What is a 504 Gateway Timeout Error?

The 504 Gateway Timeout error occurs when a server acting as a gateway or proxy does not receive a timely response from the upstream server (the server to which the request is directed).

This can be caused by various factors, such as server overload, network issues, or server configuration problems.

How to Fix a 504 Gateway Timeout Error?

Step 1: Check Server Resources

Check if your server has enough resources (CPU, memory). Use the following commands to monitor the load:

top

htop

If the server is overloaded, you may need to optimize it or increase the resources.

Step 2: Check Web Server Logs

Review your web server logs for potential issues. For Nginx, check the logs:

sudo tail -f /var/log/nginx/error.log

And for Apache:

sudo tail -f /var/log/httpd/error_log

Step 3: Increase Server Timeouts

If the server needs more time to process the request, increase the timeout settings in your web server configuration.

For Nginx, modify the proxy_read_timeout setting:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/nginx.conf

Add or modify the following line:

proxy_read_timeout 300;

For Apache, increase the Timeout and ProxyTimeout settings:

sudo nano /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf

Timeout 300
ProxyTimeout 300

Step 4: Check Database Connections

If your website uses a database, check for connection or overload issues.

For MySQL, use the following command:

sudo systemctl status mysqld

Check the database logs for connection errors or delays:

sudo tail -f /var/log/mysql/error.log

Step 5: Check DNS Settings

Sometimes the issue can be DNS-related. Ensure your DNS servers are properly configured.

Check the DNS response for your domain using dig or nslookup:

dig yourdomain.com

nslookup yourdomain.com

Step 6: PHP-FPM Optimization (for Nginx)

If you're using Nginx with PHP-FPM, the issue might be related to PHP. Check the status of PHP-FPM:

sudo systemctl status php-fpm

Increase the timeout in the PHP-FPM configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/php-fpm.d/www.conf

Find and modify the request_terminate_timeout setting:

request_terminate_timeout = 300

Step 7: Restart Servers

After making changes, restart the web server and PHP-FPM (if used):

sudo systemctl restart nginx
sudo systemctl restart php-fpm

Conclusion

Fixing the 504 Gateway Timeout error can be time-consuming and require a detailed approach. However, if you prefer not to spend time on technical configurations or lack the expertise, our team of professionals is ready to assist.

Order a reliable cloud server at Hmara, and our experts will help you for free with any configurations and issues. With our professional support, your server will run smoothly and without interruptions.