Engineering and Science (504 Gateway Timeout Error)

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Browsing the internet is one of the daily activities you will not want to find yourself in breakage that you don't understand and can't even explain. It is annoying when you waste time on a web page without knowing what is wrong. Error on the webpages is usually displayed by the use of code, which can be 502 bad Gateway Error, 404 Error, 504 Error, etc. As for websites that are used for businesses, these errors can lead to huge decreases in visits and a decrease in engagement on the site. Most of the time when visitors fall on this error on the website, the impression they usually take back is that the site is not trustworthy. I decided to share my understanding of the 504 Gateway Timeout Error which is very common on-site that can't manage their traffic. 504 Gateway Timeout Error can influence SEO results for a site, especially when it takes a long period. During that period when the site is offline, Google will be unable to identify the site level and automatically affect the ranking on Google.

Casuse

I can remember some weeks back when we all fell so bad on the steemit platform due to the 504 Gateway Timeout Error. So it is important to everyone to understand what is the cause of such an error on a web page, so as not to get into a panic mode. They are a series of error codes under the 500 status, which are 500, 501, 502, 503, 505, 507, 508, 510, and more. If your error code falls under the 500 series, just know the website has a problem connecting to the server(server error). So now you see it is not your fault or the owners of the website. Your request as a visitor to the site was okay, but the server could not respond to your request.

In simple words, a 504 Gateway Time out error means that the server could not respond on time while trying to access another server to load the page. This error has to do with the time the servers communicate with each other. So you often see this 504 Gateway Timeout Error when communication within servers is not fast enough. In a case like steemit, we will be talking about nodes. So that conclusion, the reason for the error we had been facing some time back, had something to do with one of the nodes on the Steem blockchain. I can't categorically say No, but very much so that one of the nodes on the steem blockchain had a problem with communication with others.

How Does it Appear

A 504 Gateway Timeout Error can appear on the screen of any browser on any operating system, no matter the device you are using. The different browsers, operating systems, and websites will determine how the 504 Gateway Timeout Error will appear. I added the website because some websites customized a webpage for 504 Gateway Errors, which will be presented to their users. Below is a list of common and most used messages that say "504 Gateway Timeout" or "HTTP 504."

^{screenshot steemitwallet}

• 504 Bad Gateway
• 504 Gateway Timeout
• HTTP 504
• 504 Error
• Gateway Timeout Error
• HTTP Error 504 - Gateway Timeout
• Gateway Timeout (504)
• Error 504 Gateway Timeout

All have the same meaning, that the web servers' communication is not fast enough. Most platforms have customized a more pleasant message to comfort their users, so as not to get them to annoy. So getting to this position, there is no need for any panic except that someone is going to die. It is a problem of response timeout between servers which can be fixed, so it is not your fault, and so no need to feel frustrated.

Fix a Connection Timeout

• Reload the page (F5/Ctrl+R )

Most of the time, you just need to reload your web page when you come across a 504 Gateway Error. This is because sometimes it could just be a temporal error between servers, which can be taken care of by reloading the page.

• Restart your devices

Devices (computers, modems, routers, and phones) have proven to always malfunction after running for a period. So before thinking of changing the DNS or contacting your host, restart your devices and load the page again.

• Contact your host

This is usually the best option for clients who have their site hosted by a particular brand. They are the possibility that the host servers are down and need to be restarted. In our case, we usually restart our servers whenever that site is not running. So reaching the host will help them look deeper into what is wrong and that your end is checked to fix the issue.

• Give yourself Some time

This is the last option for you, after doing the different attempts to fix the problem, and it is still there. Give it some time, your host knows about it and in no doubt fix it as soon as possible. Get yourself a cup of coffee and check back later, everything will be fine and running smoothly.

I made this publication to prepare the mind of steemians in case of another 504 Gateway Error in the future. This error can't be avoided on the web space, even giants like Google, Amazon, and Facebook go through this. So no need to fear next time. My explanation is based on web 2.0, which I have been developing. Well, sharing this is because the reasons for the error are categorically the same with web3.0 platforms like steemit.

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Cheers
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@fombae