gateway Timeout Error

So, what could cause the 504 gateway timeout error? Since the error refers to the server timing out on a request, it usually points to an issue with the network rather than with the device.

Some of the possible causes could be:

• Server is currently not working or under maintenance
• Server is not functioning properly
• Connection between server and internet was interrupted
• Server may be overloaded with requests

Now that you understand the issue sits with the server and not the client-side, you can eliminate your device or internet connection when trying to fix the 504 gateway timeout error.

How to Fix the 504 Gateway Timeout Error: 5 Ways

It can be a challenge to figure out what is causing the timeout error. Since this is considered a network error in the server and not with your computer, there are many reasons why the error message popped up, which we’ll talk about later in this article. Here are a few things you can do to try fixing the issue.

1. Reloading Your Website

You can try reloading the website you’re trying to visit. If you’re trying to visit the website on your computer, you can click the refresh button or the F5 key to see if it was just a temporary interruption with the connection. Otherwise, you can also try some of these suggestions.

• Turn off your VPN, then refreshing the website
• Try another browser
• Restart your browser

Some 504 gateway timeout errors happen when the server is temporarily overloaded. By clicking refresh or reload, the website will send out a new request to the server. If it was just a temporary overload or connection issue, the website should load in your browser.

2. Restart All Network Devices

A temporary disruption in your network connection can cause the gateway timeout error. You can try restarting all your network devices, including your modem and router to see if it will fix the issue.

It’s as easy as unplugging both your router and modem, then waiting for 30 seconds before plugging it back in. You’ll have to wait another 60 seconds to start everything up and see if the issue persists.

3. Check The Proxy Server Settings

Check the proxy settings in your browser and application, and make sure they’re correct. Incorrect proxy settings can cause 504 errors. Some computers don’t have proxy settings at all.

If you have Windows 10 or Windows 11, you don’t have to set your proxy settings in each browser. You can check and change the settings directly in Windows 10 or Windows 11, and it’ll apply to Google Chrome, Opera, Microsoft Edge, and Firefox.

Here are the steps:

1. Open the Start menu and select the gear icon (Settings).
2. In Settings, select Network and Internet.
3. In the left-hand pane, click Proxy.
4. You’ll be able to view all the proxy settings in Windows. Everything should be set to off. If there is something turned on, it means your web traffic is going through a proxy.

The steps are similar if you are using macOS. This will apply to the settings in Safari as well:

1. Open System Preferences and select Network.
2. On the left tab, make sure to select the active network connection.
3. Then click Advanced at the bottom
4. Select Proxies.
5. You’ll see a list of proxy servers you’ll be able to configure.

You can follow these steps if you’re using Internet Explorer:

Open Internet Explorer, then click Internet Options.

1. Click on the Connections tab, then LAN settings to open the LAN settings window.
2. If you’re using a proxy server with a URL, check the box for “use automatic configuration script”.
3. Then in the Address field, type the URL.
4. If you’re using a proxy server with an IP address, check the box for “use a proxy server for your LAN”.
5. When you’ve made your selections, click OK to save your changes

In most cases, everything in your proxy settings should be set to off, or to “automatically detect settings”. This allows your computer to automatically select the best proxy settings for you.

4. Change DNS Servers

If you’ve tried connecting to the website on other devices but you’re still getting the same error message, you can consider changing your DNS servers. The Google Public DNS server provides a secure DNS connection. You can change your DNS server to some of the free public DNS servers listed below.

• Google DNS – 8.8.8.8
• Cloudflare – 1.1.1.1
• OpenDNS – 208.67.222.222

It’s possible the DNS server you’re using is causing the issue with the 504 gateway timeout error. We’ve listed the steps you can take to change your DNS server.

Changing DNS server on Windows:

1. Open the Start menu and select the gear icon (Settings).
2. Once you’re in settings, click Network and Internet.
3. Select Change adapter options.
4. Right-click your chosen internet connection and select Properties.
5. Click Internet Protocol Version 4, then click the Properties button.
6. Click the item labeled Use the following DNS server addresses.
7. Enter your two chosen addresses.
8. Click OK to save your changes.

Changing DNS server on macOS:

1. Select Preferences from the Apple Menu.
2. Launch the Network app.
3. Select your internet connection and click the Advanced button.
4. In the Advanced window, select the DNS tab.
5. Use the plus-sign on the right to add your chosen DNS addresses.
6. Click OK to save your changes.

