Along with HTTP Error 500 and Error 401, Error 503 is one of the most common errors on pages based on WordPress, Prestashop and YouTube. The causes can be diverse, and generally only have a solution if the administrator of the website in question intervenes in some way . In the case that we are a simple navigator, there is little we can do if the page has an Error 503. Whatever our case, the error in question has a solution, and then we will explain it through different methods.
Error 503 Service Temporarily Unavailable: causes and why it appears
Although it is true that the reasons for the error can be diverse, generally the appearance of an Error 503 is usually related to the inefficiency of the web page server to process a certain request .
This error, although it may seem fatal, the truth is that it is shown as a security measure to safeguard the database and the content of the hosting website that the page has contracted.
As for the causes of Error 503, it can be due to three possible reasons:
- The page is receiving a lot of traffic for whatever reason (viralization of a post, thousands of users in session viewing products from a store ...)
- The website has received many requests through an intentional attack
- The page contains some programming error
The solution? It may vary depending on whether we are the administrators of the page or simple navigators.
Solution to Error 503 if we are navigators
In the event that the aforementioned error appears on a page such as YouTube, Facebook or Tuexperto, the only thing we can do is wait for the service to be operational again.
To do this, it is recommended to open a new window in incognito with the address of the page that has shown Error 503 and reload its content in 5 minute intervals.
If, by any chance, the error has appeared when buying a product in an online store, under no circumstances will we reload the page . This can cause the duplication of the order and, therefore, that of the expenses.
The recommended thing in this case is to open a new tab in incognito and access the web with our account. Finally, we will check if the order has been placed correctly. We can also contact the store administrator to verify if our request has been registered.
Solution to Error 503 if we are website administrators
Given the possible causes of the error, we can find up to three different solutions depending on its origin.
If the traffic has increased
The solution in this case is to contact our hosting service and buy more processing capacity and RAM .
If the increase is sudden, we can contract a certain capacity for a limited period of time. Otherwise, we will have to increase the capacity of the server permanently.
Another method that we can use if we do not want to hire more capacity is to "cache" the page through a third-party plugin to reduce the number of requests . Thanks to this, we will speed up the loading of images, videos and HTML and CSS code that are made with each request.
WP Super Cache for WordPress is the one we recommend in our case. Once installed, we must mark all the boxes as Activated with the exception of Clear all cache when a post or page is published or updated .
If the page has received an attack
The origin of the attack, although generally unknown, is usually due to the vulnerability of a certain page or file.
Again we will have to resort to our hosting service to block requests for a specified period of time. Then, we will look for the file or page whose security the state of the web is compromised . One of the most common pages is usually the one to access WordPress with the address www.test.com/wp-admin .
In this case, we will have to change the address through plugins such as WPS Hide Login.
If there is an error in the programming
Given the number of pages that a website can host, the solution here is to find the page that has thrown Error 503 and verify its PHP and HTML programming .
If we do not have the necessary knowledge, it is best to resort to the hosting customer service that we have contracted.
Other errors identified by OneExpert
- Error 401 Authorization Required
- HTTP error 500