Nothing is more irritating than a blank screen that displays an error message that is not the website’s content. Today, we’ll examine what does 504 Gateway Timeout mean and give some tips for fixing this issue for your WordPress website. For most blogs and online stores, these errors could result in an interruption in revenue. Customers go away unhappy and are unable to make purchases. So let’s get started and see what happens.
What does the 504 error meaning refer to?
When you visit a site, the server transmits an email to a different server on which that website is hosted. This server, also known as an “upstream server”, takes in the request and responds by providing any resources required to load the website in your web browser.
The 504 error meaning is that your server wasn’t receiving an immediate response from the server upstream. Since the request was delayed, the server cannot load the website and, in the end, fulfil its purpose as a gateway, hence the term “Gateway Timeout” error.
You may be wondering why there’s a delay in the server’s upstream response. That’s an appropriate question. We’ll address this below.
504 Gateway Timeout Reasons
504 Gateway Timeout Errors are among the most annoying HTTP status codes that you can get. They provide information about what occurred to your site; however, they do not provide any reason for why this happened, making it difficult to pinpoint the root of the problem and, ultimately, fix the issue.
Here are a few possible options.
Server Connectivity Problems
Most websites are hosted with multiple servers and with third-party hosting companies. If your server goes down for maintenance or some other reason, your site could provide visitors with the page with the number 504 Gateway Timeout Error page.
DNS Changes
If you’ve recently switched server locations or moved the site to a new IP address, it will alter the DNS server for your website. This can cause your website to show visitors with a 5004 Gateway Timeout Error page. Your site won’t be online and functioning until the DNS changes are entirely in effect, taking a few hours.
Unusual Firewall Configurations
Your Firewall acts as your site’s security guard, protecting your website from malicious users or distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) threats. Sometimes, a flawed firewall configuration can make your Firewall interpret requests from an online content delivery service as an attack against your server and block the proposals, leading to the 5004 Gateway Timeout Error.
Errors in Your Website’s Code
If there’s a lapse in the code on your site, it could mean that your server won’t be able to respond to requests from a network for content delivery appropriately.
Internet Connectivity Errors
A 504 error results from a timeout in the process of processing orders by servers. In this case, the issue is likely to be with them -not the user’s Internet connectivity or the device. For example, if there is only one person who reports an error 504 on your website, It could be related to their modem router or even their internet connection.
There are various reasons why an error 504 could occur, and it is your responsibility to figure out every possibility until you discover the true root of the issue. However, there are five standard and efficient solutions to fix most 504 Gateway Timeout Errors and their causes.
How to fix Error 504 error meaning to resolve the Errors
1. Find server connectivity problems
If your server has gone not been functioning because of maintenance or some other reason, the website may provide visitors who are presented with a 504 Gateway Timeout Error page. The only way to resolve this issue is to wait for your server to complete maintenance or correct the problem causing the error.
2. Verify Any DNS modifications
If you’ve recently switched the hosting provider or relocated your site to a new IP address, your site’s DNS server needs to be changed. Unfortunately, the DNS changes can take some time to process, which means that while they’re processing, your site could serve users with a 5004 Gateway Timeout Error page. The only way to avoid this is to remain calm, as these DNS changes are effective.
3. Sort across your files
If the issue isn’t the server’s connection or DNS information, you should check the server logs. The logs contain information about the health and status of your server. By analyzing them, you can find other problems causing the 504 error.
4. Repair faulty firewall configurations
A broken firewall configuration might cause the 504 Gateway Timeout error. However, it is possible to temporarily deactivate your Firewall to eliminate it as the source.
If your device is running Windows, you can go to the control panel and select Update and Security > Windows Security > Virus & Threat Protection > Manage Settings. On this page, you can disable your Firewall.
If your device is running Mac OS, navigate the System Preferences > Security and Security > Privacy Firewall to turn it off.
After deactivating your Firewall, you should check if the error code 504 has been resolved. If so, you’ll need to change the settings of your current antivirus software settings and switch it to a different one.
If the problem isn’t fixed, activate your Firewall before proceeding to the next stage.
5. Go through your site’s code to identify problems
Examine your code to identify any issues or copy the code onto the development machine. Then, it’ll run an extensive debug procedure that will recreate the scenario that caused the 504 Error meaning and let you know exactly when things were not working.
6. Contact your hosting provider
Contacting your hosting company is not a viable option. However, if you’ve attempted the above steps but are experiencing the error code 504 Gateway Timeout, they may be able to solve the issue or give you critical information.
Is the issue resolved now?
Conclusion
As you can see, there are various methods and approaches to solving HTTP 504 Gateway Timeout problems on the WordPress website. Hopefully, the 504 error meaning is now clear to you. Most often, it’s caused by a server issue which is why, in this case, you must reach out to your hosting company to fix the problem. However, it is essential to keep in mind that these issues can be caused by plugins from third parties or your PHP backlog queue or queue overflow. It is possible to learn the details about HTTP Status Codes by reading about them online.
