Website Not Loading
Website not loading? This comprehensive troubleshooting guide will help you diagnose and fix common issues preventing your website from being accessible.
Table of Contents
Quick Diagnostic Checklist
Start with these basic checks:
Common Error Messages
This site can't be reached
DNS or network issue
Connection timed out
Server/firewall issue
502 Bad Gateway
Backend service down
503 Service Unavailable
Server overloaded/maintenance
SSL Certificate Error
SSL/TLS configuration issue
404 Not Found
File/page doesn't exist
DNS Issues
Check DNS Resolution
# Check if domain resolves
nslookup yourdomain.com
# More detailed DNS check
dig yourdomain.com
# Check with specific DNS server
dig @8.8.8.8 yourdomain.com
# Check A record
dig yourdomain.com A +shortCommon DNS Problems
DNS Not Propagated Yet
Symptom: Domain doesn't resolve or resolves to old IP
Cause: Recently changed DNS records
Solution:
- • Wait 1-48 hours for global propagation
- • Check propagation: whatsmydns.net
- • Flush local DNS cache (ipconfig /flushdns on Windows)
- • Access site via IP temporarily
Incorrect DNS Records
Symptom: Domain points to wrong server
Solution:
# Verify current A record
dig yourdomain.com A +short
# Should show your server IP
# If not, update DNS at your registrar:
# Type: A
# Name: @
# Value: your_server_ip
Missing WWW Record
Symptom: example.com works but www.example.com doesn't
Solution: Add CNAME or A record for www
# Option 1: CNAME (recommended)
Type: CNAME
Name: www
Value: @
# Option 2: A record
Type: A
Name: www
Value: your_server_ip
Web Server Problems
Check Web Server Status
# Check Nginx status
sudo systemctl status nginx
# Check Apache status
sudo systemctl status apache2
# Check if web server is listening
sudo netstat -tlnp | grep :80
sudo netstat -tlnp | grep :443
# View error logs
sudo tail -f /var/log/nginx/error.log
sudo tail -f /var/log/apache2/error.logCommon Web Server Issues
Web Server Not Running
# Start Nginx
sudo systemctl start nginx
# Start Apache
sudo systemctl start apache2
# If fails to start, check configuration
sudo nginx -t
sudo apache2ctl configtest
Configuration Error
Server won't start due to config syntax error
# Test Nginx config
sudo nginx -t
# If error, check recent changes
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/yoursite
# Fix errors and test again
sudo nginx -t
# Restart if test passes
sudo systemctl restart nginx
Wrong Document Root
Server running but showing wrong content or 404
# Check Nginx config
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/yoursite
# Verify 'root' directive points to correct path:
# root /var/www/yoursite/html;
# Ensure index file exists
ls -la /var/www/yoursite/html/index.html
Permission Issues
# Check file permissions
ls -la /var/www/yoursite/
# Fix permissions
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/yoursite/
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/yoursite/
# For files
sudo find /var/www/yoursite/ -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;
SSL/HTTPS Errors
Check SSL Certificate
# Check certificate details
openssl s_client -connect yourdomain.com:443 -servername yourdomain.com
# Check certificate expiry
echo | openssl s_client -connect yourdomain.com:443 2>/dev/null | openssl x509 -noout -dates
# Test SSL configuration
curl -vI https://yourdomain.comCommon SSL Issues
Certificate Expired
Let's Encrypt certificates expire after 90 days
# Renew Let's Encrypt certificate
sudo certbot renew
# Or renew specific domain
sudo certbot renew --cert-name yourdomain.com
# Test auto-renewal
sudo certbot renew --dry-run
# Check renewal timer
sudo systemctl status certbot.timer
Mixed Content Warning
HTTPS page loading HTTP resources
Solution:
- • Update all internal links to use HTTPS or relative URLs
- • Check for hardcoded HTTP links in HTML/CSS/JS
- • Update database content (for WordPress, use Better Search Replace plugin)
- • Add Content Security Policy header to upgrade insecure requests
Certificate Name Mismatch
Certificate issued for wrong domain
# Check certificate domains
openssl s_client -connect yourdomain.com:443 | grep subject
# Obtain new certificate with correct domain
sudo certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com -d www.yourdomain.com
Application Errors
PHP Errors
# Check PHP-FPM status
sudo systemctl status php8.1-fpm
# View PHP error log
sudo tail -f /var/log/php8.1-fpm.log
# Test PHP configuration
php -v
php -i | grep error_log
# Enable error display (development only!)
# Edit php.ini
sudo nano /etc/php/8.1/fpm/php.ini
# display_errors = On
# error_reporting = E_ALLDatabase Connection Errors
# Check MySQL status
sudo systemctl status mysql
# Test database connection
mysql -u username -p -h localhost database_name
# Check MySQL error log
sudo tail -f /var/log/mysql/error.log
# Verify database credentials in config file
# WordPress: wp-config.php
# Laravel: .envCommon Application Issues
White Screen of Death
- • PHP fatal error
- • Check error logs
- • Enable error display
- • Increase PHP memory limit
500 Internal Server Error
- • Check web server error log
- • .htaccess syntax error
- • PHP configuration issue
- • Insufficient permissions
502 Bad Gateway
- • PHP-FPM not running
- • Backend service crashed
- • Timeout in proxy config
- • Too many requests
Database Connection Failed
- • MySQL not running
- • Wrong credentials
- • Database doesn't exist
- • User lacks permissions
Firewall & Network Issues
Check Firewall Rules
# Check UFW status
sudo ufw status verbose
# Check if ports 80 and 443 are allowed
sudo ufw status | grep -E '80|443'
# Allow HTTP and HTTPS if not open
sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp
# Check iptables rules
sudo iptables -L -n | grep -E '80|443'Test Network Connectivity
# Test if port is accessible externally
telnet your_server_ip 80
telnet your_server_ip 443
# Or use netcat
nc -zv your_server_ip 80
nc -zv your_server_ip 443
# Check from another server
curl -I http://your_server_ip
curl -I https://your_server_ipPro Tip
Use online tools like "Down for Everyone or Just Me" to verify if your site is down globally or just for you. Sometimes the issue is with your local network or ISP.
Troubleshooting Workflow
Identify the Error
What exact error message do you see? Take screenshots if needed.
Check Basic Services
Is the web server running? Is the server online? Are ports open?
Review Recent Changes
What changed before the site went down? New config? Update? DNS change?
Check Logs
Web server error logs, application logs, system logs - what do they say?
Apply Fix & Test
Fix one thing at a time. Test after each change. Document what works.
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