HTTP 503 Service Unavailable
The server can't handle requests right now, usually overload or maintenance. Often temporary.
Common causes and fixes
- A Retry-After header says when to try again.
- Check capacity, health checks and whether the app is restarting.
Example response
HTTP
HTTP/1.1 503 Service Unavailable
Retry-After: 120
Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8
{ "error": "Service Unavailable" }Look up the headers shown here in the HTTP headers reference.
Common questions
- What does HTTP 503 mean?
- Service Unavailable. The server can't handle requests right now, usually overload or maintenance. Often temporary.
- How do I fix a 503 error?
- A Retry-After header says when to try again. Check capacity, health checks and whether the app is restarting.
- Is 503 an error?
- Yes. 5xx codes are server errors: The server failed to fulfil a valid-looking request.