HTTP 503 Error – What is it and how do I fix it?

503 – Service Unavailable

This error is quite common when the web server is unable to handle a request due to either 1) Overloading or 2) The server is currently undergoing maintenance. It’s important to note that this is a TEMPORARY error and service will be returned to normal after some downtime.

Why am I getting it?

Some of the most common reasons for receiving a 503 error:

  1. Spiking traffic to the website
  2. Inadequate resources for the website
  3. (DDoS) Attack
  4. Automatic Updates going on in the background

How do I fix it?

These are the most common reasons for receiving this error message. If you are getting a message that has or has any relation to “DNS Failure” Then a simple router restart might do the trick. In the case of the issue being related to one of the “DNS Servers” then choosing a different one will solve this issue.

If this error is related to inadequate resources then you will need to upgrade to prevent any downtime due to overloading.