Causes of 500 Internal Server Errors
Various issues can cause a 500 Internal Server Error. Most of them are at the application level and can be easily addressed.
It basically means something is wrong with WordPress, a theme, plugin or other application that is preventing your web server from delivering the page to the visitor.
Let’s see some common reasons below:
- Plugin or theme conflict: A newly installed or updated plugin can clash with other plugins or an active theme.
- Corrupted .htaccess file: The .htaccess file controls server configuration and URL rewriting and sometimes it can be corrupted. This corruption can disrupt the server’s ability to process requests.
- PHP memory limit: If your website is resource-intensive, it might exceed the allocated PHP memory limit. This can cause the server to fail to execute a task and display a 500 internal server error instead.
- Server configuration issues: Your server configuration can also cause the issue. Misconfigurations in the server environment like conflicting Apache or Nginx settings can trigger internal server errors.
- File permission errors: Incorrect file permissions can prevent the server from accessing or executing necessary files. This why always ensure file permissions are correctly set: 755 for directories and 644 for files.
- Database connection problems: Incorrect database credentials, or database corruption, can interrupt communication between WordPress and its database which eventually causes internal server errors.
- Corrupted core files: Sometimes your WordPress core files can be corrupted due to a failed update or malware. This can also lead to 500 errors.
- Browser cache: A locally cached version of an error page can cause repeated displays of the 500 error even after the underlying issue has been resolved.