Frequently Asked Question
Webserver Error Codes
Last Updated 3 months ago
There are several error codes that the web server may throw at you. In this article, we will look a bit deeper into these codes and what they mean.
404 Not Found
This, as the name suggests, is when a file that's been requested can't be found. Though the error may be simple enough, the cause can sometimes have a little more to it than meets the eye. Much of the time, the file being requested by either the website visitor or the website itself may either not exist, be in a different location, or have a different name. Sometimes though, everything looks to be in the right place, with the right name, and yet the error still appears.
Normally, this error code means that the content has been moved, removed or renamed.
403 Forbidden
The 'Forbidden' error is a dramatic sounding one, but quite a common one. There are a number of reasons you might see this, but usually, this means that the file permissions are too restrictive.
It may be that the file permissions on the file or folder you're trying to access are too restrictive, and don't allow it to be read globally.
For files that need to be publicly accessible over the internet, global read permissions need to be enabled. As such, in general, 644 permissions are a safe bet for files, and 755 permissions are a safe bet for folders. For files to be accessible from the Internet, files need to be set to 755. This gives the file the following:
Read and execute permissions to the group associated with a file; which is a collection of user accounts, such as members of the same team, that have been granted certain permissions on the file.
Read and execute permissions to the others; which are all other users who are not the owner or members of the group associated with the file
Read, write, and execute permissions to the owner of the file; which is the user account that created the file or has been assigned ownership of the file.
For folders, this is slightly different:
The read permission allows users to list the content of the directory (but only if the execute permission is also set).
The write permission allows users to create, rename, and delete the entries of the directory. +
The execute permission allows users to enter (or traverse) the directory.
+ You need to use FTP (File Transfer Protocol) or SFTP (Secure FTP) to modify the contents of the directory.
The other cause of Error 403, is where there is no index file. (IE: index.php or index.html)
401 Unauthorised
This message is shown, when you try to access a resource, with incorrect credentials. (Incorrect username and password)
500 Internal Server Error
The 500 'Internal Server Error' is actually a very broad ranged error message, and basically means, in most cases, that there's an issue in the website's code preventing it from being properly interpreted by the server. This can sometimes be down to the configuration files in your webspace (.htaccess being the usual suspect) containing errors, or it can be in the actual website code.
What do I do if I come across one of these error codes:
404 Not Found
This, as the name suggests, is when a file that's been requested can't be found. Though the error may be simple enough, the cause can sometimes have a little more to it than meets the eye. Much of the time, the file being requested by either the website visitor or the website itself may either not exist, be in a different location, or have a different name. Sometimes though, everything looks to be in the right place, with the right name, and yet the error still appears.
Normally, this error code means that the content has been moved, removed or renamed.
403 Forbidden
The 'Forbidden' error is a dramatic sounding one, but quite a common one. There are a number of reasons you might see this, but usually, this means that the file permissions are too restrictive.
It may be that the file permissions on the file or folder you're trying to access are too restrictive, and don't allow it to be read globally.
For files that need to be publicly accessible over the internet, global read permissions need to be enabled. As such, in general, 644 permissions are a safe bet for files, and 755 permissions are a safe bet for folders. For files to be accessible from the Internet, files need to be set to 755. This gives the file the following:
Read and execute permissions to the group associated with a file; which is a collection of user accounts, such as members of the same team, that have been granted certain permissions on the file.
Read and execute permissions to the others; which are all other users who are not the owner or members of the group associated with the file
Read, write, and execute permissions to the owner of the file; which is the user account that created the file or has been assigned ownership of the file.
For folders, this is slightly different:
The read permission allows users to list the content of the directory (but only if the execute permission is also set).
The write permission allows users to create, rename, and delete the entries of the directory. +
The execute permission allows users to enter (or traverse) the directory.
+ You need to use FTP (File Transfer Protocol) or SFTP (Secure FTP) to modify the contents of the directory.
The other cause of Error 403, is where there is no index file. (IE: index.php or index.html)
401 Unauthorised
This message is shown, when you try to access a resource, with incorrect credentials. (Incorrect username and password)
500 Internal Server Error
The 500 'Internal Server Error' is actually a very broad ranged error message, and basically means, in most cases, that there's an issue in the website's code preventing it from being properly interpreted by the server. This can sometimes be down to the configuration files in your webspace (.htaccess being the usual suspect) containing errors, or it can be in the actual website code.
What do I do if I come across one of these error codes:
- For Error 304, click back and look for alternative links. If you still see this error, please log a ticket
- For error 401, please log a ticket, if you have forgotten your login credentials.
- For Error 403, some directories are deliberately set to disallow browsing. This is a security feature and is nothing to worry about.
- For Error 500, wait 5 minutes and try to access the resource again. Please log a ticket, if you keep seeing this error.