502 bad gateway error occurs when the edge server does not get any response from the origin server. So, this error appears in the browser like a webpage. A few reasons cause it. The main reason is the issue with the server. You can get the idea of this error from the following picture.
- How the 502 bad gateway error appears?
- Why does the 502 bad gateway happen?
- Solve 502 bad gateway error – As an Owner
- Solve 502 bad gateway – As a User
How the 502 bad gateway error appears?
This is a server error, so each server defines and displays the error differently. Moreover, if the error is with the browser solely, you can see the error separately. The following are the errors you can see on your browser screen, and all are for the same reason.
- ‘502 Bad Gateway NGINX’
- ‘Error 502.’
- ‘Temporary Error (502)’
- ‘502 Proxy Error’
- ‘HTTP 502
- ‘502 Service Temporarily Overloaded’
- ‘502. That’s an error.’
- ‘Bad Gateway: The proxy server received an invalid response from an upstream server.’
- ‘HTTP Error 502 – Bad Gateway.’
- ‘502 Server Error: The server encountered a temporary error and could not complete your request.’
Other big websites show this error differently. Gmail if goes down because of server error that shows this as a server error or just 502. If this error happens during the Windows update, then you can see a code 0x80244021 like this, which indicates that you are facing a 502 bad gateway error.
Why does the 502 bad gateway happen?
As I mentioned above, this happens because of some errors in the server, that is the primary cause for this error. And if that is your website, you can simply contact your hosting provider to solve the issue. Or if the site is not yours, then you have no control over it. You have to wait until it comes online.
One more thing that can happen here is that your browser may think that this website is down and show you 502 bad gateway errors. Or your internet connection is having some issues.
So, checking your internet connection is the first remedy.
How to fix the 502 bad gateway errors?
This error is very much related to the server and network issues, so you may be thinking this as a challenging thing to solve, but it is not. You can fix it in a few clicks. Follow the guide below:
Solve 502 bad gateway error – As an Owner
If you are the owner, you should worry about that. Open the website on any other device and internet connection. If not working on a connection, then apply the following solutions.
- First of all, check if the primary server is reachable or not. You can do that by doing the ping test.
- Check for your FQDN (fully qualified domain) is working correctly.
- Run a DNS test.
- If nothing of the above is working for you, then you should contact your hosting provider and ask them, they can guide you better, and most of the time they will fix the issue on their own.
502 bad gateway Cloudflare error
If you are the owner of the site and using Cloudflare with that, you may see the 502 bad gateway error.
This happens because, in the free plan of Cloudflare, you have been given a limited amount of bandwidth, once that reached, Cloudflare delivers a 502 bad gateway.
Solution
Just upgrade your limit for the Cloudflare. Come on, buddy, you are big business now. If Cloudflare is showing you this error, you most probably have thousands of visitors on a daily business. So, expand your horizons and upgrade your plan.
Solve 502 bad gateway – As a User
You may be reading this article because you were exploring your favorite blog or any other website and encountered 502 bad gateway errors. Don’t worry. Apply the following solutions.
1. Refresh the Browser
Have you tried refreshing the page you are using? Try a few times again. You can do this faster using the F5 key. Or you can use the refresh button on your browser.
2. Clear the browser cache, cookies, and history
Using for a very long time without clear the cache can cause such hiccups as your memory gets overfilled with data. To solve this issue, you can quickly clear the cache of your browser. For Chrome, you can make the cache using the following method.
And for firefox go to options, and then search for clear history. And then clear the cache and history of your browser.
3. Try browsing in safe mode (without extensions)
If you try the browser in safe mode, the browser will disable all the extension or add-ons and open in a clean style. This can solve the issue when the error occurred because of an add-on or extension.
4. Change the browser
If the error is persistent even after clearing the history and cache memory, then you can change the browser. Use any other famous browser like Firefox, Opera, Safari, etc. If the new browser works fine, then the issue is with your browser. Your browser seems to modify recently, and some settings are conflicting with the firewall.
5. Change DNS server
The issue of your internet connection can also cause this. Maybe the DNS used by your ISP (internet service provider) is down at this moment. You can manually change the DNS of your connection, or you can use the 1.1.1.1 app by Cloudflare. For Windows, you have to set the DNS manually. There are a number of best DNS servers available for you to choose from.
6. Contact your ISP (Internet service provider)
If nothing works for you, then the problem is with your internet connection. Contact your internet connection provider ASAP. And do let them know that you are facing 502 bad gateway errors.
7. Reboot your internet device
If you are using the DSL internet, reboot your device with a 5 minutes break. This will renew your IP address and DNS address. Most of the cases reported that it solved the problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
On your iPhone, the background process can be the cause of the 502 bad gateway. The quick solution is to restart your phone.
This happens because of some errors in the server, that is the primary cause for this error. And if that is your website, you can simply contact your hosting provider to solve the issue. Or if the site is not yours, then you have no control over it. You have to wait until it comes online
No, it does not mean the website is blocked for you. It is an internal server error that is caused by the errors in te severs.
This is a server error, so each server defines and displays the error differently. Moreover, if the error is with the browser solely, you can see the error separately. The following are the errors you can see on your browser screen, and all are for the same reason.
Summary
502 bad gateway error is irritation, whether it’s your site or your favorite blog. This occurs due to failure in the server or your internet connection. Apply the above solution one by one, and if you are still hopeless, let us know in the comments. TechNinjaPro team is always here for your help.