How To Fix This Page Isn't Working Errors in cPanel & Plesk

If you visit a website or use the curl command to check the status of a website and get back an error:

curl -vL --head https://example_domain.tld

"This page isn't working" (HTTP error 500), this typically indicates a server-side issue and there are a number of possible causes for this type of error.

This isn't usually an issue with the cPanel & WHM or Plesk software, but likely an issue with the application or the firewall/security device in front of the server.

Common causes include:

• PHP configuration errors
• .htaccess file misconfiguration
• File permissions issues
• Resource limits exceeded
• Database connection problems
• Missing or corrupt files
• Cache-related issues

Prerequisites

• Access to your cPanel or Plesk control panel
• SSH access to your server (root or sudo privileges)
• Basic understanding of web server configuration
• Backup of your website files and database

Initial Diagnostics

1. Check Error Logs

# Access Apache error logs
tail -f /var/log/apache2/error.log    # Debian/Ubuntu
tail -f /var/log/httpd/error_log      # RHEL/CentOS

# Access PHP error logs
tail -f /var/log/php-fpm/www-error.log

# View domain-specific logs
tail -f /var/log/plesk/error_log

Through control panels:

• cPanel: Navigate to "Metrics" → "Errors"
• Plesk: Navigate to "Websites & Domains" → "Log Browser"

Fixing "ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS" and Login Issues in Plesk

If you're encountering "The page isn't redirecting properly" or "ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS" errors when logging into Plesk, or if websites on the server are displaying "ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE," this guide will walk you through troubleshooting these issues. We’ll also cover possible causes and resolutions, including how to identify Plesk database inconsistencies or a Google Authenticator extension conflict.

Symptoms

Common signs of this issue include:

• Browser Errors: When accessing Plesk, you may see messages such as:
  • "The page isn't redirecting properly"
  • "This page isn’t working - ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS"
• Website Errors: Websites hosted on the server may display "ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE" or produce the following curl error when checked via the command line:

  curl -vL --head https://example_domain.tld

The following error message may appear in the Plesk log (/var/log/plesk/panel.log):

ERR [panel] PleskObjectNotFoundException: Unable to find service node for ip address with id=2
file: /opt/psa/admin/plib/Db/Table/Broker/ServiceNodes.php

Cause

These errors typically stem from:

1. Database Inconsistencies - Inconsistencies in the Plesk database, particularly in the psa.IpAddressesCollections table, may lead to redirect issues or failures to load.
2. Google Authenticator Extension Bug - If the failed page URL relates to Google Authenticator, such as:

   https://203.0.113.2:8443/modules/google-authenticator/index.php/index/auth?return=%2Fcp%2Flicense%2F

   then this issue may be caused by a known bug (Plesk ID PPPM-14096).

Resolution

Fixing Database Inconsistencies

To resolve inconsistencies in the Plesk database, follow these steps:

• Connect to the Server via SSH
  Open a terminal and connect to your Plesk server using SSH:

  ssh [username]@[server_ip]

  Replace [username] with your SSH username and [server_ip] with your server's IP address.
• Run Plesk Database Repair
  Use the following command to repair database inconsistencies:

  plesk repair db -y

  This command will automatically fix common issues in the Plesk database.

Resolving Google Authenticator Extension Bug

If the issue stems from the Google Authenticator extension, you may need to disable it temporarily to restore functionality:

• Disable Google Authenticator
  Temporarily disable the Google Authenticator extension:

  plesk bin extension --disable google-authenticator

• Activate the Plesk License
  Once the extension is disabled, activate your Plesk license through the Plesk panel.
• Re-enable Google Authenticator
  After activating the license, re-enable the extension:

  plesk bin extension --enable google-authenticator

Common Causes and Solutions (Detailed)

# Check current PHP version
php -v

# List available PHP versions
/usr/local/cpanel/scripts/ea-php-cli list

# Check loaded PHP extensions via CLI
php -m

# Enable extension in php.ini (example for curl)
echo "extension=curl" >> /etc/php.d/curl.ini

# Set correct permissions recursively
find /path/to/website -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;
find /path/to/website -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;

# Set ownership
chown -R username:username /path/to/website

# Special cases for writable directories
chmod 775 /path/to/website/cache
chmod 775 /path/to/website/uploads

# Check for corrupted files
find /path/to/website -type f -exec md5sum {} \; > checksums.txt

# Compare with original checksums (if available)
diff checksums.txt original_checksums.txt

# Create file list
find /path/to/website -type f > file_list.txt

# Compare with required files list
comm -23 required_files.txt file_list.txt

# Backup existing .htaccess
cp .htaccess .htaccess.backup

# Create optimized .htaccess
Options -Indexes +FollowSymLinks
RewriteEngine On

# PHP handler configuration
AddHandler application/x-httpd-php .php

# Security headers
Header set X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff"
Header set X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN"
Header set X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block"

# Enable compression

    AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html text/plain text/xml text/css text/javascript application/javascript


# Browser caching

    ExpiresActive On
    ExpiresByType image/jpeg "access plus 1 year"
    ExpiresByType image/png "access plus 1 year"
    ExpiresByType text/css "access plus 1 month"
    ExpiresByType application/javascript "access plus 1 month"

# Real-time resource monitoring
top -c

# Memory usage
free -m

# Disk usage
df -h

# Process list
ps aux | grep httpd

; Optimal settings for most applications
memory_limit = 256M
max_execution_time = 300
upload_max_filesize = 64M
post_max_size = 64M
max_input_vars = 3000

# Clear OpCache via CLI
php -r 'opcache_reset();'

# Clear application cache
rm -rf /path/to/website/cache/*
rm -rf /path/to/website/tmp/*

# Restart services
systemctl restart apache2    # Debian/Ubuntu
systemctl restart httpd      # RHEL/CentOS
systemctl restart php-fpm

Preventive Measures

1. Implement Monitoring

# Install monitoring tools
apt install monit    # Debian/Ubuntu
dnf install monit    # RHEL/CentOS

# Configure basic monitoring
cat << EOF > /etc/monit/conf.d/apache
check process apache with pidfile /var/run/apache2/apache2.pid
    start program = "/etc/init.d/apache2 start"
    stop program  = "/etc/init.d/apache2 stop"
    if cpu > 80% for 5 cycles then alert
    if memory > 200.0 MB for 5 cycles then restart
EOF

2. Regular Maintenance

# Create maintenance script
cat << EOF > /root/maintenance.sh
#!/bin/bash
# Update system
apt update && apt upgrade -y
# Rotate logs
logrotate -f /etc/logrotate.conf
# Clear temporary files
find /tmp -type f -atime +7 -delete
EOF
chmod +x /root/maintenance.sh

Troubleshooting Checklist

PHP version compatibility checked

File permissions verified

File integrity confirmed

.htaccess configuration validated

Resource usage monitored

Cache cleared

Error logs reviewed

Database connectivity tested

When to Contact Support

Document all steps taken and error messages encountered if:

• Error persists after clearing cache/cookies
• Server resource usage remains high
• Database connectivity issues continue
• SSL/TLS problems persist

Contact our support team to determine the cause and the proper solution to take.

Disclaimer: Always test these steps in a development/staging environment first. While this guide is comprehensive, please check the official documentation for your specific software versions, as features and commands may change over time.