If you decide to change the DNS server on your router, just remember that this will affect all your connected devices. This also includes smart appliances and home security. Before starting, search “how to change DNS” for the make and model of your router. You’ll need instructions that are specific to your router’s model.

5. Temporarily Disable Your Site’s Content Delivery Network

The content delivery network you’re connecting to can sometimes cause the error message. If the website’s origin server is unreachable, the CDN will try to load the website from its cache. However, some CDNs don’t have this feature enabled as it can be complicated to cache certain assets on websites. An easy way to do this is to temporarily disable your CDN.

The WordPress Popup plugin uses a CDN server to store files like images, and CSS libraries. You can temporarily disable this with the following steps:

• Head to the WordPress admin area of your website.
• Under the Settings tab, select the Popup plugin.
• Activate the “Disable CDN usage” option.
• Save changes.

If you’re using the Onyx CDN, you can follow these steps:

• Login to your Onyx dashboard.
• Select the website you want to disable the CDN for.
• In the left-hand menu, select CDN.
• Select the Disable CDN button.

WP Engine utilizes MaxCDN in their CDN offering. It only offloads wp-content directory files including images, CSS and Javascript. If you’re using WP Engine’s CDN, you can use these steps to temporarily disable the CDN:

1. Log in to the User Portal.
2. Click Sites.
3. Select the production environment name.
4. Select CDN.
5. Uncheck the box on the right to indicate you’re disabling CDN.
6. Be sure to save your changes.

Various Examples of 504 Gateway Timeouts (How the Errors Look/What the Differences Are)

There are two main ways the 504 gateway timeout error can show up on your screen. It can be helpful to differentiate between the two to find out where the issue lies.

Certain CDNs, like Cloudflare that provide full proxy services, have additional firewalls between their servers and yours. This may cause you to encounter the error message more frequently.

The error message above usually occurs when the issue is caused by Cloudflare itself. If you see this message, it’s advisable to contact their user support or check their status page.

A custom error message like the one above indicates the issue is with the webserver and not Cloudflare. You can see from the diagram where the issue lies. If you own a website and encounter this message, you can get in touch with your hosting provider for support.

In Windows-based programs, the 504 gateway timeout error might pop up in a small dialog box with a message saying HTTP_STATUS_GATEWAY_TIMEOUT. A Windows update will generate an error code 0x80244023 or display an error message WU_E_PT_HTTP_STATUS_GATEWAY_TIMEOUT.

Why Are You Seeing The 504 Gateway Timeout Error Message?

There are many reasons why you would encounter the 504 bad gateway timeout error message. We’ve listed some of the more common reasons below.

1. Server Issues (Check With Your Host)

One of the reasons why you would encounter the 504 gateway timeout error message is server issues. This is especially common with high-traffic websites like WordPress blogs, e-commerce sites, or online stores.

There are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot the issue and decide if you should contact your host.

1. Try accessing the website from other devices, for example, your mobile phone. If you are able to view the website on your mobile phone, but not your computer, it tells you the problem lies with the settings in your computer and not the server. However, if it does not work on all your devices, you should call your hosting provider for assistance.
2. Websites like Downdetector will also be able to tell you if the website is currently experiencing technical issues and if other people are having problems connecting to it.
3. You can also do a Google search “is abc.com down” or check Twitter to see if other people are experiencing the same issue.
4. It’s recommended for you to check your WordPress host’s status page as well.

You should check with your host if they have plans or resources to fix this issue if it happens regularly. However, there can be other reasons for the error message.

2. Firewall Issues

Improper configuration can cause your server’s firewall to have some errors. It could be that a few of the firewall’s rules are preventing the server from establishing a proper connection.

You can check your server’s error logs to see if your firewall is the one causing the issues. To view the raw access and WordPress error logs via FTP, you can follow these steps.

1. Connect your site via SFTP.
2. You’ll see a folder named “logs” in the root folder.
3. Your access and error logs will be in that folder.

3. Slow Server Infrastructure

The server you’re using to host your website may not have enough resources to handle the traffic. This happens when the server is overloaded, causing it to timeout while trying to load the website. You can fix this by upgrading to a server with better and stronger infrastructure.

4. Network Connectivity problems

Issues with the connection between the proxy server and your web server can be the cause of not responding to requests. A load balancer can also cause network connection issues.

5. HTTP Timeouts

HTTP timeouts happen when the connection between the web server and the client is kept open for too long. If you’re using WordPress websites, this can happen with WordPress imports. One easy way to solve this is to just switch to a better internet connection.

