Why is the website down? Excuse Generator 😉

Most common real causes of website downtime

1. Hosting was not paid for

If you forget to pay for hosting, the provider usually first suspends the account, then deletes the files. The site simply disappears — and visitors see an error or a placeholder page.

2. Domain expired

Failure to renew a domain causes it to expire, resulting in the site becoming inaccessible. Depending on the registry, the domain may enter quarantine or be taken over.

3. Disk space limit exceeded

When the server runs out of space, the application may stop working: it won’t save logs, cache, or user data. In extreme cases, the site stops loading altogether.

4. Server resource limit exceeded

Cheap hosting plans often have CPU and RAM limits. Once exceeded, the provider may temporarily suspend the site or display 503 errors.

5. Physical server failure

Power supply, hard drive, or cooling issues in the data center can cause the site to become completely unavailable. This usually affects dedicated servers or VPSes.

6. DNS configuration error

Incorrect DNS records (e.g. missing A or CNAME record) prevent browsers from finding your site. Even if the server is running, users will see an error.

7. DNS server is unavailable

Sometimes the DNS server (e.g. from Cloudflare, OVH, AWS) stops responding. Browsers then can’t locate the domain, even though the rest of the infrastructure works.

8. Problems with database connection

When the database (e.g. MySQL or PostgreSQL) stops responding, a dynamic site loses the ability to display content. This often results in a 500 error or a blank page.

9. Overly strict firewall rules

If the firewall blocks requests (e.g. from specific countries, IPs, or user agents), the site may become partially or completely inaccessible. This is often due to misconfiguration.

10. Access blocked by Cloudflare or CDN

Services like Cloudflare may block access to the site if they suspect an attack or a limit is exceeded. This can result in “Access denied” messages or CAPTCHAs.

11. Accidental deletion of site files

Human error — e.g. via FTP or SSH — may lead to the deletion of the public_html directory or other key files. Result: no site, 403 error, or “Index of”.

12. Error in the .htaccess file

A single bad rule in .htaccess can cause infinite redirect loops, access denial, or complete lack of server response.

13. Server turned off (e.g. due to restart or crash)

If a dedicated server, VPS, or cloud instance doesn’t start correctly after a restart, the site becomes unresponsive. A system update or failure might be the cause.

14. Site infected with malware

Viruses, backdoors, or malicious scripts may lead to the site being blocked by browsers or the hosting provider. Users see a warning about potential threats.

15. CMS or plugin update broke the site

A new version of WordPress, Drupal, or Joomla (or their plugins) may cause incompatibilities, resulting in crashes or error messages.

16. Exceeded limit of simultaneous connections

Servers have a limited number of connections they can handle at once. When the limit is reached, further requests are rejected or delayed.

17. Site manually disabled by the administrator

During migration or maintenance, the admin may temporarily disable the site — and forget to turn it back on. Without a message, this often confuses users.

18. Cloud infrastructure failure (AWS, Google Cloud, Azure)

In cloud hosting, a failure in one region or service (e.g. RDS, S3) may cause the entire site to stop working.

19. Accidental overwrite of production data

Someone mistakenly uploaded test version files to the production server. This can result in missing content, app errors, or data leaks.

20. Expired or misconfigured SSL certificate

If the SSL certificate has expired or is incorrectly installed, the browser shows a security warning — and users won’t proceed to the site.

21. Lack of file permissions

Incorrect permissions for files or directories may prevent them from loading — leading to 403 errors or missing resources.

22. Missing index.html or index.php file

If the default landing file is missing, the server may show a blank page or a directory listing. For users, this means no site.

23. Incorrect domain redirection (e.g. www to non-www)

Improper redirection between domain versions may lead to 404 errors, redirect loops, or the wrong page loading.

24. IP blocked by the hosting provider

In case of a suspected policy violation, the hosting provider may temporarily block your IP address or users’ addresses.

25. Backend service disabled (e.g. API, database, Redis)

Often, the frontend works but some features (e.g. login, search, cart) stop functioning due to an API or cache error.

26. Script entered an infinite loop

If the application keeps making requests or operations endlessly, the server eventually kills the process, and the user sees a 500 error or timeout.

27. Dependency error or missing library

A software update may remove or change the version of a required library. The script then fails and throws an exception.

28. Failed data migration

During data transfer between databases, files, or servers, errors can occur resulting in an incomplete or inconsistent website.

29. Regional restrictions

Some services may intentionally block access for users from specific countries, which appears as a failure to local visitors.

30. Incompatible PHP / Node.js / other runtime version

A new version of the runtime environment may not support older features. The code stops working or returns syntax errors.

31. External API quota exceeded

If the site uses an external API (e.g. Google Maps, payment services) and the quota is exceeded, functionality may stop working entirely.

32. Incorrect server time or timezone settings

Errors due to a misconfigured server clock can affect logins, sessions, or certificate validation.

33. Temporary loss of internet connection on the server side

A data center network failure or interface issue may disconnect the server from the internet, even if it’s otherwise functioning.

34. Blocked by service provider due to abuse

Violating hosting terms (e.g. spam, phishing) can result in account suspension without prior notice.

35. Backup system overwrote production data

A misconfigured backup tool might restore an outdated site version or delete current data.

36. Single file (e.g. .env) deleted or overwritten

Configuration files often contain keys and database connections — missing them prevents the application from running.

37. Indexing blocked by robots.txt or meta tag

The site may function but be completely invisible to search engines due to restrictive indexing rules.

38. Log or session table overflow

Excessive data in session, log, or stats tables may overload the database and slow down or break the service.

39. Email service issue (SMTP)

Failure to send emails (e.g. confirmations, password resets) doesn’t crash the site, but feels like a bug to the user.

40. License error or missing CMS/component license

Some paid plugins or CMS platforms disable certain features — or the entire site — when the license expires.

41. Too many simultaneous AJAX / fetch requests

Excessive server polling via JavaScript can overwhelm the backend and cause timeouts or IP blocks.

42. Incorrect cache configuration (e.g. Varnish, Redis, LiteSpeed)

A malfunctioning cache system may serve outdated or broken pages — or block content entirely.

43. Load balancer or reverse proxy misconfiguration

A load balancer (e.g. HAProxy, NGINX) may direct traffic to non-existent or disabled servers, resulting in user errors.

44. CRON job / scheduled task removed or disabled

Some functions (e.g. session cleanup, content updates) depend on scheduled jobs — their absence may cause overload or errors.

45. Compression error (GZIP, Brotli)

If the content is incorrectly compressed on the server side, the browser can’t decode it properly and fails to display the page.

46. Server exceeded open files limit (file descriptors)

Too many open files (logs, connections, sockets) can block further application operations and cause availability issues.

47. Conflict in .env / config files

If different config sources give conflicting data (e.g. different DB credentials in .env and config.php), the app may not know what to use — and crash.

48. Data leak and temporary site suspension

After a security incident, admins may take the site offline intentionally to prevent further leaks or attacks.

49. Server operating system failure

Kernel errors, system overloads, or missing updates can cause instability or reboot the server — leading to temporary downtime.

50. No website monitoring in place

If you don’t have monitoring set up, you may not notice the site is down for a long time. It’s not a cause of the outage — but it’s why it lasted so long.