Why and How to Fix Proxy Timeout?

When you’re surfing the web in peace, anything that comes in your way makes you annoyed. For example; the proxy timeout error, that suddenly appears on the screen and ruins your mood. The proxy timeout error message appears on the screen when the proxy has timed out due to some reason. Most people don't have any idea about what has happened, and they are just unable to solve the issue. If you want to know why the proxy timeout occurs and want to fix the problem, read more of this post.

What is a proxy timeout?

When you're using a proxy for web surfing, it is communicating your request to the server by sending and receiving the information. When you enter the web address in the browser, the proxy submits the request and waits for a particular period. When it doesn't get the response for that specific period, it times out. This is called a proxy timeout and the time it takes to show up on the screen depends on the type and quality of the browser you're using. A proxy timeout is a good thing because it indicates that there is no need to wait for a particular website or video to load otherwise you'll have to wait forever to know the result.

Why does a proxy timeout occur?

A proxy timeout appears as a message on the page of the browser, and there is no reason stated for that except for an error code. This gets even more annoying as you don’t know the reason why the proxy timed out. When such a problem arises, everyone wants to fix it as soon as possible. To fix the problem, you must first understand the reasons that cause the proxy to timeout. Following are the reasons:

The website is not working:

Sometimes it's not just about the proxy; it can also occur when the site is down. If you get a proxy timeout message, you must try another site. If you're easily able to access another website, it means that there was a problem with that particular website which you were accessing. When this is the reason for a proxy timeout you’ll get a ‘503 service unavailable’ message.

Faulty internet connection:

The proxy timeout error can also occur due to a bad internet connection. You can do a diagnostic test to check whether it's your connection's fault or not. You can do this by going to the network settings and monitoring the status there.

An incorrect URL:

When there is a mistake on the client's side, that is you; you'll get a ‘408 Request Timeout' message. If you get this message, you should go to the browser bar and type the web address completely. However, this proxy timeout message can also occur when you don’t have permission to access the website due to any reason.

The server is down:

When the server is down, you’ll get an error code of ‘5XX Server Error'. This error indicates that there is some problem at the back end and the server is unable to respond to the request of the client. This issue occurs typically when there is a network error among the servers.

The server didn't get a response:

The proxy server acts as a gateway to connect the client to another server. When the proxy server doesn’t get any timely response from another server, it gives an error message ‘504 Gateway Timeout’. This happens when the request is not completed.

Server overload:

When there are too many requests, the server overloads and gets crashed. When this happens, you get an error message ‘502 Bad Gateway’. However, the 502 error codes can also occur due to other reasons such as network issues, poor programming in the code of the website, and a firewall blocking the contact, to name some.

How to fix the proxy timeout error:

If you want to set the proxy timeout issue, you can easily have it done using the following listed methods. However, it is imperative to implement a particular way according to the error code that appears on the screen.

Fixing the client-side issues:

When you have found out that the problem is from the client's side, which is you; it can be quickly fixed. Fortunately, this is the easier one as you can perform a series of things to get rid of the error and continue your browsing safely. You can try these things to avoid the proxy timeout error again:

Update the web browser. Sometimes the old browsers lack the features and can make it difficult for you to connect to a website.
Run a PC cleanup. When the PC is being sluggish, it causes difficulties for the proxy to complete the request. A PC cleanup will help in this regard.
Use a different browser. Browsers differ from each other in functioning and response, and if a certain one is not responding, you should choose another one for surfing.
Clear the browser’s cache or delete the browser’s cookies.
Refresh the page or start a new browser session.
Restart the computer or restart the network equipment.
Check the proxy server settings and make sure they are correct.
Change the DNS servers.
Clean out the available add-ons, because sometimes they can cause lag issues too.

Fixing the server-side issues:

If the problem is from the server-side, you’ll have to perform these steps to correct the timeout error:

Increase the web timeout settings. You can do this in Chrome by going to the settings > show advanced settings > Network > Change Proxy Settings.
Do a traceroute or ping to identify the path where there are issues. You can run a traceroute from the origin server to the IP so that the communication issues can be determined.
Check the firewall logs to make sure there are no errors.
Use a DNS test tool and check if their Fully Qualifying Domain Name (FQDN) is resolving correctly or not.