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Error 500 on the website: causes and solutions

Error 500 is an internal server error. It indicates that the server cannot process the request due to a configuration error, website scripting issue, or hosting limitations. In this guide, we'll cover the main causes of error 500 and how to resolve it.

What does error 500 mean?

HTTP code 500 Internal Server Error indicates that the server encountered an error while processing the request. This could be due to errors in the website configuration, incorrect access rights, incorrect PHP code, or server-level issues.

Common causes of error 500

1. Error in the .htaccess file

Invalid directives or syntax errors in .htaccess often cause a 500 error.

Solution: Temporarily rename .htaccess (for example, to .htaccess_backup ) and check if the error persists. If so, check the file's contents or recreate it.

2. Errors in plugins or themes

If you use WordPress and have recently installed or updated plugins/themes, they may have caused the crash.

Solution: Temporarily disable all plugins by renaming the wp-content/plugins and test your site. Then, re-enable plugins one by one to find the problematic one.

3. Incorrect access rights

Files and folders with incorrectly set permissions may cause the error.

Recommended rights:

  • Files - 644
  • Folders - 755

In ispmanager you can change permissions in the file manager by selecting File → Attributes.

4. Exceeding PHP limits

The error may occur when exceeding memory_limit , max_execution_time and other parameters.

You can change PHP limits in the ispmanager panel or through the php.ini .

5. Inappropriate PHP version

If the installed CMS or script does not support the current version of PHP, the site may stop working.

Solution:

  • In ispmanager, open the Sites
  • Select the desired site and click Change site settings
  • In the PHP Handler , select a different version, such as 7.4 or 8.1

How to view the error log

The exact cause of the failure can be found in the error logs.

  • In ispmanager, on the left, go to the WWW Request Logs
  • Files such as example.kz.access.log and example.kz.error.log
  • Select example.kz.error.log and click View last lines of log file
  • To view old logs, go to the Archive - there you can download archived logs

When to contact support

If you're unable to determine the cause of the error or your site has stopped working without any obvious changes, please contact Unihost.kz support—we'll help you figure it out and restore your site.

Conclusion

Error 500 can be caused by a variety of reasons, from configuration issues to incompatible extensions. Use our step-by-step diagnostics and log checker to troubleshoot the issue. The Unihost.kz team is always ready to assist.

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