It is not uncommon for internet users to encounter errors while surfing the net. These errors can be annoying and frustrating. One such common error is the 504 Gateway timeout error which prevents you from accessing the content of a website.
Here in this post, you will learn how to fix the 504 Gateway timeout errors.
As website owners, if your website visitors encounter an error page when they are looking for help or trying to check out your products and services, they could get frustrated and lose trust in your brand which may damage your reputation.
What is 504 Gateway Timeout Error?
A 504 Gateway Timeout Error means your web server didn’t receive a quick response from another server upstream when it tried loading one of your web pages.
In other words, your web servers aren’t communicating with each other fast enough. Once this error occurs, the exact cause of the issue may be difficult to identify.
Ensure you scroll down to the end to catch a full glimpse of the several ways to fix 504 Gateway timeout.
Different Ways 504 Gateway Timeout can Appear
There are a few ways the error can appear on your screen depending on your browser.
- In Google Chrome, the 504 error will appear as HTTP ERROR 504. This error code will be displayed below a message that reads: “This site can’t be reached. …took too long to respond.”
- In Windows-based programs, a 504 error will appear as ERROR 504, HTTP_STATUS_GATEWAY_TIMEOUT, or “The request was timed out waiting for a gateway message.”
- In other web servers, browsers, and operating systems other than windows, a 504 error may also result in the display of the following message: “The proxy server did not receive a timely response from the upstream server.”
- While running Windows Update, a Gateway Timeout Error appears 0x80244023 error code. The message will be WU_E_PT_HTTP_STATUS_GATEWAY_TIMEOUT.
Different Formats and Variations of the 504 Gateway Timeout Error
Due to the fact that there are various operating systems, browsers, web servers and users, the browser can display the 504 Gateway Timeout error in slightly different ways. Below are some of the varying formats you’ll find:
- 504 Gateway Timeout
- Gateway Timeout Error
- Error 504
- 504 Gateway Timeout NGINX
- NGINX 504 Gateway Timeout
- HTTP 504
- 504 Error
- HTTP Error 504
- HTTP Error 504: Gateway Timeout
- Gateway Timeout (504)
- This page isn’t working: The Domain took too long to respond.
- 504 Gateway Time-out: The server didn’t respond in time.
- The page request was cancelled because it took too long to complete.
The various error responses listed above all point to the same 504 Gateway Timeout server error.
Web servers and websites try to display the 504 Gateway Timeout error to users in a way that will reduce the visitors’ disappointment.
How to fix 504 Gateway Timeout Error
As a layman, it can be frustrating to fix the 504 Gateway Timeout Error. The following steps can be helpful in fixing the error:
Try Reloading the Webpage
One of the first things you can do is reload the web page after waiting for a few minutes. In most browsers, you can use the F5 keyboard shortcut to refresh the webpage. You can also remove the page’s browser cache before reloading by pressing the CTRL+F5 shortcut.
Reboot Your Network Devices
There could be problems with your network devices such as modem or router which could lead to a 504 Gateway Timeout error. You can reboot these devices and see if the problem has been fixed.
Check Your Proxy Settings
A proxy server is an intermediary between your device and the internet. It’s mostly used to enhance online privacy by hiding private information such as device location from websites and webservers using a VPN. You can try to disable the proxy server and reload the webpage to see whether it’ll fix the error.
DNS Issues
A 504 Gateway Timeout error can also be caused by DNS issues on the server side or the client side or even on both sides. There are free tools available to see if your DNS has propagated around the globe, some of these tools include whatsmydns.net DNS Checker or DNSMap.
You can fix the client-side DNS issues by flushing your local DNS cache. This is like clearing your browser cache. If you are on the Windows Operating System, you can flush the DNS cache by opening the Command Prompt and entering the following commands:
ipconfig /flushdns
If the above command worked, you should see a “Successfully flushed the DNS resolver Cache.”
For the mac Operating System, you can open the Terminal and run the following command:
sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
For the mac Operating System, you won’t see any notification when the process finishes.
Contact your Internet Service Provider
You can also contact your Internet service provider (ISP) and see if there are any connectivity issues from their end. Your ISP may do system maintenance, which may cause a 504 error.
Try again later
The 504 Gateway Time out can just be a temporary occurrence, so, you can try accessing the site later and the page will load successfully if the issue was just a temporary one.
Fixing the 504 Gateway Timeout Error can be very frustrating and time-consuming, but the few points discussed in this article should be helpful in fixing the error. Remember to send in your questions and comments in the comments section.