6. Needs more PHP Workers

Each website requires different resources. An online business website will require more resources than a blog because it receives more traffic. PHP workers are used to executing your website’s code. If the PHP workers are busy, a queue will build up. If the queue gets too large, the server will forgo old requests for new ones, which causes the 504 gateway timeout error. You can request more PHP workers from your host to avoid this.

7. Spam, Bots, or DDoS Attacks

If your website has been attacked by DDoS or spammed by bots, it can overload the server. You can troubleshoot this by requesting a report from your host provider. 

There are three reports you can look at. The first is the top-end customer’s IP addresses which is useful if you notice your website is suddenly generating a lot of traffic. You can use this to distinguish if the traffic is genuine or if your website has been attacked by bots.

The second is the requests and bots report. You can compare the number of people visiting your website versus the number of bots. The third report is the cache analysis report. In this report, you can see what requests are missing in the cache. You should try to cache as many requests as possible to provide the best stability for your website.

8. Corrupted WordPress Database

A corrupted WordPress database or files can cause 504 gateway timeout errors. This can also happen if your website is experiencing security issues or has been hacked. Repairing the database will depend on the problem it’s having. Certain plugins like WP-DBManager can help you diagnose any issues with the database and repair them.

Troubleshooting (Health Mode)

There are a few ways you can tell if there is a problem with your WordPress database. One of them is the “error establishing a database connection” message. You can troubleshoot the database issues by understanding the common problems we’ve listed for databases.

• Connection problems
• Incorrect credentials
• Corrupted database tables or files
• Limited or exceeded PHP Memory
• Your website has been hacked

Check Your Site’s Plugins, Theme, and Server Error Logs

There is a small chance that third-party plugins can cause server timeouts by queuing up one too many uncached requests. This takes up a lot of PHP workers and can cause the 504 gateway timeout error to occur.

You can simply troubleshoot this problem by deactivating all your plugins and checking if your site is working properly.

If it does, you’ll then have to enable each plugin and test the site after each plugin has been enabled. You should also ensure your WordPress core, including the plugins and themes, are updated.

1. Configure Apache or Nginx Settings Properly

Bugs and faulty plugins in the Apache or Nginx can cause the 504 bad gateway timeout error. You’ll need to analyze the error logs to find out if this is the case.

2. 504 Gateway Timeout Error on Nginx + FastCGI (PHP-FHM)

The 504 gateway timeout error is common when using Nginx with PHP-FHM. This usually means the PHP-FHM took a longer time to generate the response. Some of the reasons for this to happen could be:

• The web server was overloaded and it took longer than usual to process requests.
• The database behind the PHP application was slow
• Nginx timeout configuration included small values

A great way to fix this is to increase the PHP maximum_execution_time, and PHP-FHM request termination time.

3. 504 Gateway Timeout Error on Nginx Proxy

To fix the 504 gateway timeout error on Nginx proxy, you can try adding these variations to the nginx.conf file:

• proxy_connect_timeout 600;
• proxy_send_timeout 600;
• proxy_read_timeout 600;
• send_timeout 600;

4. Other HTTP Errors Like 504 Gateway Timeout

There are other HTTP errors similar to the 504 gateway timeout error. Some of these include:

• 500 Internal Server Error
• 502 Bad Gateway Error
• 503 Service Unavailable

Conclusion

Troubleshooting and fixing a 504 gateway timeout can seem difficult and overwhelming. But there are many ways to fix the error message as long as you know what could be causing it. If you suspect it’s the server causing the issue, you can always contact your host provider to help you.

Potential topics:

• Troubleshooting and repairing WordPress database issues

The 502 bad gateway error is one of the many status codes a WordPress site may experience from time to time.

Though the error message is also popular with other platforms like Twitter or Cloudflare, it is one of the more common errors for WordPress. The 502 bad gateway error can have an impact on your site’s SEO.

There are many reasons why you’re seeing the 502 error message. It can be caused by issues with your DNS server settings or PHP timeout settings. It can be frustrating trying to troubleshoot the exact problem causing the error message.

In this article, we’ll explain what is a 502 bad gateway error, what could be causing the error, and the different ways to fix it.

What is a 502 Bad Gateway Error?

Your browser sends a request to the webserver every time you visit a website. The web server receives the request and processes it. It then sends the requested resources back to the browser.

