Webhosting - Website Troubleshooting

In this article you will learn:

• How to find the cause of a website problem
• How to solve problems:
  • Domains and DNS
  • Webhosting settings
  • Directory structures and files
  • Content management system or application
  • Compromised website
• Frequently asked questions

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Website problem diagnostics

Most common errors are well described, and the easiest way to find a usable troubleshooting guide is to enter the error message or a brief description of the error together with the provider name (or the content management system name) into a search engine (Google, …), for example Error 500 Prestashop WEDOS.

If you cannot find a procedure, try the following steps:

1. Run the domain diagnostics according to the guide Domains – Diagnostics. Here you will find out whether the services are active/inactive, or whether they are even operated by VEDOS.
2. Check the Status service at wedos.status.online ⧉. You can find the web server designation in the diagnostic output from the previous step.
3. Go through the chapter Website troubleshooting step by step.

More advanced tools suitable for website problem diagnostics include:

• Logging. It allows you to locate specific errors (Errorlog) and possibly their relation to the number of page accesses (Accesslog). Once a month, you get Webhosting logging for 24 hours free of charge. The guide can be found in the article Webhosting – Logging.
• Browser developer tools. These are especially useful for checking non-working parts of pages (Network) and scripts (Console). The guide can be found in your browser manual.

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Website troubleshooting

Website problems can arise in different places:

• At the domain or DNS level: This usually includes domain expiration or another cause of DNS server shutdown, alternatively a problematic change to DNS records.
• In the Webhosting settings: Some service parameters may conflict with the application you run on the hosting.
• In the directory structure or files: These problems occur mainly due to improper FTP intervention, and less often when uploading content in other ways.
• In the content management system or application: These problems are very varied – every application, template, plugin, or their combination can cause an error. VEDOS provides guides (or support) only for the most common of these problems.
• As a result of compromise: If your website has malware, or an attacker deleted or modified data, we can arrange a backup if the problem is detected in time. We do not handle virus removal from websites ourselves; please seek help from a specialist.

Domain and DNS

Domain and DNS errors occur almost exclusively due to changes to these services, whether manual (editing DNS server or record data) or automatic (domain suspension by the registry, automatic settings in administration).

The most common problems with a domain or DNS include:

• Inactive domain either expired or has not yet been created. If possible, pay for the service; within 6–48 hours after successful payment is received in our system, it should work again. If you do not see a previously active domain in administration, it is either in another customer account (or with another registrar), or the system deleted it after a certain expiration period. More information can be found in the article Domains – Troubleshooting.

• Incorrect DNS servers. If you have recently changed the domain DNS servers (NSSET), check that you have the correct A or AAAA records with the new provider. Also allow for a longer DNS propagation time, which usually takes 6–48 hours.
• Incorrect or missing A or AAAA records. For the domain to work, it must have at least one DNS record of type A or AAAA. If the web hosting provider does not support that record type (IPv4 or IPv6 address), make sure you have deleted the old records of this type so that visitors are not routed to the old address. More information can be found in the article DNS – Troubleshooting.

Webhosting settings

Errors in webhosting settings most often appear when its parameters are changed, or when the application running on the hosting is updated. 

The most common problems with webhosting settings include:

• Disabled or limited web server is easy to recognize – by the error screen with the message Webhosting is turned off. The web server is usually disabled after Webhosting expiration.

• Low performance usually appears as Error 503 – Service Temporarily Unavailable, in which the allocated capacity is exhausted and the server cannot process additional application requests.
• A problem with the PHP version or parameters is usually indicated directly by error messages, or you will encounter it while resolving application and plugin errors with their support. Some PHP parameters also depend on the webhosting plan ⧉; others, including the PHP version, can be set according to the guide Webhosting – PHP configuration. You can verify the availability of the PHP functions required by your application in the output of PHPinfo (8.0) ⧉.
• Non-working HTTPS usually displays an error message about an insecure connection, or the message Not Found on Accelerator. In both cases, check the HTTPS settings of the Webhosting manually and fix any errors. Repeat the HTTPS test at least half an hour after the administration shows the certificate as active. If the problems persist, contact customer support ⧉.

Directory structure and files

Errors in the directory structure and files usually occur due to improper FTP intervention, or as a result of a compromised website. 

The most common errors in directory structure and files include:

• Error 403 – Forbidden, when access to a directory is blocked, or the display of the index.html or index.php file.
• Error 404 – Not Found, meaning file not found, usually because it has been renamed or deleted.
• Error 500 – Internal Server Error, which is usually caused by invalid commands in the .htaccess file, or by a conflict involving subdomains on the webhosting.
• Violation of the directory structure by uploading the website somewhere other than the www folder (usually to the root directory) or directories for alias domains and subdomains. Websites placed in the domains and subdom subdirectories also require the use of the default .htaccess. Less obvious directory structure errors include problems with file uploads and token storage. Both are caused by a missing folder (tmp or session) in the root directory. In all these cases, restore the basic Webhosting directory structure according to the guide Webhosting – Reset FTP.
• Webhosting is active – this page is displayed by the original index.html file located in the www folder. Common reasons why this page is displayed instead of the normal website content are:
  • Conflict with the index.php file. If you have both files in one folder, the server will preferentially run the one with the html extension.
  • Changing the .htaccess file. If the configured routing in the directory structure stops working due to website compromise or incorrect handling of the settings (for example, restoring the default .htaccess), this default page may appear.

Content management systems and applications

You can find solutions to problems that the community encounters most often in the Help community guides directory ⧉. If you do not see a solution to your problem there, you can try to ask a question on the forum ⧉.

If you know which part of the system or application is causing the problem (for example, you can see the name of the error template or plugin in the file path), contact their support directly.

Compromised website

A compromised website can manifest in different ways. The most common are:

• Changing or deleting website content
• Unwanted redirects
• Sending spam

From our side, we address a compromised website only by limiting its performance or taking it offline; in the case of spam, by blocking the mail() function. If no healthy backup of files and databases is available, you must resolve the matter yourself or through an external specialist.

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Frequently asked questions