Fix Error 503 backend fetch failed

What is Error 503 Backend Fetch Failed?

Error 503 backend fetch failed is an HTTP status code that indicates that the website you are trying to visit is temporarily unavailable to handle any incoming request or experiencing problems on the server side. Many times you encounter it while using the browser from your device. This error happened because of more requests on the website server and it was unable to process at a time.

Causes of error 503 backend fetch failed

These are the following causes of error 503 backend fetch failed.

• Unstable or Poor internet connection: This error may be due to the slow internet connection. when you visit any website it takes a slightly longer time to open because of a sluggish connection.
• Blocking Suspicious Websites: To make our browsing more secure, we often block a few suspicious websites or the ones that display too many advertisements.

So, when you’re blocking a specific site with the help of an ad-blocking tool, it prevents a lot of content from being displayed on the screen. This might also be the reason why you may encounter error 503 backend fetch failed while browsing when making too many requests on a website can queue up the cache server memory.

• Overload: Sometimes a sudden increase in traffic to a website can overwhelm the origin server causing it to become slow or unresponsive and this will lead to error 503 backend fetch failed
• The Website was Deemed Suspicious and was blocked: When you visit any website along with ad content, the ad-blocker stops that content from loading. This happens when you activate an ad-blocker in your browser.
• The website’s server is undergoing maintenance: If the website’s server that you are trying to visit is under routine or temporary maintenance, your requests will queue up and you will get the error 503 backend fetch failed.

How to fix Error 503 backend fetch failed?

You can try several solutions to resolve the “error 503 backend fetch failed” problem.

Take a look at every step and solution and find which one is working for you

• Refresh or Reload the Webpage: The error 503 backend fetch failed is a server-side issue and it can happen due to server maintenance. Therefore, simply refreshing and reloading the webpage can solve your problem.
• Reset your Browser: Some users can load the page properly on other browsers but they still want to use the original browser to visit the webpage. If this application is to your case perhaps you can reset the browser to the default settings.

Here is an example of Google Chrome to show you how to reset the browser.

Step 1. Open the browser, click on the three-dot icon and choose settings.

Step 2. On the left side, click advance> reset and clean up.

Step 3. On the right side, click restore setting.

When you get the following window click the reset setting button and confirm the operation.

• Close other multiple active Tabs: Sometimes the error 503 backend fetch failed can be affected because of multiple active tabs open. Therefore, close other multiple active tabs to solve the error.
• Reboot your WiFi Router: This is an excellent fix, especially if you get the error 503 backend fetch failed message on multiple websites. You can solve the internet connection issue by just rebooting your WiFi router.

Close your browser and restart your computer. After turning off the router and on after a minute. Relaunch your browser and try revisiting the website. see if the error 503 backend fetch failed issue has been resolved.

How to solve error 503 backend fetch failed in WordPress?

Have you encountered the error 503 backend fetch failed on your WordPress site? These are the following solutions for this error in WordPress:-

1. Deactivate your theme temporarily

Deactivating a theme is a bit tricky because you can’t simply rename the theme folder as we did with the plugins folder that caused this error.

So, to solve this problem here are some steps:

•     Go to your hosting account
•     Open Cpanel and
•     Open phpMyAdmin

Select wp_options and go to Search. Under option_name, write a template and click on Go.

Finding your current theme in PHPMyAdmin

Select Edit and change the current theme to twenty-twentyone.

Editing the current theme in PHPMyAdmin

If this fixes the error 503 backend fetch failed, then you might want to try getting an earlier version of the theme (one that worked), installing it, and waiting for the theme’s developer to release an update.

2. Disable your CDN temporarily

Sometimes temporary issues or misconfigurations in the CDN may lead to this error. So there is an option to present in CDN to pause. If you disable the CDN then your problem of this error is solved.

3. Increase PHP memory Limit

If the server is running out of memory, it can lead to a 503 error. Increase the PHP memory limit in your php.ini file or via the wp-config.php file.

If the server is running out of memory, it can lead to a 503 error. Increase the PHP memory limit in your php.ini file or via the wp-config.php file.

Step to solve the Error 503 Backend Fetch Failed in Magento.

 The error 503 backend fetch failed in Magento means the server that you are trying to reach is not available at that moment due to the server being under maintenance mode or it’s busy.

Magento has a lot of hidden features that make it the most powerful e-commerce platform at the moment. However, due to its complications, many errors occur while using it.                                          

1. Maintaining flag files generated by Magento

The error 503 backend fetch failed may be attributed to the presence of the var/. maintenance flag file, which is generated by Magento during site maintenance, upgrades, or reconfiguration.

To address this issue, follow these steps:

• Access the file manager and either rename or remove the maintenance flag file located at /var.
• After performing the above step, refresh your website to check if the error has been resolved.

2. Check the Magento version

verify that your server environment is compatible with the Magento version you are using. Refer to the Magento documentation to review the system requirements.

3. Server configuration

Review your web server configuration (e.g., Apache, Nginx) to ensure it is properly configured to handle Magento.                                                           

4. Database connections

Ensure that Magento can establish a connection to the database server. Check your database credentials in the ‘app/etc.php’ file and make sure they’re accurate.

Conclusion

In the proceeding post, we aimed to address the issue of ‘error 503 backend fetch failed’ providing insights into its causes and presenting effective troubleshooting methods for resolution. Additionally, we delved into the specific context of this error within the “WordPress” and Magento platforms and offered corresponding solutions.