⚠️ What Is a 504 Error?

A 504 error means the server acting as a gateway (like nginx) did not get a timely response from the backend server (like PHP-FPM or Apache).
This usually means the backend is slow, stuck, or overloaded.

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✅ Step 1: Confirm the Error

• Visit the website in an incognito/private browser window
  
• Use httpstatus.io to verify the 504 error is consistent
  
• Ask customer:
  
  • “Is the error happening on all pages or specific ones?”
    
  • “When did the issue start?”
    
  • “Any recent changes or plugin updates?”
    

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✅ Step 2: Check Hosting Status in Plesk

• Log into Plesk for the domain
  
• Verify the website is not suspended
  
• Go to Hosting Settings and check PHP version & handler
  
• Confirm no recent configuration changes
  

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✅ Step 3: Basic Agent Actions

• Ask if the customer has recently added heavy scripts/plugins
  
• Ask if they’re running scheduled backups or maintenance scripts (sometimes cause slowdowns)
  
• If possible, restart Apache/nginx and PHP-FPM services via Plesk (only if you’re trained or escalate)
  
• If the error persists, escalate
  

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🚨 When to Escalate

• Backend services (PHP-FPM, Apache) are unresponsive or repeatedly timing out
  
• Multiple customers on the same server report 504 errors
  
• Customer reports long load times before error appears
  
• Suspected resource exhaustion or script timeout
  

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📋 Escalation Template (504)

Subject: 504 Gateway Timeout – [Customer Domain]

Customer reports 504 Gateway Timeout on their site: example.com

✅ Confirmed error via browser and httpstatus.io

✅ Site is not suspended and hosting settings are normal

❓ Customer recently added plugins or scripts that may affect performance

❓ Any ongoing scheduled tasks or backups?

Request Hosting team to check PHP-FPM responsiveness and server resource usage.