5xx Server Errors — Why it occurs, What is Causes and How to Resolve?

If you are new or experienced to Kubernetes or any IT production system, at time you may experience some errors and you would be responsible for it. There is lot of server/client errors and we should fit quicker if it production system. In this will see what is 5xx error and why should it is matter and also lets understand what could cause 5xx errors.

What are HTTP Status Codes

HTTP is a client-server protocol — the client, known as a user-agent, connects to a server and makes requests. The server receives each request, handles it, and returns a response. It is common to have intermediaries known as proxies between the client and server, which relay requests and responses to their destination.

An HTTP request looks like this:

• The method indicates what operation the client wants to perform on the server. For example, GET means the client wants to read information.
• The version indicates which HTTP version is used by the client.

An HTTP response looks like this:

• The version indicates which HTTP version is implemented by the server.
• The status code is the response code. If this is a number starting with 5xx, the response indicates a server error.
• The status message is a verbal description of the error, which the client can display to the end-user.

HTTP supports the following groups of error codes:

• 1xx informational response — request was received, and server continues working.
• 2xx successful — request was received and successfully performed.
• 3xx redirection — the request was redirected to another URL.
• 4xx client error — the request was incorrect or invalid and cannot be fulfilled.
• 5xx server error — problem on the server preventing it from fulfilling the request.

Let’s extend to see only 5xx server error in this article.

What are 5xx Errors

5xx errors are returned as part of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), which is the basis for much of the communication on the Internet and private networks. A 5xx error means “an error number starting with 5”, such as 500 or 503. 5xx errors are server errors — meaning the server encountered an issue and is not able to serve the client’s request.

5xx errors can be encountered when:

• A user browses a website, and the web server is experiencing an error.
• A application tried to accesses an API, and the API server returns an error.
• A component of a distributed system like Kubernetes fails to server requests by other components.

The most common 5xx errors are:

• 500 — Internal Server Error
• 501 — Not Implemented
• 502 — Bad Gateway
• 503 — Service Unavailable
• 504 — Gateway Timeout
• 509 –Bandwidth Limit Exceeded
• 511 — Network Authentication Required

In most cases, the client cannot do anything to resolve a 5xx error. Typically, the error indicates that the server has an application, hardware, or configuration problem that must be remediated.

Why You Should Care About 5xx Errors?

Significance of 5xx Errors for Web Admins

For a website owner or developer, a 5xx error indicates that a website user attempted to access a URL and could not view it. In addition, if search engine crawlers access a website and receive a 5xx error, they might abandon the request and remove the URL from the search index, which can have severe consequences for a website’s traffic.

Continue reading it on https://foxutech.com/5xx-server-errors-why-it-occurs-what-is-causes-and-how-to-resolve/