Azure website offline due to "http error 500"

Question

My webshop has been offline for a few days due to an "http error 500". I use Azure, and despite efforts, we have not been able to detect the underlying issue. This error has not occurred before and doesn't have any identifiable triggers. The developer can't find the cause, and I'm unable to submit a ticket since I don't know how to describe the problem accurately. Can anyone help me diagnose and fix the issue?

Answer 1

Hi, You should be able to open a MS Support case, and just state the problem is Error 500, and unable to access website.

As part of the support case, you can give them access to the diagnostics settings.

There will be logs, and you can stream them as the event occurs: Stream logs

Also don't underestimate the App Service diagnostics tool.

Do you have Application Insights setup?

Answer 2

@Antoine

Thanks for asking question!

To elaborate-

500s normally mean something occurred that prevented your application from loading. For HTTP error 500 it's a generic error message, so it can be difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of the issue. However, there are a few things you can try to diagnose and fix the issue.

First, you can check the logs for your webapp to see if there are any error messages that might give you a clue as to what's causing the issue.

You can access the logs by going to your webapp in the Azure portal, clicking on "App Service logs" under the "Monitoring" section, and then selecting "Application Logging (Filesystem)" and "Detailed Error Messages". Once you've enabled logging, you can download the logs and look for any error messages.

If you're still unable to identify the issue, you can try the following troubleshooting steps:

1. Restart your webapp: Sometimes, simply restarting your webapp can resolve the issue. You can do this by going to your webapp in the Azure portal, clicking on "Restart" under the "Overview" section.
2. Check your web.config file: The web.config file contains configuration settings for your webapp. If there's an error in the web.config file, it can cause HTTP error 500. You can check your web.config file by going to your webapp in the Azure portal, clicking on "Advanced Tools" under the "Development Tools" section, and then selecting "Go". This will take you to the Kudu console, where you can navigate to the "wwwroot" folder and open the web.config file to check for any errors.
3. Check your application code: If there's an error in your application code, it can cause HTTP error 500.
4. You can check your application code by going to your webapp in the Azure portal, clicking on "Advanced Tools" under the "Development Tools" section, and then selecting "Go". This will take you to the Kudu console, where you can navigate to the "wwwroot" folder and examine your application code for any errors.

You may refer to: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/app-service/overview-diagnostics

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/app-service/troubleshoot-http-502-http-503

Please let us know if you have any questions or issue remains.