500/50x Errors

A 500/50x error while editing in Breakdance indicates a server-level failure. The message shown in WordPress may not explain the cause. Use the server's error log to identify the problem, resolve it, or send the findings to your host and Breakdance Support.

Find the Error Log Entry

Follow Collecting Error Logs to obtain the log. In a text editor, use Ctrl/Cmd + F to search for Fatal and find entries timestamped around the failure. Read the matching message to identify the cause, then follow the relevant guidance below.

Resolve Memory Errors

An Allowed memory size of X bytes exhausted message means the site has run out of allocated memory. Larger sites may need more memory as their numbers of posts, taxonomy terms, users, and other data increase.

Ask your host to increase the memory allocated to the site. We recommend at least 512 MB for Breakdance sites.

Check Server Timeouts

Hosts may stop processes that run too long. Two common limits are:

• Maximum Execution Time (PHP) — Set by max_execution_time in php.ini. Increasing this should be a last resort.
• FCGID Timeouts (Apache) — FcgidIOTimeout controls how long mod_fcgid waits on reads and writes. About 90 seconds is sufficient in many environments.

If timeouts recur, ask your host to review and raise the relevant limits as appropriate.

Identify Server Response Codes

Servers return numeric error codes when misconfigured or overloaded. Common examples include:

Error	Common cause
500 — Internal Server Error	A PHP error or a theme/plugin conflict.
503 — Service Unavailable	An overloaded server or a security system blocking requests.
504 — Gateway Timeout	An upstream timeout, usually caused by load or slow scripts.
524 — A Timeout Occurred	Cloudflare reached the origin server but did not receive a response within its timeout.

Breakdance Support cannot change your server configuration. Your host must use the logs to locate and resolve server-level problems.

Run a Conflict Test

If the log does not identify a clear fix, run a plugin conflict test to check whether another plugin is involved. Keep the specific fatal-error entry, even if its cause is unclear; support needs it to investigate.

Send the Findings to Support

Use the support checklist. In the reproduction steps, specify which plugins must be active, which page, post, or template to edit, and which actions to take in Breakdance.

Provide WordPress administrator access and FTP/SFTP access so support can investigate.