Simply put, the 502 bad gateway error occurs when the server has received an invalid response from the inbound server. The error message tells you the request was accepted, but an issue occurred while trying to fulfill the request.

502 Bad Gateway Error Examples

The 502 bad gateway error message can appear in a number of ways. You may see a blank white screen or some of these variations in the error message.

• Error 502
• 502 Proxy Error
• 502 Service Temporarily Overloaded
• 502 Bad Gateway
• HTTP Error 502 – Bad Gateway
• HTTP 502
• 502 server error

Your browser and certain websites are able to customize how the error message is shown. How the message is displayed to you depends on your browser, web server, and operating system.

502 Errors Impact on SEO

A 502 error can have a negative impact on your SEO if it’s not fixed soon. If your website is experiencing this issue for only a few minutes and it’s consistently being crawled, the crawler may just get the page delivered from the cache folder. There may be a chance Google will not be able to re-crawl before the site is working again. If this is what you’re experiencing, it won’t impact your SEO rankings.

However, if your website has not been fixed for more than a few hours, Google might consider the 502 error as a site-level issue that needs to be addressed immediately. This can affect your SEO rankings.

How to Fix the 502 Bad Gateway Error: 5 Ways

The 502 bad gateway error is usually an issue with the network or server. While it can also be an issue on the client side, it’s not very common. Here are some ways you can use to try fixing the 502 bad gateway error.

1. Try Reloading the Page

One of the simplest first steps you should try is to wait a while before reloading the website. There is a possibility the host or server is overloaded, or there was a temporary connection problem.

To reload your browser, click the refresh button or the F5 key to prompt the website to send another request. If it was a temporary interruption, the page will start loading after the refresh. Alternatively, you can try some of these other suggestions.

• Turn off your VPN, then refresh the website again
• Try a different browser
• Restart your browser

If the 502 bad gateway error was caused by a temporary connection issue, these steps will help you fix it, and load your website. Refreshing a page sends the server a new request asking for the latest version of the website you’re viewing. It’s possible you’ve encountered a temporary connection issue, especially if the server was maintenance.

2. Restart Your Network Devices

Any temporary disruption in your network connection can cause the gateway timeout error. A simple way to troubleshoot this is to restart all your network devices, including your modem and router.

All you have to do is unplug both your modem and router. Then wait at least 30 seconds before plugging it back in. After that, you’ll have to wait for at least 60 seconds before starting everything back up to see if the issue is still there.

3. Clearing Your Browser Cache

The second easiest step is to clear your browser cache. Your browser saves certain information from the website you’re visiting. This is helpful as it speeds up the time it takes to look for that information and removes the need to constantly download the same resources.

But sometimes, the saved cache can be corrupted, which will cause the 502 bad gateway error. There are different ways to clear your cache, depending on the browser you’re using.

For Google Chrome:

1. Head to the three-dot menu at the upper-right corner of Chrome.
2. From there, click on More tools at the bottom area of the pop-up menu.
3. Then select Clear browsing tools.
4. This will then open a dialog box to delete all your browsing and download history.
5. Check the box with Cached images and files.
6. Select All time.
7. Click Clear data.

For Microsoft Edge:

1. Head to the three-dot Menu at the upper-right corner of Microsoft Edge.
2. Select Settings from the list.
3. Click on Privacy, search and services.
4. Select Clear Browsing Data.
5. Select what you would like to clear and then click Clear now.

For Internet Explorer:

1. Select the gear icon on the upper left of Internet Explorer.
2. From the menu, select Internet Options.
3. Alternatively, you can click the Delete button to delete all your history, cookies, and cached data.

You’ll want to restart your browser once you’ve cleared the cache as well, just to make sure your browser is in order. If you’re using a browser like Brave, Opera, or something else, you can easily Google the steps to delete your browser cache. You should find the steps fairly easily after that.

4. DNS Issue

The 502 gateway error can also happen when the domain is not providing the correct IP address or if the DNS server is not responding. DNS servers are assigned by your ISP by default, but you can change this yourself to see if it will fix the issue. You can try third-party DNS servers, which might solve the problem.

Some of the best free public DNS servers can be found below:

• Google DNS – 8.8.8.8
• OpenDNS – 208.67.222.222
• Cloudflare – 1.1.1.1

There are two ways to change your DNS settings. The first is to change your router settings, and the second is to add the new DNS right into your device.

