Posted on 4 November 2019, updated on 17 February 2023.
Some business owners think that a website is something they can set and forget. In reality, you will need to closely monitor system logs to ensure everything is running smoothly. You can click here to learn about syslog viewer and how it can help you manage your website.
In some instances, you will get reports of HTTP error codes before logs of these issues are discovered. Knowing what these error codes mean and how to address them properly is crucial.
Read below to find out more about the HTTP status codes you need to watch out for.
Service Unavailable- 503 Code
One of the most dreaded HTTP status codes you can come across as the owner or manager of a website is the Service Unavailable 503. When you see this code, it means that your server is unable to process a particular request due to a temporary technical problem. This error will also send a message to search engines to avoid indexing the page until it is fixed.
The longer you wait to fix the underlying issues causing the 503 error, the higher the risk will become of search engines viewing this as a permanent problem. This will generally lead to the search engine deindexing the page altogether. If you are unable to uncover the root cause of the 503 error code, consult with IT professionals for help.
Forbidden- 403 Code
When confronted with a Forbidden 403 code, it means the user is trying to access a page or resource that is forbidden for some reason. Figuring out why this code is being presented will require a bit of troubleshooting. Contrary to 404 “Not found” status code, 403 means that the resource the client tried to access does exist, but that its access was forbidden. This is not an authentication issue, otherwise, the code would be 401 for unauthenticated.
Bad Gateway Error- 502 Code
Making sure search engines can find and crawl the content on your website is crucial. When needed, the browser a consumer is using can redirect them to the right page if the URL they are trying to access has been moved. If you are presented with a 502 HTTP code, this means that one server communicating with your website is receiving an invalid response.
Usually, these errors are not directly caused by your webserver. In most cases, this error will result from problems in the configuration of the proxy or load balancer that sits in front of your webserver.
Client Closed Request- 499 Code
If you get reports that users are getting a 499 HTTP code, it generally means there is an issue with the Nginx server serving your website. This code indicates that the client closed the connection before the server could answer the request in question. This problem can arise if the server is particularly slow to handle requests to a point where the user’s client times out. If you use proxy or a load balancer, you could try to raise their connection idle timeouts.
Website Functionality Issues Have to be Fixed Right Away
As the owner or manager of a website, your main goal should be keeping it functional. Since your website is a reflection of your brand, providing users with an error-free and enjoyable browsing experience is imperative. Ignoring the need for website alterations or repairs can make it hard to keep the flow of sales leads coming in from your domain.