This guide helps you troubleshoot situations where your site is not accessible when using Pressidium EDGE.

A site may be inaccessible because of DNS issues, SSL certificate problems, EDGE configuration issues, firewall or WAF blocks, network restrictions, or slow origin responses. Use this guide to identify the most likely cause and decide what to check next.

Symptoms

Common signs that a site is not accessible include:

  • Site not loading: The site does not load in the browser.
  • Connection timeout: The browser or client reports a timeout.
  • DNS not resolving: The domain does not resolve to an expected value.
  • Server not responding: The site cannot complete the request.
  • Access denied: The request is blocked or denied.
  • SSL warning: The browser shows a certificate or HTTPS warning.
  • Intermittent access: The site works from some networks or locations but not others.

Common causes

DNS issues

Issue: DNS is not configured correctly, has not propagated yet, or is resolving to the wrong destination.

Solutions:

  • Check DNS records: Confirm that the domain has the expected A or CNAME records.
  • Verify DNS resolution: Use dig, nslookup, or an online DNS checker to confirm what the domain resolves to publicly.
  • Check DNS propagation: If the records were changed recently, compare results from multiple DNS resolvers or locations.
  • Review DNS configuration: Confirm that the root domain and www version are both configured as needed.
  • Wait for propagation: Recent DNS changes may take time to update across DNS resolvers and caches.

See: DNS Configuration Problems for detailed DNS troubleshooting.

SSL certificate issues

Issue: The domain resolves correctly, but HTTPS access fails because the SSL certificate is missing, invalid, expired, not active yet, or does not match the domain.

Solutions:

  • Check certificate status: Confirm that SSL is active for the affected domain.
  • Verify certificate coverage: Make sure the certificate covers the exact hostname being accessed, such as example.com or www.example.com.
  • Check certificate activation: If the domain was added or changed recently, SSL provisioning may still be in progress.
  • Review SSL configuration: Confirm that the correct certificate is installed and assigned where needed.
  • Retest after DNS is correct: SSL validation may fail if the domain is still pointing to the wrong destination.

See: SSL Troubleshooting for SSL troubleshooting.

EDGE configuration issues

Issue: The site, domain, origin, or route is not configured correctly in Pressidium EDGE.

Solutions:

  • Check the site in the Dashboard: Confirm that the site exists in the selected EDGE account.
  • Verify domain assignment: Confirm that the affected domain is attached to the correct site.
  • Review origin configuration: Make sure EDGE can route traffic to the intended origin.
  • Review recent changes: Check whether the issue started after a DNS, SSL, origin, cache, routing, or firewall change.
  • Test after changes: After updating configuration, retest the domain from a browser and an external HTTP checker.

WAF or firewall blocking

Issue: A firewall rule, WAF rule, security setting, IP block, country restriction, or bot protection setting is blocking legitimate access.

Solutions:

  • Check WAF status: Confirm whether WAF or security protections are enabled for the site.
  • Review firewall rules: Check custom rules, IP restrictions, country restrictions, bot protection, and recent security changes.
  • Review available logs: Look for blocked requests matching the affected IP address, URL, user agent, or request pattern.
  • Allowlist trusted traffic if needed: Allowlist only known and trusted IP addresses or request patterns.
  • Adjust rules carefully: Update only the rule causing the legitimate request to be blocked.

See: Site Blocked by WAF for WAF troubleshooting.

Origin or server response issues

Issue: EDGE can receive the request, but the origin server or application is unavailable, slow, or unable to complete the response.

Solutions:

  • Check origin reachability: Confirm that the origin is online and accepting requests.
  • Review server response time: Check whether the origin is slow, overloaded, or returning delayed responses.
  • Review application issues: Check for PHP errors, database issues, plugin problems, or recent deployments.
  • Check resource usage: Look for high CPU, memory, database, or PHP worker usage.
  • Review traffic spikes: Sudden traffic increases may expose origin performance issues.

Diagnostic steps

Step 1: Check DNS resolution

Start by confirming that the affected domain resolves to the expected destination.

