Error 500, also known as Internal Server Error, is an error code that you have probably seen at some point. Today you will know what it is, what it means and what you can do to try to solve it.
When we browse the Internet, it is common to come across a variety of error codes that can affect the user experience. One of the most enigmatic is Error 500 or Internal Server Error.
This error message, like all of them, can be frustrating for both visitors and administrators of a web page. For this reason, it is a good time to know what it means, what can cause it and possible solutions that you have as a user to solve it.
The causes of Error 500 can be diverse and often require a meticulous troubleshooting approach, so there is a large percentage of times that it depends on the resolution given by the webmaster and not by a simple user.
In this article, you will learn what Error 500 means, what its possible causes are, and how this problem can be resolved, always from the user’s point of view.
What does Error 500 mean?
Error 500 or Internal Server Error is an HTTP status code that indicates that something has gone wrong with the web server while trying to process a browser request.
For you to understand it better, this error is a generic response that the server provides when it encounters an unexpected situation that does not allow it to fulfill the request generated by a web browser, for example.
When this type of error appears, no details about the cause are provided, which makes it even more difficult to identify what the exact problem is. The only certain information you have is knowing that the server or the application itself informed the browser of an unexpected failure, so you have to find out what is happening.
It is a type of error that can be presented in several different ways, but which encompass the same type of failure:
- HTTP Error 500
- HTTP 500 error
- HTTP Error 500 Internal Server Error
- 500 Internal Server
- 500 Internal Error
- 500 server error
- Temporary Error (500)
Main causes of Error 500
After knowing what Error 500 is and what it means, it is best to know the possible causes of this problem.
The main causes that cause Error 500 are:
- Programming – If there are errors in the web application code or in the scripts that the server is running, it could generate Error 500.
- Server Settings – When settings are incorrect or incompatible on the web server, they can lead to internal errors of this type.
- Resources – If the server, for whatever reason, does not have enough resources, it can result in a 500 Error.
- Software : the action generated by software components on a server could be the cause of several internal errors.
- Database – If there is a faulty database, then it could present various issues including Error 500.
- Incorrect Updates: Incorrectly applied or incompatible updates can cause the server to malfunction and lead to the error.
- Web server: failure of the web server itself causes the appearance of Error 500.
- Execution time limits – When time limits are set for script execution and are not adhered to, then the server might throw a 500 Error.
- Attacks: When there are denial of service (DDoS) attacks or something similar, then Error 500 can appear.
How can the 500 error affect you?
The fact of entering a website where Error 500 appears continuously negatively affects the person who is trying to interact with said site in the first instance, since they will not be able to carry out the task they had planned.
In a second order is the loss of confidence of the users towards said website, something that affects the creator, but also the people who use this site for a series of actions that they will not be able to do now, having to find another one that satisfies all their needs. needs, something that is sometimes complicated.
For a creator, the losses can be significant, from visits, to credibility, SEO positioning, advertising and several other things. It is clear that Error 500 is something that must be solved immediately, either because of the user himself, something unusual, or because the web has some kind of internal conflict, which is normal.
How to fix error code 500
To solve Error 500 from a user’s point of view, you can carry out a series of steps and configurations, although you must be quite clear that most of the time this type of error is caused by internal failures within the web, from the server and even from some program, as you have already seen in the previous point.
As you already saw when we talked about Error 404, to solve Error 503 or Error 403, we can carry out a series of options.
Plugins with bugs
It may be that you have installed a plugin and suddenly the website you usually go to does not work, either because the browser add-on was installed incorrectly or because it is not compatible with the site you want to enter. That is the most obvious option of all those that can cause Error 500 to appear on the screen.
You should always install plugins from reputable sources and, if possible, make a backup copy just in case, as this will allow you to go back as if nothing happened. In the vast majority of cases, uninstalling the plugin and restarting the computer solves it.
Delete cache and cookies as a solution to Error 500
To solve Error 500, we can take an action that does not guarantee that the problem will be solved, but that is often a good solution so that this annoying screen is no longer present.
Most browsers have a similar way of clearing cookies and cache, but there are some differences.
How to clear cache and cookies in Chrome:
- Open the Chrome browser in Windows 11.
- Click on the three dots icon on the right side of the browser.
- Go to More tools and then Clear browsing data.
- You select a time range or choose Since forever to delete everything.
- Check the Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, and Cached images and files boxes.
- Finally, click on Clear data.
How to clear cache and cookies in Firefox:
- Open the Firefox browser on your Windows computer.
- Now what you have to do is click on the Menu button, which are three vertical bars in the upper right part of the browser.
- Next, click on Settings and after that on Privacy and security.
- In Cookies and site data, click on the Clear data button
How to clear cache and cookies in Edge:
- Open Microsoft Edge and click on the three horizontal dots in the upper right.
- Now go to Settings > Privacy, search and services.
- Within Clear browsing data you will see Clear browsing data now and a button to its right where it says Choose what to delete, which you must press.
- In Time interval you put the one you want, although it is better to select Always.
- Now check at least Cookies and other site data, Cache files and images, and Browsing history. The rest is up to each one’s choice.
- All that remains is to click on Delete now for it to take effect.
There are two other options that you have at your disposal to solve Error 500
- Reload Page – In some cases just reloading the page with F5 or Ctrl + R fixes the issue. This is so when the error is punctual.
- Leave a while : another of the solutions that you can apply is to leave a little time without re-entering that website. It is possible that there is something on the server that prevents you from entering, but after a few minutes everything is back to normal.
Error 500, while it can be frustrating, is not insurmountable. Although its origin can be varied and complex, you can try some other solutions that can be effective in the field of a user, but always knowing that most of the time it has to do with an internal problem of the web.
Now that you know what it is, what it means and how to try to solve Error 500, you will have more arguments to better understand what you should do in those moments when a website shows a sign with this type of problem.
Also read: Tricks To Fix Mac Internet Connection Errors
