“My site is down” — a calm checklist
Site not loading? Don’t panic — it’s almost always one of four things, and each has a simple fix. Work down this list in order; stop at the first one that’s broken.
Work down the list
1. Does the domain point here? (DNS)
Test it:
ping yoursite.com # does it show your server's IP?If it shows the wrong IP or “unknown host,” your A record is wrong or not propagated. Fix: set the A record to your server IP (Domains & DNS) and wait.
2. Is the server answering?
If DNS is right but nothing loads, the web service may be down. In OrbixPanel check Services — is nginx running? For an app, is its service running (check its logs)? Fix: restart the service; read the logs for the error.
3. HTTPS warning or no padlock?
If the site loads on http:// but shows “Not secure” or a certificate error, the SSL
certificate is missing or expired.
Fix: Request SSL (SSL) — this needs DNS (step 1)
working first. OrbixPanel auto-renews, so expiry is rare.
4. Wrong page, or 404?
The site loads but shows the wrong thing (a default/placeholder page), or “404 Not Found.”
That’s a files problem — the content isn’t where the server looks.
Fix: make sure your files are directly in the web root (not inside a subfolder) and
there’s an index.html/index.php (Where files go).
Quick extras
- It works for you but not others → DNS propagation; give it time, or you’re seeing a cached version (try an incognito window).
- “Database connection error” (WordPress/PHP) → the app can’t reach its database; check the database exists and the connection details match.
- Site is slow, not down → check Metrics for CPU/memory or a plugin gone wild.
- Still stuck? Open a ticket — include what you see (the exact error) and what you did last (Support).
90% of “my site is down” is DNS (step 1) or files in the wrong place (step 4). Check those two first and you’ll usually be back up in minutes.
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