503 Service Unavailable - HTTP | MDN (2024)

The HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) 503 Service Unavailable server error response code indicates that the server is not ready to handle the request.

Common causes are a server that is down for maintenance or that is overloaded. This response should be used for temporary conditions and the Retry-After HTTP header should, if possible, contain the estimated time for the recovery of the service.

Note: together with this response, a user-friendly page explaining the problem should be sent.

Caching-related headers that are sent along with this response should be taken care of, as a 503 status is often a temporary condition and responses shouldn't usually be cached.

Status

http

503 Service Unavailable

Specifications

Specification
HTTP Semantics
# status.503

Browser compatibility

BCD tables only load in the browser

See also

503 Service Unavailable - HTTP | MDN (2024)

FAQs

503 Service Unavailable - HTTP | MDN? ›

The HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) 503 Service Unavailable server error response code indicates that the server is not ready to handle the request. Common causes are a server that is down for maintenance or that is overloaded.

How do I fix HTTP error 503? ›

Restart Your Server and Networking Equipment

Thus, if you have root access to your website, one of the easiest ways to fix the 503 service temporarily unavailable error is to reboot your server. If your site is hosted on multiple servers, make sure to refresh each server to return it to normal.

What is unavailable HTTP status code 503? ›

The HTTP status code 503 means that the server is currently unable to handle the incoming requests. Usually, this error occurs because the server is too busy or is temporarily down for maintenance. The backend server is overloaded or beyond its capacity and cannot handle any new incoming client requests.

What error does the HTTP response code 503 indicate? ›

If you have encountered the 503 Error while browsing the internet, it indicates that something is stopping your browser from accessing the website's server, and usually it is something wrong with the server itself. In 2021, a lot of popular websites experienced 503 errors as a result of the Fastly outage.

Will error 503 fix itself? ›

Check for Ongoing Maintenance Or Upgrade Running. If your server is showing an HTTP 503 error, then it is possible that the server is being updated in the background. If this disruption is caused by an automatic update, then it usually resolves itself within a couple of minutes.

What is the root cause of HTTP 503? ›

The HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) 503 Service Unavailable server error response code indicates that the server is not ready to handle the request. Common causes are a server that is down for maintenance or that is overloaded.

What is error code 503 in URL? ›

What is a 503 error? A 503 Service Unavailable Error is an HTTP response status code that indicates your web server operates properly, but it can't handle a request at the moment.

Why is 503 Service Unavailable? ›

A 503 Service Unavailable Error is an HTTP response status code indicating that a server is temporarily unable to handle the request. This may be due to an overloaded server or a server that's down for maintenance.

What is client error 503 service unavailable? ›

Overall, the 503 Service Unavailable status code is used by servers to inform clients that they are temporarily unable to process their request. It helps manage user expectations and provides an indication for when clients can retry their request again.

What is 503 Service Unavailable no server is available to handle? ›

Error 503 (Service Temporarily Unavailable) means that the resource limits of your hosting plan are being reached The most common reasons are a poorly optimized website, or if your has outgrown your current plan.

Why is my application shutting down 503? ›

The primary reason for this error is a stopped or disabled application pool. The application pool is the IIS component that initiates a worker process, which then allows the web server to process incoming requests for a website. When something is wrong with the application pool, the web server throws an HTTP Error 503.

What code is 503? ›

Area codes 503 and 971 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the northwestern region of the U.S. state of Oregon. The numbering plan area (NPA) comprises the cities of Portland, Salem, and Astoria.

What is the difference between HTTP status 503 and 500? ›

There's a key difference: A 503 response indicates that the server is able to process the request, but it has intentionally decided not to. A 500 response indicates that the server is unable to process the request, and there is an issue preventing it from doing so.

How do I get rid of HTTP Error 503? ›

It is possible that the server was unable to answer the HTTP request correctly. In this case, it may be enough to just refresh the page to resolve the HTTP 503 error. To do this, simply click on the refresh button next to your browser's address bar or alternatively use the [F5] key or the [Ctrl] + [R] key combination.

What is the difference between HTTP 502 and 503? ›

Examples include 500 (Internal Server Error), 502 (Bad Gateway), and 503 (Service Unavailable).

What is accurate error code 503? ›

What is the HTTP 503 Service Unavailable Error? A Service Unavailable Error is an HTTP status code that your browser shows when it tries to visit a website but the server hosting is unable to process the request at that time. In layman's terms, it means your server is overloaded or down for maintenance.

What is error code 503 software update? ›

A 503 Error is an HTTP status code that informs the client (usually a web browser) that the requested service or resource is temporarily unavailable from the server. It indicates that the server is either overloaded, undergoing maintenance, or experiencing technical difficulties in processing the request.

What is 503 HTTP error proxy? ›

An HTTP 503 error usually indicates that the server is currently not able to handle the request due to maintenance or capacity issues. It could be caused due to many factors, like a server outage, an issue with the network, or a problem with the application itself.

What does service unavailable zero size object mean? ›

Service Unavailable - Zero size object

The server is temporarily unable to service your request.

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