To change the DNS server on Windows:

1. Open the Start menu and select the gear icon (Settings).
2. Once you’re in settings, click Network and Internet in the Settings menu.
3. From there, select Change adapter options.
4. After that, right-click your chosen internet connection and select Properties.
5. Click Internet Protocol Version 4, then click the Properties button.
6. Next, select the item labeled Use the following DNS server addresses.
7. Enter your two chosen addresses.
8. Click OK to save your changes.

Changing DNS Server on macOS:

1. Select Preferences from the Apple Menu.
2. Launch the Network app.
3. Select your internet connection then click the Advanced button.
4. In the Advanced window, select the DNS tab.
5. Use the plus sign on the right to add your chosen DNS addresses.
6. Click OK to save your changes.

Changing the DNS server directly on your router will affect all your connected devices, including home security and smart appliances. To do this, we recommend doing a web search on “how to change DNS” followed by the make and model of your router. This will provide you with instructions that are specific to the router you’re using.

This might help solve the 502 bad gateway error message. When you change the assigned DNS server on your router or devices, you’re prompting your devices to use a different domain to search for the IP addresses. This might help you access sites your ISP has chosen to block for any reason, which can cause the 502 bad gateway error.

5. Check With Your Host

One of the main reasons for a 502 bad gateway error is an issue with the web host. A request may take too long, resulting in it being canceled by the server. Certain hosts implement a “kill script” feature that terminates a request after some time, so it doesn’t affect the main site or other users.

Here are a few steps you can take to see if there are issues with the server and if you should contact your host.

1. Try accessing the website from other devices, for example, your mobile phone. If you are able to view the website on your mobile phone, but not your computer, it tells you the problem lies with the settings in your computer and not the server. However, if it does not work on all your devices, you should call your hosting provider for assistance.
2. You can also do a Google search “is abc.com down” or check Twitter to see if other people are experiencing the same issue.
3. Websites like Downdetector will also be able to tell you if the website is currently experiencing technical issues and if other people are having problems connecting to it.
4. It’s recommended for you to check your WordPress host’s status page as well.

If you’re experiencing the 502 bad gateway on a regular basis, it’s a good idea to contact your host to find out if that is the reason or if the site is just under maintenance.

6. Temporarily Disable CDN or Firewall

The content delivery network (CDN) or firewall you’ve selected could also be causing the 502 bad gateway error. If the original server of the website cannot be reached, the CDN will automatically load the website from its cache folder. However, this feature isn’t enabled in some CDNs.

If you’re using WordPress, the website provides a Popup plugin that uses a CDN server to store files including images, Javascript, and CSS libraries. Here’s how you can disable the CDN temporarily:

1. Go to the WordPress admin dashboard.
2. In the Settings tab, select the Popup plugin.
3. Activate the ‘Disable CDN usage’ option.
4. Make sure to save your changes.

If you’re using WP’s Engine CDN, these are the steps you need to take to temporarily disable CDN:

1. Login to WP Engine’s User Portal.
2. Select Sites.
3. Click on the production environment name.
4. Click CDN.
5. Make sure to uncheck the box on the right to indicate you disable CDN.
6. Save your changes.

While it isn’t usually recommended, you can also try disabling your firewalls to check if it’s interfering with opening the website. Certain host providers offer full proxy services that may include extra firewalls, which could cause a 502 bad gateway error.

If you’re using Windows 10, you can disable your firewall with the following steps. This will also disable the firewall in Google Chrome, Opera, Microsoft Edge, and Firefox.

1. Open Control Panel.
2. Click on System and Security.
3. Select Windows Firewall.
4. Select Turn Windows Firewall on or off.
5. Check the icon next to Turn Off Windows Firewall (not recommended).
6. Click OK to save the changes.

You can follow these steps if you’re using macOS:

1. Open the Apple Menu.
2. Select System Preferences.
3. Click Security & Privacy.
4. Click Firewall.
5. Select Firewall Options to disable the firewall temporarily.

Temporarily disabling the CDN or firewall may fix the issue of the 502 bad gateway error message. If it doesn’t, you can always refer to these steps to change your settings to their original form.

Cloudflare 502 Bad Gateway Error

The Cloudflare 502 bad gateway error occurs when the server you were trying to connect to receives a bad response from another server. This can happen when a server is overloaded or experiencing some network issues between the two servers. There are two variations to the Cloudflare 502 bad gateway error.

