Among all of the annoying error codes you can encounter while surfing the World Wide Web, the 504 gateway timeout error is one of the most common, making it a major headache for both visitors and website owners alike.
Regardless of which side of the spectrum you are, there are some things you can try to make this particularly pesky problem go away.
What is a 504 gateway timeout error?
Like its equally frustrating cousins, 404 page not found and 500 internal server, a 504 gateway timeout error is a specific status code for the web’s Hypertext Transfer Protocol that tells a web user that the particular page they’re trying to access is unavailable. It pops out when there’s an issue but it’s hard to pinpoint what exactly is causing it.
As it happens, the error message itself might appear in different forms, including:
- 504 Gateway Timeout504 Gateway Timeout NGINX
- NGINX 504 Gateway Timeout
- Gateway Timeout Error
- Error 504
- HTTP Error 504
- HTTP Error 504 – Gateway Timeout
- HTTP 504
- 504 Error
- Gateway Timeout (504)
- This page isn’t working
- Domain took too long to respond
- The server didn’t respond in time
- The page request was canceled because it took too long to complete
- There was an issue serving your request, please try again in a few minutes.
- There was a gateway timeout. You should visit your error log for more information.
Why does HTTP Error 504 – Gateway Timeout happen?
Although it may indeed be hard to narrow down the cause, some of the most common are server connectivity problems, network connectivity issues, DNS troubles and unresolvable domains, proxy server connectivity issues, upstream server challenges, web server overload, limited PHP workers, and firewall hiccups.
Specifically, it suggests that the server didn’t get a timely response from the one upstream, which is necessary for completing the request. The reasons could be the other server not working correctly, being overloaded, or simply not working at all.
How to fix a 504 gateway timeout error as a user
As a visitor to the page displaying the 504 gateway timeout error, you can try the following remedies:
- Refreshing the page: Sometimes the solution is as simple as hitting the F5 key on your keyboard or pressing the Reload button at the top of your browser window.
- Using a different web browser: Try using a different browser or opening the web page in Incognito.
- Rebooting your network devices: If the issue is on your side, turning your router on and off again could clear it all up.
- Analyzing your proxy settings: Although rare, proxy servers could be wreaking havoc, so try disabling your proxy server and reloading the page.
- Checking for DNS problems: You can try flushing your local DNS cache using the Command Prompt in Windows and typing in: ipconfig /flushdns
How to fix a Gateway Timeout Error as a website owner/administrator
If you’re the owner or administrator of the offending website, try these:
- Checking for DNS problems: On the server side, the issue could be the FQDN (fully qualified domain name) not resolving the correct IP address or the DNS server not responding, but the solution may take up to 24 hours.
- Temporarily disabling your site’s CDN: If the problem is in your content delivery network (CDN), try to disable it for a while.
- Scanning for spam, bots, or DDoS attacks: Observe your server traffic and analytics for any irregular patterns, which can be an indication of malicious activity and require you to boost your security.
- Refreshing plugins and themes: Deactivate all your plugins one by one to see if they’re causing the glitch.
- Configuring Apache or Nginx settings: If you have the technical know-how, then try to edit your server configuration files (or have your website administrator do it if you don’t).
Conclusion
Ultimately, a 504 gateway timeout error could be just a temporary hiccup, but you shouldn’t ignore it, as it could indicate more serious problems on your side. If you’re a visitor, it might only be a minor inconvenience, but for website owners, it could lead to lower foot traffic and declining business.
