What You’ll Learn
- Interpret HTTP status codes from connection tests
- Identify which codes indicate success vs. failure
- Understand common causes for specific error codes
- Determine next steps based on the status code
Prerequisites
- MainWP Dashboard installed and activated
- A child site you’re testing connection to
How to Run a Connection Test
Go to MainWP > Sites > Manage Sites, find the site, and click Test Connection from the site’s action menu. The result displays the HTTP status code returned by the child site server.2xx – Success Codes
These codes indicate the request was received and processed successfully.| Code | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 200 | OK | Standard response for successful HTTP requests |
| 201 | Created | Request has been fulfilled; new resource created |
| 202 | Accepted | Request accepted, processing pending. Note: On SiteGround, this may indicate a captcha challenge blocking MainWP |
| 203 | Non-Authoritative Information | Request processed, information may be from another source |
| 204 | No Content | Request processed, no content returned |
| 205 | Reset Content | Request processed, no content returned, reset the document view |
| 206 | Partial Content | Partial resource return due to the request header |
| 207 | Multi-Status | XML can contain multiple separate responses |
| 208 | Already Reported | Results previously returned |
| 226 | IM Used | Request fulfilled, the response is instance-manipulations |
3xx – Redirection Codes
These codes indicate the request was redirected to another location.| Code | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 300 | Multiple Choices | Multiple options for the resource delivered |
| 301 | Moved Permanently | This and all future requests directed to the given URI |
| 302 | Found | Temporary response to request found via alternative URI |
| 303 | See Other | Permanent response to request found via alternative URI |
| 304 | Not Modified | Resource has not been modified since last requested |
| 305 | Use Proxy | Content located elsewhere, retrieve from there |
| 306 | Reserved | Subsequent requests should use the specified proxy |
| 307 | Temporary Redirect | Connect again to different URI as provided |
| 308 | Permanent Redirect | Resumable HTTP requests |
4xx – Client Error Codes
These codes indicate the request failed due to a client-side issue.| Code | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 400 | Bad Request | Request cannot be fulfilled due to bad syntax |
| 401 | Unauthorized | Authentication is possible but has failed |
| 402 | Payment Required | Payment required, reserved for future use |
| 403 | Forbidden | Server refuses to respond to the request |
| 404 | Not Found | Requested resource could not be found |
| 405 | Method Not Allowed | Request method not supported by that resource |
| 406 | Not Acceptable | Content not acceptable according to the Accept headers |
| 407 | Proxy Authentication Required | Client must first authenticate itself with the proxy |
| 408 | Request Timeout | Server timed out waiting for the request |
| 409 | Conflict | Request could not be processed because of conflict |
| 410 | Gone | Resource is no longer available and will not be available again |
| 411 | Length Required | Request did not specify the length of its content |
| 412 | Precondition Failed | Server does not meet request preconditions |
| 413 | Request Entity Too Large | Request is larger than the server is willing or able to process |
| 414 | Request-URI Too Long | URI provided was too long for the server to process |
| 415 | Unsupported Media Type | Server does not support the media type |
| 416 | Requested Range Not Satisfiable | The client has asked for unprovable portion of the file |
| 417 | Expectation Failed | Server cannot meet requirements of Expect request-header field |
| 422 | Unprocessable Entity | Request unable to be followed due to semantic errors |
| 423 | Locked | Resource that is being accessed is locked |
| 424 | Failed Dependency | Resource that is being accessed is locked |
| 426 | Upgrade Required | Client should switch to a different protocol |
| 428 | Precondition Required | Origin server requires the request to be conditional |
| 429 | Too Many Requests | User has sent too many requests in a given amount of time |
| 431 | Request Header Fields Too Large | Server is unwilling to process the request |
Common 4xx Codes in MainWP
| Code | Likely Cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 403 | Firewall blocking the request | Whitelist your Dashboard IP in the child site’s firewall |
| 404 | MainWP Child plugin not installed or deactivated | Install and activate MainWP Child on the child site |
| 415 | ModSecurity or Imunify360 blocking the request | Add exclusion rule for your Dashboard IP |
| 429 | Rate limiting by host or security plugin | Wait and retry, or whitelist your Dashboard IP |
5xx – Server Error Codes
These codes indicate the request failed due to a server-side issue on the child site.| Code | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 500 | Internal Server Error | Generic error message |
| 501 | Not Implemented | Server does not recognize the method or lacks the ability to fulfill |
| 502 | Bad Gateway | Server received an invalid response from the upstream server |
| 503 | Service Unavailable | Server is currently unavailable |
| 504 | Gateway Timeout | Gateway did not receive a response from the upstream server |
| 505 | HTTP Version Not Supported | Server does not support the HTTP protocol version |
| 506 | Variant Also Negotiates | Content negotiation for the request results in a circular reference |
| 507 | Insufficient Storage | Server is unable to store the representation |
| 508 | Loop Detected | Server detected an infinite loop while processing the request |
| 509 | Bandwidth Limit Exceeded | Hosting bandwidth limit reached |
| 510 | Not Extended | Further extensions to the request are required |
| 511 | Network Authentication Required | Client needs to authenticate to gain network access |
Common 5xx Codes in MainWP
| Code | Likely Cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 500 | PHP error on child site | Enable error logging and check the debug.log file |
| 502 | Proxy or load balancer issue | Contact hosting support |
| 503 | Server overloaded or in maintenance | Wait and retry, or contact hosting support |
| 504 | Request took too long | Increase PHP timeout limits or contact hosting support |
Self-Check Checklist
- Ran connection test and noted the status code
- Identified whether the code indicates success (2xx) or error (4xx/5xx)
- Reviewed common causes for the specific code
- Took appropriate action based on the code meaning
Related Resources
- Troubleshoot Connection Problems - Resolve common connection issues
- How to Enable Error Logging - Debug 500 errors
- Force Reconnection - Re-establish connections