How to fix 503 errors on your website

A 503 error occurs when there aren't enough resources to execute a script, causing the server to time out. If you're experiencing 503 errors only when running a specific script or importing large amounts of data, you should refer to this guide instead, as this guide addresses 503 errors that occur when your website is being loaded.

By default, with a web hosting package from Nordicway, you get plenty of resources, so server issues are rarely the problem. We recommend trying the following before contacting support:

Deactivate All Your Plugins

If you use a system where you can install plugins/add-ons, it might be one of these plugins causing the 503 error. All plugins are coded differently, and some may not be well-coded, leading to your site going down. First, try deactivating all your plugins and then access the site to see if it works. If your site works after deactivating all plugins, try reactivating them one by one to find the one causing the issues.

Deactivation without access to the admin control panel: If you can't access your site or the control panel on your site (backend), you need to deactivate your plugins via the database or FTP/file manager. For WordPress, you can follow these guides:

If you've recently installed a new theme and are experiencing 503 errors, try changing/deactivating the theme, as it might be causing the issue.

Upload a Test File via File Manager

If deactivating plugins and themes doesn't help, you can test if the server is down by uploading a simple HTML test file via FTP/File Manager. If you can see the test file when you go to yourdomain.com/test.html, then it's not the server that's down, but there might be a problem with your website. To create a test file, follow these steps:

  • Open Notepad
  • Type "This is a test"
  • Save it as "test.html" (remember the .html extension)

Then, upload it to your "public_html" folder.

Contact Support

If nothing works, and you keep getting a 503 error no matter what you do, please reach out to our support team. We'll thoroughly investigate your web hosting and your site.

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