What is a 502 Bad Gateway Error

A 502 Bad Gateway Error occurs when you try to visit a web page, but one web server gets an invalid response from another web server. Most of the time, the problem is on the website itself, and there's not much you can do. But sometimes, this error can occur because of a problem with your computer or networking equipment. Here are some things you can try.

A 502 Bad Gateway Error means that the web server you've connected to is acting as a proxy for relaying information from another server. Still, it has gotten an inadequate response from that other server. It's called a 502 error because that's the HTTP status code that the webserver uses to describe that kind of error. These inadequate responses could be due to several different causes. For example, the server may be overloaded or network issues between the two servers, and it's just a temporary problem. However, it's also possible there's an improperly configured firewall or even a coding error, and that the problem won't get fixed until those issues are addressed.

Just like with 404 errors, website designers can customize how a 502 error looks. So, you might see different-looking 502 pages on different websites. Websites might also use slightly different names for this error. For example, you might see things like:

HTTP Error 502 Bad Gateway
HTTP 502
502 Service Temporarily Overloaded
Temporary Error (502)
502 Server Error: The server encountered a temporary error and could not complete your request
502 Bad Gateway Nginx

The vast majority of the time, this is just an error on the server-side of things that you won't be able to do anything about. Sometimes, it's a temporary error; sometimes, it isn't. Still, there are some things you can try on your end of things.

Refresh the Page

Refreshing the page is always worth a shot. Many times the 502 error is temporary, and a simple refresh might do the trick.

Most browsers use the F5 key to refresh and provide a Refresh button somewhere on the address bar. It doesn't fix the problem very often, but it takes just a second to try.

Check If the Site Is Down For Other People

Whenever you fail to reach a site (for whatever reason), you can also check if it's just you that's having a problem connecting or if other people are having the same trouble. There are lots of tools out there for this, but our favorites are isitdownrightnow.com and downforeveryoneorjustme.com. Both work pretty much the same. Plugin the URL you want to check, and you'll get a result like this.

If you get a report saying the site is down for everyone, there's not much you can do but try again later. On the other hand, if the report shows that the site is up, then the problem might be on your end. It is rarely the case with a 502 error, but it is possible, and you can try some of the things we describe in the following few sections.

Try Another Browser

An issue with your browser might be causing the 502 Bad Gateway error. One easy way to check this out is to use a different browser and see if it works.

For example, you can use Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, or Microsoft Edge. If you can see the error in the new browser, you know it's not a browser issue, and you should try another solution.

Clear Your Browser's Cache and Cookies

If trying a different browser works, your main browser may have cached outdated or corrupt files that might be causing the 502 error. Removing these cached files and trying to open the website could solve the problem.