Key highlights
- Error 522 occurs when Cloudflare is unable to connect to your origin server due to server-related issues or slow response times.
- Common causes include server overload, incorrect DNS settings, firewall restrictions and misconfigured server settings.
- To diagnose the issue, check if your server is online, verify Cloudflare DNS settings, review firewall configurations and analyze server logs.
- To prevent future occurrences, monitor server performance, enable load balancing, optimize security settings and keep DNS configurations up to date.
Introduction
Have you ever encountered error 522 while trying to access a website? It’s frustrating, isn’t it? This error happens when Cloudflare cannot connect to the web server due to delayed response times.
In simpler terms, your website’s server fails to process Cloudflare’s connection request in time, leading to a timeout error.
For businesses and website owners like you, this means lost traffic, reduced engagement and a poor user experience—all of which can impact your website’s success. Ensuring smooth server performance is crucial for business and success.
In this guide, we’ll explain what error code 522 is, how to diagnose it and—most importantly—how to fix it step by step. By the end, you’ll also learn how to prevent future occurrences and choose a reliable web hosting provider that minimizes downtime. Let’s get started!
What is error code 522 and how to diagnose it?
Error code 522 occurs when Cloudflare cannot establish a connection with the origin server because it takes too long to respond. As a result, users see a connection timed-out error, preventing access to the website.
Common causes of error 522
- Slow or overloaded web server: High memory usage or excessive incoming requests can slow down response times.
- Incorrect DNS settings: The IP address in Cloudflare may not match the correct server hosting address.
- Firewall blocking Cloudflare: Some firewall settings or third-party security features may block Cloudflare’s requests.
- Server misconfigurations: Issues with your Apache configuration file, KeepAlive header or web server settings can cause timeouts.
- Traffic spikes: A sudden surge in web traffic may exceed your server’s capacity, leading to a server overload.
How to diagnose error 522?
To identify the root cause, follow these steps:
- Check if your origin server is online: Use the WordPress admin dashboard or a server monitoring tool to confirm if your web server is active.
- Review Cloudflare DNS settings: Log into your Cloudflare account, go to the DNS settings tab and verify that the correct IP address is listed.
- Test your firewall settings: Ensure Cloudflare’s IP addresses are whitelisted in your firewall’s whitelist to prevent blocked Cloudflare traffic.
- Use an online SSL checker tool: Verify that your SSL certificate is configured correctly and not causing a secure connection failure.
- Check for server-side issues: Review server logs, identify high server CPU usage and ensure the Apache configuration file isn’t misconfigured.
Once you determine the cause, you can apply the right fix to restore your website. Let’s go step by step.
How to fix error code 522 – Step-by-step guide?
Error 522 can often be traced back to issues with your hosting server, firewall settings or misconfigured DNS records. The good news? If your website is hosted on a high-performance server with optimized resources, resolving this issue becomes much easier.
For those using a managed WordPress hosting solution, troubleshooting is more streamlined as your hosting provider takes care of key configurations, ensuring better uptime and stability. If you’re using Bluehost, many of these steps can be handled effortlessly with built-in server monitoring, performance optimization and Cloudflare compatibility.
Let’s go through the step-by-step fixes using Bluehost hosting solution.
Step 1: Verify your Bluehost hosting server’s status
Before making changes, check if your origin web server is online and operational. You can do this by:
- Ping your web server from your computer to see if it responds.
- Log into your Bluehost control panel and go to the server status section.
- Use server monitoring tools to check for server downtime or high CPU usage.
- If needed, restart your server or upgrade to a higher hosting plan for more server resources.
If your website’s server is offline, you can contact 24/7 support for quick resolution.
Step 2: Review Cloudflare DNS settings
Your DNS settings must point to the correct IP address assigned by our hosting solution. If Cloudflare has an incorrect IP address, your site will be unreachable.
To check and update this:
- Log in to your Cloudflare account and navigate to the Cloudflare control panel.
- Go to the DNS tab and review Cloudflare DNS settings.
- Ensure that the IP address listed matches your actual web server.
- If an incorrect IP address is found, update it with the right one from your hosting provider.
Step 3: Optimize server response time and resources
A slow server increases the chances of Cloudflare failing to establish a connection. Optimize your server by:
- Checking your server’s CPU and memory usage with our performance dashboard.
- Enabling built-in caching to reduce HTTP requests and improve load times.
- Upgrading to a Bluehost premium hosting plan if your traffic requires more server resources.
Step 4: Whitelist Cloudflare IP addresses in your firewall
Sometimes, firewall settings block Cloudflare traffic, preventing your website from loading. Whitelisting Cloudflare IP addresses in your firewall settings allows a stable connection. To fix this:
- Go to your firewall settings or security plugin.
- Find the IP filtering section and check if Cloudflare’s IP addresses are blocked.
- Add Cloudflare’s IP addresses to your firewall’s whitelist.
Ensure to disable any third-party firewall that might be interfering with Cloudflare.
