Error 500, that dreaded enemy that we don't want to see even in a painting. If you have ever suffered its consequences, we can agree that, despite not being as frightening as we imagine, its presence makes the digital foundations of our eCommerce tremble.
Declining sales, poor positioning, worse optimization, uncomfortable customers. The menu couldn't be more complete after the stumble. Thank goodness that fixing it is anything but complicated .
From Línea Gráfica we bring you the effective guide to turn to if “ HTTP Error 500 ” decides to come into play. Advice that will help you have a more calm view of its origin and evaluate possible solutions with guarantees.
The origin of the 500 error
For those who are still not sure what they are dealing with, a 500 error is an internal server failure when executing a request. It is the warning message that something is not working as it should on the web server (nothing to do with the classic 404, mind you).
The tedious thing about 500, as we will call it from now on, is that it has such diffuse causes that it is difficult to find an adequate solution to avoid encountering it again. However, what is clear is that it usually appears in the following ways:
- Your folders' permissions : It's quite possible that the permission settings for one of your folders are failing. Permissions of 777 often offer too many facilities, too many weak points, corrupting the files in our folders.
- Timeout : Each server has its own timeout that determines how long a script that handles import, export, uploading backups or translations can run. If you exceed that limit, typically 30 seconds, you will get a 500 error.
- .htaccess : The third way that 500 can sneak in is through a bad configuration of the htaccess file. A misplaced htaccess syntax or the misuse of friendly URLs forces internal problems in the web server that invokes our friend 500 instantly. Bad business.
Finding the 500 error
To safely locate the error we must enable FTP error reporting by browsing through the front-office and back-office to reproduce the problem.
In PrestaShop versions from v1.5.3 to v1.7 (the most recent ones) follow the seven steps:
- Go to config/defines.inc.php
- Find the line define ('_PS_MODE_DEV_', false);
- Change it to this one ('_PS_MODE_DEV_', true);
And for all previous versions you will need to follow this path:
- Go to config/config.inc.php
- Find the line @ini_set('display_errors', 'off');
- Change it to @ini_set('display_errors', 'on');
By enabling errors, we can more accurately determine where the failure came from, why it occurred, and how to begin to address it. Your time is running out, Mr. 500.
Fix error 500
We have already established the main reasons for the error and now we are going to present the solutions. However, after the diagnosis in the previous step you may find a reason other than the three we present below. If so, there is nothing to worry about, now you have much more information about the error, so the pleasant end of the repair is closer.
If the error is due to a timeout : You will need to increase this time so that certain scripts can run without problems. Contact the service provider, change the parameter and breathe easy.
If the error is in htaccess : make a backup of the “.htaccess” and disable friendly URLs, or simply restore the file copied from the back-office.
If the error is in the permission of our folders, just change it from 777 to 755 or vice versa. Easy, short and to the point.