502 Bad Gateway Cloudflare (Variation 1)

The below image indicates the problem that occurred on Cloudflare’s end. If you see this error message, you can reach out to them for support. It’s also helpful to check Cloudflare’s status page for assistance or to see if they are experiencing an outage.

502 Bad Gateway Cloudflare (Variation 2)

The next variation, as described in the image below, indicates the problem is with the hosting provider. If this happens, you can either follow the steps we’ve listed earlier in the article or get in touch with your host provider for support.

Check Your Plugins and Themes (Troubleshooting Mode)

Using third-party plugins or themes in your WordPress website can sometimes cause queries to be canceled by the server. This happens when there’s bad code on your site. You can troubleshoot this by simply disabling all your plugins and checking if your website is loading properly.

If it is, you’ll know there’s a bad plugin somewhere. You’ll need to find which one by enabling each plugin one at a time and seeing if the website loads after each one. You should always ensure your WordPress core, plugins, and themes are updated.

Take A Look At Your Error Logs

If the problem persists, you may need to further investigate what’s causing it. Error logs can be helpful when troubleshooting problems on your WordPress site. You can access your error logs by using a logging tool. In the error log, you’ll be able to see how often the 502 bad gateway error is happening to see if it is a one-time occurrence or if it requires further attention.

You can use the following steps to view the raw access and WordPress error logs via FTP:

1. Connect your site via SFTP.
2. You’ll see a folder named “logs” in the root folder.
3. Your access and error logs will be in that folder.

If the host does not have a logging tool, you can enable this in your wp-config.php file to allow logging. WordPress features its built-in debug tool that is useful for debugging WordPress. All you have to do is enable the WordPress debug mode and WordPress debug log, then specify a custom file path where you’ll be able to access it later.

Restart PHP and Rebuild Web Application in RunCloud

You can try restarting PHP through your host settings. If your host doesn’t provide this, you can request a support ticket.

Many people also manage their servers through RunCloud, a control panel for cloud servers. It’s an easy way to build and manage web servers. If you’re encountering the 502 bad gateway error regularly, especially when you’re in the process of building your website, you can choose to rebuild your web application in RunCloud or simply reach out to us and we’ll help you out!

PHP Timeout Issue

PHP timeouts happen when one PHP process runs longer than the max_input_time or max_execution_time that has been set in your server’s PHP configuration. This is a common issue, especially when you’re conducting large WordPress imports. If you encountered the 502 bad gateway error because of PHP timeouts, then you’ll need to check and evaluate the values set in your server.

Conclusion

There are many issues that can cause the 502 gateway error, but there are also many ways for you to troubleshoot the issue. Most of the time, the issue will be with your host and not with the client. It’s important to remember that third-party plugins with bad codes are also common causes for the 502 gateway error. Lastly, if you’re still receiving the error after running through all the necessary steps, it may be a good idea to rebuild your web application in RunCloud.

Ever wondered how much your $5/month Digital Ocean Droplet or VPS with UpCloud can handle? Well, in this guide – we’ll show you how to run website load tests with loader.io.

1 – Register For A Loader.io Account

The registration process is super simple, simply navigate over to loader.io and then click Sign Up Now on their homepage.

2 – Choose A Suitable Loader.io Plan

You’ll then be prompted to choose your preferred Loader.io plan. You’ll be pleased to hear that, for the purposes of this guide and initial testing, you can use their generous free plan:

3 – Enter Your Account Details

Once you’ve selected your plan of choice, all you need to do is create your account by enter your company name, email address and creating a password:

4 – Verify Your Email Address

And once you’ve created your account, before you’ll be able to run any tests, you’ll have to verify your email address.

Navigate to the email address used during the registration process and look for an email from Loader.io that looks like this one right here:

And simply click Verify me to verify your account & email address are valid.

Once verified, this is what you’ll see:

5 – Create A New Target Host For Your Load Test

Now, it’s time to start setting up your first test. To get started, you’ll first need to create a New Host. To do so, simply click + New Host as highlighted below:

6 – Enter The Domain Name of the Web Application You Wish To Test

A host is simply the domain that you wish to test as a part of this website load test. So, for example, if we’d be testing the scalability of the RunCloud Blog – we’d enter blog.runcloud.io here:

Note: This has to be a website that you actually own as otherwise, you will not be able to run a load test as the next step will require that you verify ownership of this domain.

7 – Verify Ownership of That Web Application/Domain

Next, you’ll need to verify that you’re the actual owner and operator of this domain name. This is simply to avoid anyone & everyone from being able to run load tests against websites they don’t actually own (which with some setups could result in taking sites offline).

