Website Down

Website unavailable, returning errors, or no longer loading correctly?

The visible error isn’t always the real cause. We investigate the complete stack — DNS, Cloudflare, SSL, NGINX/Apache, PHP-FPM, MySQL/MariaDB, Redis, WordPress, server resources, firewall, Linux or the provider — to find where the failure actually is.

Please do not include passwords, private SSH keys or other permanent credentials here. If access is needed, we'll agree on a secure way to provide it. Have screenshots or logs? You can attach them by replying to our confirmation email.

By Error Code

What each HTTP error usually means

500
Internal Server Error

PHP errors, a broken plugin/theme, bad .htaccess, memory exhaustion, wrong permissions. We check server logs, not just swap plugins.

502
Bad Gateway

Usually the web server can’t reach PHP-FPM — stopped service, socket problem, overloaded workers, or a crashed backend.

504
Gateway Timeout

A request is taking too long — slow PHP, an overloaded database, insufficient workers, or high server load. We find what’s slow instead of just raising the timeout.

403
Forbidden

File permissions, web server or .htaccess rules, firewall, Cloudflare, or a security plugin rejecting the request.

By Layer

Which service actually stopped

NGINX Down

All sites on it may go down at once. We validate config syntax before restarting.

Apache Down

Invalid config, broken vhost, module problems, or a failed update — one site or the whole server.

PHP-FPM Down

Blank pages, 502/504/500s, or extreme slowness. We check pools, sockets and worker limits.

Database Down

“Error establishing a database connection” — MySQL/MariaDB service status, crash logs, disk, memory.

DNS, SSL & Cloudflare

When the server is fine but visitors can’t reach it

DNS Problems

Wrong A/AAAA/CNAME records, stale propagation, DNSSEC issues. Changed carefully, especially when the domain also handles email.

SSL Problems

Expired certs, failed Let’s Encrypt renewal, wrong chain, blocked port 80/443, or Cloudflare SSL mode mismatched with the origin.

Cloudflare Problems

Wrong DNS records, proxy/SSL mode, WAF or rate-limit rules, or an unreachable origin. We narrow it to before Cloudflare, inside Cloudflare, or on the origin.

WordPress Down

Investigated as a full stack, not just the app

Failed plugin update, theme error, PHP incompatibility, database problem, corrupted files, malware, broken cache, WP-Cron or insufficient memory — because we work with both WordPress and the Linux infrastructure underneath, we check both sides.

Linux NGINX / Apache PHP-FPM MySQL / MariaDB Redis WordPress
After an Update

WordPress, plugin, theme, PHP version, Linux packages, NGINX/Apache, database or SSL changes right before an outage matter — even if they seem unrelated, mention them.

After a PHP Upgrade

Deprecated code, missing extensions, incompatible plugins/themes, or a changed PHP-FPM pool configuration. We check application compatibility and PHP-FPM config together.

Disk Full

500 errors, DB failure, session errors, failed WP updates, cache and logging errors. We find what filled the disk — logs, backups, uploads, cache, inode exhaustion — before deleting anything.

Server Overloaded

CPU saturation, memory pressure, swap, disk I/O, PHP-FPM/MySQL overload, bots or malicious requests. We identify which process is the actual bottleneck.

Scope of the Outage

One site down, or all of them?

Multiple Websites Down

Usually infrastructure-level: NGINX, Apache, PHP-FPM, MySQL, DNS, firewall, server load, disk full or a network outage.

Only One Website Down

Likely specific to that domain — vhost, SSL cert, PHP version, WordPress, its database, DNS, or file permissions.

Telling us which case you’re in narrows the investigation immediately.

Website Hacked or Compromised

Malware, modified PHP, malicious .htaccess, deleted files, database changes or provider suspension can all take a site offline. For WordPress: malware investigation, infected file cleanup, integrity checks, admin account review, and security recommendations — a serious compromise can need more than removing the obvious malicious code.

Server & WordPress security →

Firewall Blocking the Site

The web server can be running fine while a provider firewall, UFW, iptables, nftables, CSF or Cloudflare rule blocks port 80/443 or a specific source. If admin access is also lost, provider console or rescue access may be needed.

Control Panel Problems

HestiaCP, DirectAdmin, cPanel & WHM, VestaCP — broken web templates, a failed service update, PHP/SSL/DNS config, or a database service failure. We check the panel and the services underneath it.

Provider-Side Outages

Sometimes Linux is fine but the provider isn’t — networking, routing, virtualisation, hardware, storage or a datacentre issue. We help separate website vs server vs provider problems, and gather diagnostics for the support ticket if needed.

Providers we work with →

Rescue Access & Recovery

When the whole server is unreachable

Rescue System, KVM console, Recovery Console, VNC console, serial console or a rescue ISO — depending on the provider — get us in when SSH no longer works.

Restoring a compromised website without fixing the vulnerability simply recreates the same problem.

What to Send Us

Faster diagnosis starts with the right details

website domainhosting providerserver IP (if known) Linux distributioncontrol panelexact error message when it startedrecent changesscreenshots other sites on same server OK?SSH/panel access still works?

Not sure what matters? Just describe what you see.

Please don’t send root, hosting or WordPress passwords, private SSH keys or database credentials in the initial request. If access is needed, we’ll tell you exactly what’s required.
Pricing

A fully unavailable production site normally qualifies as Emergency Support

€95/ hour

Emergency Support, for critical website and server incidents.

€125/ hour

Out-of-Hours Emergency Support — evenings, weekends, holidays.

Both subject to administrator availability — no guaranteed 24/7 coverage unless separately agreed. Full pricing →

Email Is the Preferred First Contact

Include the domain and any visible error

Written technical details are usually the fastest first step for a website outage.

help@direktsupport.eu

Phone support is primarily for customers with an active monthly management plan.

Website & Linux Experience Since 2004

More than 22 years of practical experience with websites, WordPress, Linux servers, hosting infrastructure, databases, DNS, email and production environments. Our objective is not simply to reload the page until it works again.

We identify the failing layer, restore service where possible, and determine what caused the outage.