503 Service Unavailable
5xx Server Error. The server is temporarily unable to handle the request, usually due to maintenance or overload.
5xx Server Error
What it means
The server is temporarily unable to handle the request, usually due to maintenance or overload.
Common causes
Scheduled maintenance, a traffic spike overwhelming server capacity, or a dependency (like a database) being unavailable.
How to fix it
Wait and retry — check the response's Retry-After header if present, or the site's status page for planned maintenance.
Frequently asked questions
What does HTTP 503 mean?
The server is temporarily unable to handle the request, usually due to maintenance or overload.
What causes a 503 Service Unavailable?
Scheduled maintenance, a traffic spike overwhelming server capacity, or a dependency (like a database) being unavailable.
How do I fix a 503 error?
Wait and retry — check the response's Retry-After header if present, or the site's status page for planned maintenance.
Other 5xx Server Error codes
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