If you’re on the free plan you’ll only be eligible to verify over HTTP which is super simple. Simply navigate to the web application in your RunCloud dashboard (or your server management dashboard of choice) and upload the file to the root folder of the site. In the case of WordPress sites, this is the same folder that contains the folders: wp-admin, wp-content, etc.

Once uploaded, hit the blue Verify button and you’ll see the following confirmation:

This means you can now start creating your first website load test for this target host.

8 – Create & Run Your Website Load Test

Once ready, proceed to the next step by clicking New Test.

This will then take you to the following test configuration settings page where you can adjust the type of requests you want to use in this load test as well as how many clients and what the duration of the test itself should be.

For the purposes of this demonstration, we recommend only setting a suitable test name and leaving the other settings unchanged. If you’re performing improvements or want to evaluate the difference between servers, be sure to perform tests both before & after changes are made so that you actually have data for comparison (again using suitable names so they are easy to refer back to but not changing other settings as this would otherwise create variance in the test data that would need to be accounted for).

Once you’re ready to run this test – click Run Test as shown below:

And that’s it, your website load test is now underway! 🎉

Once the test completes (i.e. for the standard settings after one minute), you’ll be able to review the results and see how your website performance (i.e. response time) was affected as the number of clients hitting your site/making requests to your server increased throughout the one minute period.

And that’s it – if you have any other questions about website load testing you’d like us to cover in this guide, feel free to leave a comment below & join the conversation. 💬

Ready to deploy a new server but unsure how to choose the ideal server location?

Server providers like Digital Ocean, UpCloud, Linode, and AWS have made it incredibly easy to deploy a server virtually anywhere, so you can pick the ideal server location.

But how should you choose your server locations? And how do professional SysAdmins choose the locations for their servers?

Why Does Server Location Matter?

The server that hosts your website can be physically situated at one of the thousands of available locations in different data centers across the globe (depending on your server provider of choice).

When you load up a website, a signal is sent from your computer to the server, and then onto the destination. If the server is far away, it’s going to take longer for that connection to happen.

Therefore, the location of your host server can play a crucial role when it comes to your website’s load speed, and by extension, its SEO.

One study conducted by KISSmetrics claims that 47% of internet users expect a web page to load in 2 seconds or less. This percentage is even bigger among mobile users, who make up over 50% of Google’s users. Hardly surprising given the attention span of people today.

Google has indicated that site load speed is one of their algorithm’s main signals to rank pages. So, having visitors leave your page before it is even fully loaded is bad for SEO and results in lower conversion rates – drastically decreasing your business’ earning potential.

What Is Network Latency & TTFB?

Before choosing your ideal server location, there are various other factors that play an important role in selecting your ideal server location. Two of these factors are network latency and TTFB.

What Is Network Latency?

Network Latency is the time taken by the site visitor to connect to a web server, their request to be processed and the server to begin sending data. It is measured in milliseconds. Network latency is affected by several factors, including:

Round trips: It is the journey taken by an object request (script files, HTML files, etc) to your web server and back to the user. Round trip is generally affected by the distance between the web server and user along with the number of intermediary points through which the connection travels.

Server performance: The correlation between server performance metrics — including server speed, available RAM, the hardware used and site latency.

Any small change in the latency can have some effect on the page load time and user experience. This becomes more important for eCommerce websites where high latency can improve the speed and user experience of the website.

Measuring Latency through TTFB

Time to First Byte (TTFB) is the time taken by the user’s browser to begin loading a webpage after your server reaches an initial request. TTFB can be affected by three main factors:

• The total amount of time it takes for your request to reach the network through the server.
• The total amount of time it takes for the server to process the request and generate the response.
• The total amount of time it takes for the response to propagate back to the web browser.

There are two ways to measure TTFB:

Actual TTFB: The total time it takes for the web browser to receive the first byte of data from a server. Network speed and connectivity can affect actual TTFB.

Perceived TTFB: The time taken by the user to notice that the page has started to load. It is important UX and SEO metrics and is mostly influenced by the time it takes for an HTML file to parse.

Choosing Your Ideal Server Location

Choosing the ideal server location is sure not a child’s play. First, let’s see how others choose server locations.

How Do People Server Location?

When was the last time you put some thought into where your server is? We ran a survey among RunCloud customers and here’s what they had to say:

• 66.7% chose a server in proximity to their own customers;
• 11.8% chose a server that’s physically close to themselves;
• 3.9% didn’t really consider the location of their servers;
• 17.6% said they are global and use CDNs.

