Detective Work: Diagnosing 500 Errors and Traffic Spikes
Champion Stack Team
·January 22, 2026
A white screen of death is terrifying. But usually, the server tries to tell you exactly what's wrong. You just need to know where to listen.
The "Errors" Icon
In cPanel, click Errors. This displays the last 300 error messages from your website's error log.
[Fri Jan 30 10:00:00 2026] [error] client 1.2.3.4: PHP Parse error: syntax error...
That cryptic line tells you exactly which file and line number caused the crash.
Awstats: Who is visiting?
If your site is slow, check Awstats. Look for IP addresses with unusually high request counts—you might be under a bot attack or just experiencing a viral moment.
Stay informed, stay online. Monitor your success with Champion Stack.
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