Step 5: Reduce server load and optimize website performance
Excessive web traffic or Cloudflare requests can overwhelm your origin server, leading to server downtime and slow performance. Improve performance by:
- Enable Bluehost free CDN, Content Delivery Network, to distribute web traffic efficiently.
- Compress and optimize your website files to reduce the load on your server’s CPU.
- Use the KeepAlive feature to maintain stable TCP handshake connections.
Also read: How to Enable Cloudflare CDN
Step 6: Contact support for server-side troubleshooting
If the problem persists, it may require server-side troubleshooting. Bluehost’s 24/7 expert support can help diagnose and fix issues.
When contacting us, ask about:
- Cloudflare configuration compatibility with your hosting plan.
- Apache configuration file settings affecting Cloudflare.
- Firewall settings that may need to be adjusted.
Also read: How to Fix Cloudflare Error 520 – Step-by-Step Guide
How to prevent future error 522 issues?
Fixing error 522 is only half the battle—preventing it from happening again is crucial for maintaining a stable and high-performing website. If you’re using Bluehost, you already have an advantage, thanks to optimized server resources, automatic DNS management and built-in performance tools.
Here’s how you can proactively prevent this issue:
Regularly audit server performance and traffic patterns
One of the main reasons for error 522 connection timed out is an overwhelmed origin server. Monitoring your server resources, CPU usage and memory consumption can help prevent this issue.
Tip: Bluehost’s performance monitoring tools help you analyze your server’s workload and optimize response times.
Read more: Uptime Monitoring
Implement automatic failover and load balancing
Having a single point of failure can make your website vulnerable to server downtime. A load-balanced infrastructure ensures that your site remains online, even if one hosting server experiences issues.
Tip: Our hosting infrastructure is designed to minimize downtime and handle Cloudflare traffic seamlessly.
Review Cloudflare’s security and rate-limiting settings
Cloudflare offers various security features, but aggressive settings can unintentionally block legitimate connection requests and cause Cloudflare error 522.
Tip: Bluehost’s integrated firewall is optimized to work with Cloudflare, ensuring a balanced security approach without disrupting connections.
Stay updated with server and DNS changes
Outdated configurations can lead to connectivity issues. Keeping your web hosting provider’s settings, Apache configuration file and DNS records up to date ensures stable performance.
Tip: Bluehost automatically manages DNS configurations, reducing the risk of misconfigurations that could lead to error 522.
Also read: Common DNS Issues and How to Solve Them
Establish a proactive server maintenance schedule
A well-maintained server is less likely to experience connection failure issues. Conducting regular server audits helps in the early detection of potential bottlenecks.
Tip: We provide automated maintenance features that streamline updates, security patches and performance tuning.
When to contact Bluehost – Your hosting provider?
If error 522 persists despite troubleshooting, contacting Bluehost support is the next step. Here’s when to reach out:
- Server downtime or unresponsiveness: If your origin web server remains inaccessible, we can check for server overload or downtime and restore connectivity.
- Firewall blocking Cloudflare IPs: If you’ve whitelisted Cloudflare IP addresses but still face connection issues, we can help adjust firewall settings and resolve IP filtering conflicts.
- Incorrect DNS settings: If your DNS records aren’t pointing to the correct IP address, we will verify and update them for seamless Cloudflare integration.
- High CPU usage or resource limits: If your site experiences server overload, Bluehost can analyze your server’s CPU usage and suggest upgrades or optimizations.
- SSL certificate issues: Expired or misconfigured SSL certificates can disrupt secure connections. Bluehost provides free SSL certificates with automatic renewal to prevent errors.
If these issues persist, Bluehost’s 24/7 support can diagnose and fix them, ensuring your website remains online and optimized.
Read more: How to Contact Support
Final thoughts
Dealing with error 522 can be frustrating, but with the right steps, you can quickly restore your website. The key is to identify whether the issue stems from your origin web server, Cloudflare configuration or firewall settings.
By following this guide, you can diagnose and fix error code 522 while implementing best practices to prevent it from happening again.
Most importantly, having a reliable hosting provider with optimized server hosting solutions ensures smooth website performance.
If you’re looking for a dependable hosting solution, Bluehost hosting ensures fast server response times and minimal downtime.
Get started today and enjoy a secure connection with a hosting provider that prioritizes performance.
FAQs
Yes, incorrect IP addresses in your DNS records can misroute traffic. Ensure that your DNS settings tab in Cloudflare is correctly configured with the right IP address from Bluehost.
If your server’s CPU usage is too high, it may not process Cloudflare requests in time, causing a connection failure. Upgrading your hosting plan or optimizing server resources can resolve this.
Yes, a third-party firewall can block Cloudflare traffic, leading to a Cloudflare error 522 connection timed out. Ensure your firewall settings allow Cloudflare’s IP addresses and don’t restrict incoming requests.
If your server hosting is experiencing server overload or downtime, all sites on that server may be affected. If you’re on a shared hosting plan, upgrading to Bluehost’s optimized WordPress hosting can improve reliability.
