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HTTP error
500 Internal Server Error
Something went wrong on the server.
What it means
The server hit an unexpected problem and has no more specific code to report it with. The fault is on the server side, and the visitor can do little about it. It is the most common sign of a bug or a broken configuration.
Common causes
- An unhandled error in the application code
- A broken configuration file, such as .htaccess
- A failed or incompatible plugin or update
- A database error
- Exhausted memory or a script time limit
How to fix it
If you are a visitor
- Reload the page after a minute
- Come back later: the site owner may already be working on it
- Contact the site if the problem stays
If you run the site
- Read the application and web server error logs first
- Roll back the latest deployment, update or configuration change
- Check the memory limit, disk space and database connection
- Monitor the site so you hear about the next one before your users do
Catch it before your users do
You can check the status code of any address right now. To hear about 500 errors as they happen, an HTTP(S) monitor requests the page around the clock, compares the response with the status codes you expect and alerts you when it does not match.
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