How to fix Common Server Problems
Using WP_DEBUG to Make Troubleshooting Easier
WordPress is equipped with WP_DEBUG giving you a detailed description of what caused the error. WP_DEBUG is turned off by default and must be enabled by changing a variable inside of your wp-config.php file. This is how you can enable WP_DEBUG.
- Log in to your Control Panel.
- Go to File Manager.
- Locate the wp-config.php file for your WordPress website.
- Edit your wp-config.php file.
- To enable WP_Debug, add the following code to the end of the file:
/**
* WordPress Debugging
*
* Set to "true" to enable wp_debug. Set to "false" to disable.
* Do not include quotes when setting to "true" or "false".
*/
define( 'WP_DEBUG', true ); - To disable WP_Debug, change the last line to:
define( 'WP_DEBUG', false );
- Click Save.
You can Learn more about debugging in WordPress
Important: WP_DEBUG requires additional resources when turned on and could slow down your site. We recommend that you only turn WP_DEBUG on when you are developing or troubleshooting your website.
Blank Page (White Screen of Death)
Sometimes you only see a blank white page with no error messages. This is known as the White Screen of Death which is one of the common server problems. Let's find out the reasons for and possible solutions for the White Screen of Death.
- Default Pages May Need to Be Reconfigured
By default, whenever a user visits the location where your website is stored, it will look for a "homepage file" as a starting point to display the rest of the website. If multiple "homepage files" exist, a priority system is used. WordPress uses "index.php", which by default has a lower display priority than "index.html". Look in your main WordPress folder for any unwanted "homepage files" and delete or rename them. If you want to keep them instead of deleting or renaming them, you will need to use the scripting options on your account to change the display priority.
- A Plugin May be Causing Issues
To identify which plugin(s) might be causing the issue, deactivate all of your plugins then reactivate them one by one. Once you identify a problematic plugin, you may need to uninstall and reinstall the plugin, contact the developers for the plugin and report a bug, or simply find a different plugin to use.
- Your Active Theme May be Causing Issues
If you recently activated a new theme and the website goes down immediately after, activate a different theme (such as the default WordPress theme). You may need to uninstall and reinstall the theme, contact the developers for the theme and report a bug, or simply find a different theme to use. Deactivating a theme will cause your website to use the default WordPress theme.
You can find additional information regarding this error by going to WordPress.org.
Internal Server Error
Internal Server Error is one of the most common server problems which a WordPress website encounter. While the name of the error may suggest that your hosting’s servers are causing the issue, actually there are a lot of other reasons that could be causing this error to occur. Most of the time it arises as a result of bad coding in either theme or plugin. The following are the few reasons which cause Internal Server Error and their possible solutions.
- The .htaccess File is Corrupt
Various things can cause your .htaccess file to become corrupt such as modifying it manually. In order to fix the corrupt .htaccess file, Take a backup of your existing .htaccess file and simply rename the file like .htaccessbak. If it fixed the problem then you can generate a new .htaccess file simply by changing permalinks in WordPress settings.
- A Plugin May be Causing Problem
To find out which plugins might be causing the issue, deactivate all of your plugins by changing the name of the plugins folder in your server as Pluginsbak and then reactivate them one by one by creating a new folder named Plugins and move the plugins folders from pluginsbak to Plugins One by One. Once you found a plugin which is causing a problem, you may try to uninstall and re-install the plugin, In some cases, you may need to completely remove the plugin and you may use any alternative plugin.
- Your Theme May be Causing Problem
If you see Internal server error immediately after activating a new theme. In that case, activate a different theme such as the WordPress default theme. You need to uninstall and re-install the theme, or simply find a different theme to use. You can also contact the developers of the theme and report the bugs in the theme.
- The wp-admin and wp-includes Folders Maybe corrupted
The wp-admin and wp-includes folders contain the files that make the WordPress Dashboard and other administrative functions run. In order to fix the problem, you may need to simply reinstall these folders. The reinstallation process is very simple.- Backup your WordPress website in your local drive.
- Download WordPress from WordPress.org.
- Extract the “wp-admin” and “wp-includes” folders from downloaded WordPress Package.
- Upload the “wp-admin” and “wp-includes” folders and all of their subfolders via FTP to your web server and replace the existing wp-admin and wp-includes folder. This might fix the problem.
You can find more information regarding this error by going to WordPress.org
Error Establishing a Database Connection
As the name of the error “Error Establishing Database Connection” suggests that your WordPress site is not able to connect to your database. it is also among the most common server problems. There may be many reasons for this error. We will discuss all the main reasons which are responsible for this error. This error is normally occurred by one of the following main reasons:- The Login Credentials in the wp-config file do not match with the database login credentials.
For your WordPress website to work correctly, Make sure that the login credentials in the wp-config file should match with the database login credentials. If they do not match, your WordPress site will not be able to connect to your database and your website will display this error message. The most common reason for this issue is that we manually change the database password but forget to change in the wp-config.php file. So In order to fix this issue open wp-config.php file and type the same database credentials and then save the file.
- The database may be corrupted
Another reason for this error could be your corrupted database. Sometimes faulty themes and plugins may corrupt the database. They actually change the content of the database in such a way that it no longer remains readable or usable by the WordPress site. There is no way you can fix the corrupted database. However, the only possible solution is that you can restore the backup of the database. If you do not have the backup of your database then you can contact your hosting provider and they will help you to get the backup of your database.
- The database does not Exist
If the database is deleted accidentally from your hosting account then your WordPress website will display the same error because your website will not find any database to connect. The only solution is to restore your database. That’s why it is highly recommended that you should take regular backups of your files and database. There are many free plugins available which keep saving the database in cloud storages like google drive, dropbox, etc
- Database Server Errors
Sometimes this problem arises because of the database servers which are associated with your hosting. It may be because of heavy load on the server which makes databases unresponsive. This is a temporary problem from the hosting provider. You can contact your hosting provider in order to fix the problem. The problem may last from few minutes to few hours.
You can find more information regarding this error by going to WordPress.org
PHP Memory Limit Exceeded
PHP Memory Limit Exceeded is also one of the most common server problems. Your website, theme, and plugins require PHP memory in order to run properly. If your combined resources consuming too much memory, your website may give you an error. Fortunately, there is a way to increase the memory limits that your WordPress website allows itself to use. You can increase the PHP memory limits by editing a wp-config.php file or php.ini file or you can simply ask your hosting provider to increase the memory limits of your PHP. Visit WordPress.org to find out how to increase PHP memory limits.MySQL Query Limit Exceeded
Similar to PHP Memory Limit Exceeded, MySQL Query Limit Exceeded is also the very common server problems. A "query" refers to a single "question" being asked to the database to retrieve information such as retrieving the contents of a blog post or confirming login credentials. Because every MySQL Query consumes server processing power so many hosts limit the number of queries that any single user can perform within an hour. This limitation protects other users on the shared hosting from suffering negative effects caused by a single user by utilizing too much processing power. You can talk to your hosting provider about the limits of your MySQL queries. you can ask them to ask the limits or simply upgrade your plan to the VPS(Virtual Private Server). This will fix the problem.These are the most common server and connection related problems that you face. I hope this article helps you to understand these common problems and their reasons and solutions. If you need any help or if you have any questions regarding these errors then feel free to ask in the comment section below and don't forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and subscribe to our channel on YouTube. Also, Subscribe our newsletter so that you will get the latest update directly in your inbox.
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