What Does ‘502 Bad Gateway’ Mean? (And Can You Fix It?)

So you’re knee-deep into an internet browsing session when all of a sudden you run into a 502 bad gateway message. You hit refresh a couple of times, but the same error keeps continues to pop up. But what does this message mean, and what can you do to fix the problem?

The 502 bad gateway message is similar to the504 gateway timeout erroras both show up when there’s a communication issue between one server and another. However, while the 504 indicates that the second server couldn’t provide a response on time, the 502 error means the second server responded butwhat it sent back was invalidand can’t be used tofulfill the requestyou sent to the first server (like loading a web page you’re visiting). Here we’ll cover the possible causes behind this error and walk you through a few fixes you’re able to try on your end.

Run basic checks

A 502 bad gateway error essentially tells you that something went wrong on the server’s side. The server may be overloaded with traffic, the website has a broken code causing it to crash or fail, or there’s a temporary glitch interrupting communication. While this issue is generally beyond your control, here are some basic checks you’re able to try to regain access to a website:

If these basic checks don’t work, you can also try looking into your browser, network, and DNS settings.

Check your browser

Sometimes, the 502 bad gateway error is a result of a conflict in your browser, such as a bad extension, cached data, or cookies. To test this, try using a different browser on the same device and see whether you encounter the 502 issue. you’re able to also open the site in Incognito mode, a new profile, or Guest mode on Chrome since they all don’t use the same extensions, cached data, and cookies as your regular profile. If the site loads fine in the alternate browser or modes, follow these next steps to troubleshoot:

Change your network configurations

There may be instances when your network is the culprit behind the 502 bad gateway you’re seeing on your browser. Here are several fixes you can try to troubleshoot your home network:

If all the sites you’re visiting give you a 502 bad gateway error, consider contacting your Internet Service Provider (ISP) for help as the issue might be stemming from their system.

Configure your DNS settings

The DNS is responsible for translating a website name to the associated IP address of the server it lives in. When your regular DNS is having issues, it might prevent you from loading the website on your end, and thus the 502 error. Here’s what you can do to troubleshoot this:

Afterward, open your browser and try visiting the website again.