So, what should you have in mind when choosing the ideal location for your server?

How To Choose Your Server Location?

Around 66.7% of the people in the above surveys preferred to choose the server location closest to the majority of the site’s audience. While choosing the ideal server location you should consider the important factor surrounding where your server should be located. For most people locating their server near to the majority of their users is the first choice. Perhaps, you should consider that while making your choice.

How To Reduce Latency?

There are different steps you can take at different points across the network to improve network latency. Like, making sure that the people on your network aren’t increasing your latency with lots of downloads or using up all the bandwidth. Also, check out the application performance to make sure that no applications are acting up in weird ways and putting pressure on the network. You can also subnet by grouping together endpoints that communicate frequently with each other. Using traffic shaping and bandwidth allocation measures also helps to reduce network latency.

Use A Content Delivery Network To Reduce Latency:

One way to reduce your website latency is to use CDNs, thus improving your overall website’s performance and UX. Website latency can be reduced by any one of the following methods:

Content caching: CDNs cache and compress mirror versions of the web pages are stored in strategically placed data centres. Later, content is delivered to your users based on their geolocation, thus reducing round trip times and latency.

Connection optimization: CDNs can optimize connections between users and origin servers through session reuse, network peering and TCP pre-pooling. Premium CDNs speed up the communication process further by routing traffic through a tier 1 network backbone that has the least amount of hops.

Along with reducing latency, CDNs can also improve your site’s page load times through front-end optimization like image optimization, minification and file compression.

Which Server Location Is Right for You?

Price plays a large part when choosing a server, especially when you’re on a budget. Or, you may be tempted to get a server close to your location.

However, investing in a server that’s close to the majority of your site’s visitors can be a real game-changer, especially if you’re running an online business. After all, how fast your end-users can access the site, find an item, and make a purchase, is what can make or break its success.

How the Server’s End-User Proximity Affects Your Website’s Success

If your target audience resides in a particular area or country, then it makes sense to host your website on a server as near to them as possible. Right?

Having it hosted further away can be a serious obstacle, as the geographical distance between your server and your site’s end-users can exponentially increase the time it takes for them to access the website. This can lead to your site loading slower for its users, and, as a consequence, you could be losing visitors and conversions.

With that in mind, we recommend you consider the server’s proximity to your clients and site visitors as a priority when choosing your ideal server location.

Using a CDN to Change Your Server Location

What happens if your hosting provider doesn’t let you change your server’s location?

In this case, you have a couple of options:

• Change hosting provider
• Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)

It can be a hassle to switch web hosting, so using a CDN like Cloudflare can be an easy workaround.

A CDN is a collection of servers placed in strategic geographical locations, acting as a network for caching internet content.

A cached version of your site is stored at each location, so when someone tries to visit your website they’ll be connected to the nearest server on the CDN instead of having to go directly to yours.

Using one can significantly shorten load time by increasing the delivery speed of your site’s data that’s cached on the CDN. This is not the same as web hosting, however, since the CDN is used only for caching your site’s data to improve its delivery speed, not hosting it.

Ideally, you want to combine well-placed servers with a good CDN to get the fastest load speed for your site. There are also many CDN providers to choose from ― Cloudflare, Imperva, StackPath, and Sucuri, to name just a few.

Cloudflare is by far the biggest and most popular solution, and integrates seamlessly with RunCloud, making it easier than ever to manage your servers and moving them to your most ideal server location.

In Summary – Choosing Your Ideal Server Location

Choosing the ideal server location plays a crucial role in its success.

If you can afford it, host your website on servers as close to your target audience as possible. This will lead to more conversions, fewer visitors abandoning your site, and better SEO.

Secondly, getting a good CDN will also improve your site’s load speed significantly. CDNs cache your site’s content on a group of servers in important geographic locations, so that your site can be accessed much faster even if the server it’s hosted on is far away from the site’s visitor.

Lastly, if you’re looking for a way to easily manage your websites, servers, and connections in one intuitive dashboard, you’ll love working with RunCloud.

Hundreds of agency owners, business owners as well as experienced developers rely on RunCloud to build, deploy and operate their servers so they can focus on growing their business. Freedom to host servers with your server provider of choice, giving you full control of server location while managing them all in one centralized dashboard – RunCloud.

Get started with RunCloud today.