Testing methods:

  • DNS lookup: Run dig example.com A or nslookup -type=A example.com for an A record.
  • CNAME lookup: Run dig www.example.com CNAME if the hostname uses a CNAME record.
  • Multiple resolvers: Compare results using different resolvers, such as 1.1.1.1 and 8.8.8.8.
  • Browser test: Open the domain in a browser and check whether the result matches the DNS lookup.
  • Propagation check: Use an online DNS propagation checker if DNS was changed recently.

The result should match the expected DNS values shown in Pressidium EDGE.

Step 2: Check site status in EDGE

Open the site in the Pressidium Dashboard and review the site-level configuration.

Check:

  • The site exists in the selected EDGE account.
  • The affected domain is attached to the correct site.
  • DNS setup does not show an unresolved configuration issue.
  • SSL is active or provisioning as expected.
  • The origin configuration is correct.
  • Recent configuration changes did not introduce a routing, firewall, cache, or SSL issue.

Step 3: Test connectivity

Test whether the issue affects only your network or is visible from other locations.

Testing methods:

  • Browser access: Open the site in a browser and note the exact error.
  • Private window: Try a private or incognito browser window to rule out browser cache or extension issues.
  • Different browser: Test with another browser.
  • Different network: Test from a mobile network, another office network, or a VPN-disabled connection.
  • Command-line request: Run curl -I https://example.com to check whether the site returns an HTTP response.
  • External checker: Use an external HTTP or uptime checker to test from another location.

Step 4: Review error messages

Collect the exact error details before making changes.

What to check:

  • Browser error message
  • Affected URL
  • HTTP status code, if shown
  • Timeout message, if shown
  • SSL or certificate warning, if shown
  • Whether the issue affects HTTP, HTTPS, or both
  • Whether the issue affects the root domain, www, or both
  • Whether the issue affects all users or only specific networks, regions, or IPs

Solutions

Fix DNS issues

  1. Review DNS records: Confirm that the required A or CNAME records exist.
  2. Verify record values: Make sure the DNS values match the expected values shown in Pressidium EDGE.
  3. Check active nameservers: Confirm that you are editing DNS records at the active DNS provider.
  4. Remove conflicts: Remove duplicate, stale, or conflicting records for the same hostname.
  5. Wait for propagation if needed: If the records were changed recently, allow time for DNS propagation.
  6. Test resolution again: Recheck the domain with DNS lookup tools.

Fix SSL issues

  1. Check the certificate: Confirm that a valid SSL certificate is active for the affected domain.
  2. Verify hostname coverage: Make sure the certificate covers the exact hostname being accessed.
  3. Review SSL settings: Confirm that the correct certificate is installed or assigned.
  4. Check DNS first: SSL provisioning may not complete if DNS is incorrect.
  5. Wait for activation if needed: If the domain or certificate was recently added, SSL activation may still be in progress.
  6. Retest HTTPS access: Open the site again using https://.

Fix EDGE configuration issues

  1. Check site setup: Confirm that the site exists in the selected EDGE account.
  2. Review domain assignment: Confirm that the affected domain is attached to the correct site.
  3. Verify origin configuration: Confirm that traffic is routed to the intended origin.
  4. Review recent changes: Check recent DNS, SSL, cache, origin, firewall, or routing changes.
  5. Save and retest: After making changes, test the site again from your browser and an external checker.

Fix WAF or firewall blocking

  1. Review blocked requests: Check available security or firewall logs for matching blocked requests.
  2. Review WAF rules: Check custom rules, managed rules, country restrictions, bot protection, and IP blocks.
  3. Confirm the traffic is legitimate: Do not allowlist unknown or suspicious traffic.
  4. Allowlist trusted IPs or paths if needed: Allowlist only known IP addresses, URLs, or request patterns.
  5. Adjust rules carefully: Change the specific rule causing the block instead of disabling broad protection.
  6. Retest access: Confirm that legitimate access is restored.

