500 Internal Server Error Cloudflare | How to Fix

⚠️ CRITICAL UPDATE: December 5, 2025 Outage (including Discord, Canva, ChatGPT, etc.). If you are seeing this error today (Dec 5, 2025), it is likely due to a major global Cloudflare outage.

• Status: Cloudflare has confirmed “service degradation” and widespread 500 errors affecting many services (including Discord, Canva, ChatGPT, etc.).

• Solution: There is nothing you can do but wait. The issue is on Cloudflare’s end, not your computer or the website you are visiting.

General Troubleshooting (If not related to the outage)

A “500 Internal Server Error” generally means the website’s origin server is crashing. Cloudflare is successfully connecting to the server, but the server is sending back a “broken” response.

1. If You Are a Website Visitor

The problem is typically on the website’s end, but you can try these steps to rule out local issues:

• Refresh the Page: Press F5 or Ctrl + R. The error might be a temporary glitch.

• Clear Browser Cache: Old, corrupted cookies or cache files can sometimes cause header conflicts.

• Check DownDetector: If other major sites are failing, it is likely an internet infrastructure issue (like today’s outage).

2. If You Are the Website Owner

Your server (hosted on AWS, Bluehost, DigitalOcean, etc.) is failing to execute the request. Cloudflare is simply passing the error message to the visitor.

Diagnose the Source:

• Cloudflare Branded Page: If you see the Cloudflare logo and “500 Internal Server Error,” Cloudflare is working, but your origin server returned a fatal error.

• Generic White Page: If you see a plain browser error page, your server might be crashing so hard it’s dropping the connection entirely, or you are bypassing Cloudflare.

Steps to Fix:

1. Check Server Error Logs (Most Important): Access your server via SSH or FTP and check the error.log (Apache/Nginx) or php_error.log. This will tell you the exact file and line number causing the crash.

2. Pause Cloudflare:

   • Go to Cloudflare Dashboard > Overview > Advanced Actions > Pause Cloudflare on Site.

   • Why? This exposes the “real” error code directly from your server, removing Cloudflare’s generic mask and often revealing more specific details.

3. Check .htaccess (Apache Users): A syntax error in this file is a common cause. Rename it to .htaccess_backup to disable it temporarily and test if the site loads.

4. Increase PHP Memory: If using WordPress, you may be hitting a memory limit. Add this to your wp-config.php:

   PHP

   define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');
   

Summary: Who is at Fault?