We often encounter 502 error when using a site. A 502 error is bad news for web-developers since it indicates a problem at the website’s end. When it comes to broken pages, the most difficult errors to solve are 501, 502, 503 and 504 as they indicate errors in the server end of the page. When you try to fix a 502 error if you are wondering what went wrong, here are the potential causes.
What is the 502 Bad Gateway Error?
It is an HTTP status code which means that a server on the internet received an invalid response from another server. These errors display inside the internet browser window as web pages do. The 502 Bad Gateway error is completely independent of your particular setup and can occur on any browser or device.
What are the causes of the 502 Bad Gateway Error?
There could be several reasons for a Bad Gateway error. Bad Gateway errors are caused by issues between online servers that you have no control over. Sometimes even when there is no issue and your browser thinks there is, you get server errors.
- Firewall Blocking: Sometimes, a firewall may block communication between the edge server and an upstream server. Hence DDoS protection systems can block requests from a content delivery system.
- Server overload: Servers which have exhausted their memory due to too many visitors and a DDoS attack can also crash.
- Network errors: DNS issues, routing problems, and ISP related issues lead to 502 errors
- Faulty programming: Errors which occur in the website’s code also cause 502 error.
- Server software timeouts: When web servers take more time and the caching tool reaches its timeout values then slow queries cause this problem.
How to fix a 502 Bad Gateway error
Many times these errors go away by themselves. All you need to do is refresh the web browser page. In case it starts working after this, the problem is a temporarily overloaded server. If the problem persists, using a web service like ‘Down for everyone or just me?’ helps you learn more. You can also use a third-party proxy server such as Hide My Ass with a particular ISP. In spite of all this, if the error persists, you may try the following solutions:-
Solution 1:
Try to load the URL again through F5 or Ctrl+R on your keyboard or through the Refresh Button.
Solution 2:
Many times, clearing stored cookies could fix a 502 error. You can try removing the cookies only related to the website giving you a 502 error. Only if it does not work out should you remove all the cookies?
Solution 3:
Close all the browser session and open a new one. Sometimes 502 errors occur due to an issue in your computer which occurred sometime when you used your browser. Just restarting the browser program can solve the problem.
Solution 4:
Outdated or corrupted files which are being stored by your browser could be causing 502 Bad Gateway issues. Removal of cached files and opening the webpage again will solve the problem if this is the cause.
Solution 5:
Try another browser like Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Internet Explorer, and Safari and more. In case this solves the problem, we know that our previous browser is the source of the problem. Reinstall your browser as it could also solve the issue.
Solution 6:
Restart your computer or your networking equipment. Temporary issues in PCs and how they connect to the network could be causing 502 errors. Also, issues with modem, router, or other networking devices could be causing 502 Bad Gateway or other 502 errors. Just restart your networking device.
Solution 7:
Contact your Internet Service Provider if all the above solutions fail. The 502 Bad Gateway issue could be caused by a network issue which your ISP is responsible for.
Solution 8:
Try changing your DNS servers. You can do this on your router or computer. Few Bad Gateway errors are caused due to temporary issues with DNS servers.
If all the above issues do not resolve your problem, it may require some further investigation. You can examine the web server logs at the time of the error which might give you some insights. If you are the owner of the website, check your FQDN (fully qualified domain name) is resolving properly. You can also check if a server is reachable through a ping text or traceroute.
