500 Internal Server Error

Here we explain how to debug and troubleshoot 500 HTTP Errors sites using File Manager and SSH connection.  This involves enabling debugging for PHP and WordPress to help identify the error.

500 Error is a very common error and known as a Blanket Error that browsers display when it can not load the website from the origin server.  Identifying the underlying error is the most important first step.

The error message may display as:

500 error Internal Server Request

Finding the Error without Apache

1. The first step is to enable PHP error logging
   1. Once enabled, reload the site and see if a more detailed error message appears
2. If the site is a WordPress Site it may help to enable WP_DEBUG in the wp-config.php file in the Document Root of the site
   1. Once enabled, reload the site and see if a more detailed error message appears
      CAUTION: When done troubleshooting remember to disable WP_DEBUG and PHP Error Logging.
3. If the site does not display a more detailed error message when following the steps above, please reach out to our support team for further assistance
4. Otherwise, if the site is a WordPress site, it can be helpful to test a default .htaccess file or try further troubleshooting steps