Having to deal with any kind of issues on WordPress could be stressful but nothing compares to your website being completely down . Internal Server Error or in other words Error 500 is one of the biggest culprits for that. We will cover the most important things to know about the error, what it’s connected to and how to fix it with the more common solutions.
What is Error 500 and how to check where it’s coming from?
In simple terms, the error connects to something unexpected happening on the server side. The cause for it is almost always logged on the hosting side. Most Internal Server Errors come from plugins/themes, missing core WordPress files or incorrect coding.
The first thing to do is not panic. You will need to understand where the error is coming from and what caused it. To do that, as mentioned before, each error on the server side is logged somewhere. At WPX, you can log in your account and check the Error Logs by following this simple guide to determine where the issue lies.
Most Common Reasons for Error 500 in WordPress
We will go through all the common issues that may lead to an unexpected error.
- Different Plugin or Theme Conflicts
This can happen when you have more or less multiple plugins or themes that have the same functionalities and can conflict with each other. Most basic examples of that are cache plugins. If you are looking for performance, most people tend to go for a quick cache plugin install and add on top with other variations. The issue with that is, that having multiple cache plugins could lead to possible conflict which results in Error 500, and you may experience cache problems where the changes you make do not appear.
- Incorrect Coding of .htaccess file
This issue is caused when making changes and editing the core WordPress file .htaccess. If you have made changes to the file, make sure to check that the added code firstly, is correct and secondly, is added on new lines in the file and not on top of existing code. If either of the two is not done properly, then the file breaks the website configuration, leading to an Internal Server Error.
- PHP Memory Limit Threshold
Another cause for downtime is when certain operations that run on your website exceed the given Server Limit for Memory or in simple terms RAM.
That specific resource is displayed on most hosting plans that are offered online. The error consists of having a request run for far too long on the website, reaching a threshold limit for the allocated memory of your website and plan.
At WPX, each plan has a set of specific resources and one of them is connected to memory. That is caused in most cases by heavy duty plugins such as Elementor or different page builders which take up a lot of resources. Another case would be multiple requests done from one website, if for example you have a team of people working on it simultaneously.
The best course of action would be to check with WPX Support to see if that is the root of the issue or something else is playing a role. If in fact is confirmed and the case is a website that has outgrown its hosting plan, you do have an option with our custom plans available on our site.
- Installing a new plugin which breaks the website configuration
More common issues come from specific plugins which could potentially break the website and cause Error 500. This issue however is not specific. There aren’t any lists of potential plugins or themes that could cause it, since it depends heavily on the individual website setup. In most cases it happens when updating a plugin or enabling a feature. When you make a certain action with them and the website crashes immediately afterwards, you could guess that most likely that would be the cause. Again, the solution here would be to verify the root through the Error Logs as explained earlier.
- WordPress Core Update or PHP Update
Last but not least, any kind of general big updates that are scheduled could crash and be the cause for Error 500. That is not connected directly to the update itself, but rather the core WordPress running on a higher version which is not compatible with the setup of plugins or themes that are running lower ones. There is a risk of conflict and a certain plugin not being able to work on the newer version of WordPress. That is why, we recommend creating a website backup before making general changes on your website.
Fixing the issue with Internal Server Error in WordPress happens when you determine the root from the Error Logs of your website and disabling the specific theme/plugin that is causing it. Once that is done, you can try to re-install them again to see if that fixes the issue. If you need any help during the process, do not hesitate to contact WPX Support.
