Are you struggling with Cloudflare error 522 connection timed out? We can help you.

The most common reasons for this error are overloaded servers, IP blocks, bad server settings, etc.

At Bobcares, we often get requests to fix Cloudflare errors as part of our Server Management Services.

To know how we fix this Cloudflare error, read on.

Reasons for Cloudflare error 522 connection timed out

Cloudflare helps to improve the security and performance of websites. When a user visits the site, he will be sent to one of the Cloudflare servers instead of the actual site server.

However, improper communication between the Cloudflare server and the origin web server results in Cloudflare error 522 connection timed out.

It happens when the Cloudflare server cannot establish a TCP connection to the origin web server.

There are many reasons for this 522 Cloudflare error. A few among them are:

• Cloudflare’s IP address blocked in .htaccess file, firewall, etc.
• Some WordPress Plugins.
• WHM or cPanel firewalls blocking the connections.
• Overloaded or offline origin web server.
• Mismatch of IP address in the Cloudflare DNS app.
• Disabling keepalive in the origin web server.

Now let’s see how our Support Engineers fix this Cloudflare error.

How we fix Cloudflare error 522?

When our customers approach us with this error, we check for the possible causes and fix them. Let’s see a few instances here.

1. Unblock the Cloudflare IP

One of the main reasons for the connection timeout error is, blocking the Cloudflare’s IP by the firewall or other filtering applications.

Sometimes, the IP will be blocked in the .htaccess file too. Therefore, our Support Engineers make sure to whitelist the Cloudflare IP addresses.

2. Conflict with WordPress plugins

Sometimes, WordPress plugins may be a threat to the server and create more queries than required. Therefore, the corresponding database gets overwhelmed and causes a high load on the server.

So, we check which plugin is affecting the speed of the connection. Also, we remove the plugin and suggest a suitable plugin with the same features.

3. Firewall in cPanel

cPanel is commonly used among Internet owners as a popular control panel. In cPanel, we can set up the number of connections that can access the server. Therefore, if it is set up wrongly, the Cloudflare 522 error shows up.

Then, our Support Engineers check the firewall settings and modify it to limit the rate of connections.

4. Overloaded or offline origin web server

Too many requests to a server may cause a high server load and result in a server crash. This can lead to a connection timeout error when anyone is trying to access the resources.

Hence, we check the server load and take appropriate measures.

5. Mismatch in DNS settings

Similarly, improper DNS settings in a server can end up in error. If the IP forwarding in DNS settings is not correct, we correct it to fix the error.

6. Enable keepalive

To maintain an established connection Cloudflare uses keepalive header. If someone has disabled this in the configuration, it can lead to a connection timeout error. In such cases, we check such settings and make necessary changes.

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Conclusion

In short, the main reasons for Cloudflare error 522 connection timed out are overloaded server, IP block, bad server settings, etc. Today, we saw how our Support Engineers fix these errors.