Fix origin or server response issues

  1. Check origin availability: Confirm that the origin server or application is online.
  2. Check application health: Review recent errors, deployments, plugin changes, theme changes, or database issues.
  3. Review performance: Check for slow responses, high resource usage, or traffic spikes.
  4. Reduce origin load: Review caching, heavy dynamic requests, and uncached traffic.
  5. Contact Support: Contact Pressidium Support if the origin appears reachable but the site remains inaccessible through EDGE.

Network troubleshooting

Connection testing

Use network tests to identify where the request fails.

Tools:

  • Ping: Use ping example.com to confirm the domain resolves, where ICMP is allowed.
  • Traceroute: Use traceroute example.com on macOS/Linux or tracert example.com on Windows to check the network path.
  • HTTP request: Use curl -I https://example.com to check whether the site returns HTTP headers.
  • DNS lookup: Use dig or nslookup to check the public DNS result.
  • External testing tools: Use uptime monitors or HTTP checkers to test from other locations.

Ping and traceroute results can help identify network behavior, but they do not always prove whether a website is working. Some networks block ICMP traffic.

Firewall issues

Issue: A firewall or network restriction blocks access before the request reaches the site.

Solutions:

  • Check local firewall rules: Review firewall, antivirus, corporate network, VPN, and proxy restrictions.
  • Review EDGE firewall rules: Check whether WAF, IP restrictions, country restrictions, or custom rules are blocking the request.
  • Test from another network: Try a mobile network or another ISP to compare results.
  • Allowlist trusted IPs if needed: Allowlist only trusted IP addresses after confirming the traffic is legitimate.

Best practices

Site monitoring

  • Monitor site availability: Use uptime monitoring to detect accessibility issues early.
  • Set up alerts: Configure alerts for downtime, repeated errors, or abnormal response times.
  • Run regular checks: Test important domains after DNS, SSL, firewall, cache, or origin changes.
  • Document issues: Record when issues started, what changed, and what resolved them.
  • Track recurring patterns: Look for repeated issues by time, location, IP range, or request path.

Prevention

  • Keep DNS configuration clean: Remove stale records and avoid duplicate or conflicting records.
  • Monitor SSL status: Renew or replace certificates before they expire.
  • Review EDGE configuration regularly: Confirm domains, origins, SSL, cache, and firewall settings.
  • Test configuration changes: Retest the site after DNS, SSL, firewall, origin, plugin, theme, or deployment changes.
  • Avoid unnecessary repeated DNS changes: Repeated DNS changes can make troubleshooting harder while propagation is still in progress.

Troubleshooting checklist

  • [ ] Tested the site in a browser
  • [ ] Tested from another browser or private window
  • [ ] Tested from another network or device
  • [ ] Checked DNS resolution
  • [ ] Compared DNS results across multiple resolvers
  • [ ] Verified the site exists in the correct EDGE account
  • [ ] Verified the domain is attached to the correct site
  • [ ] Checked SSL certificate status
  • [ ] Reviewed WAF and firewall settings
  • [ ] Checked available security or firewall logs
  • [ ] Tested connectivity with curl
  • [ ] Reviewed the exact browser or client error message
  • [ ] Reviewed recent DNS, SSL, firewall, cache, origin, or deployment changes
  • [ ] Contacted Pressidium Support if the issue persists

When to contact Support

Contact Pressidium Support when:

  • The site is completely inaccessible
  • The issue affects multiple users, regions, or networks
  • DNS and SSL appear correct but the site still does not load
  • You cannot identify the cause
  • WAF or firewall changes do not resolve the issue
  • The origin appears reachable but the site is still unavailable through EDGE
  • You need help with urgent or advanced diagnostics

When contacting Support, include:

  • Site URL
  • Affected domain or hostname
  • Exact error message
  • Screenshot of the error, if available
  • DNS provider
  • Current DNS records
  • Approximate time of recent DNS or configuration changes
  • Whether the issue is constant or intermittent
  • Networks, regions, or users affected
  • Steps already taken
  • Urgency level

Where to go next