Common issues

Quick fixes for the issues our support team resolves most frequently. Try these before opening a ticket.

DNS and domains

Domain shows "site can't be reached"

Cause: DNS not pointing to OpenHost yet.

Fix:

1. Verify your A record points to the server IP shown in the panel
2. Check propagation at dnschecker.org
3. Allow up to 24 hours if you just changed nameservers
4. Confirm domain is added in Panel → Websites → your site → Domains

www works but root domain doesn't (or vice versa)

Cause: Missing DNS record for one variant.

Fix: Add both records:

DNS changes not taking effect

Cause: You're editing DNS at the wrong provider — or TTL cache hasn't expired.

Fix:

1. Run dig yourdomain.com NS to confirm authoritative nameservers
2. Edit records at whichever nameserver the domain actually uses
3. Lower TTL to 300 before making changes; wait for old TTL to expire

SSL / HTTPS

"Your connection is not private"

Cause: Certificate not yet issued (DNS still propagating or pointing elsewhere).

Fix:

1. Confirm DNS resolves to OpenHost: dig +short yourdomain.com A
2. Remove any leftover _acme-challenge TXT records from old hosts
3. Wait 5–15 minutes after DNS is correct

ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS

Cause: Cloudflare SSL mode set to "Flexible" (creates an HTTPS loop with our origin).

Fix: Cloudflare dashboard → SSL/TLS → change to Full (Strict).

Mixed content warnings (padlock with triangle)

Cause: Some images/scripts still load over http://.

Fix:

1. Open browser Console (F12) — note the offending URLs
2. Run a search-replace in WordPress: http://yourdomain.com → https://yourdomain.com
3. Check theme settings and hardcoded URLs in custom CSS/JS

See SSL certificates guide for detailed steps.

Email

WordPress not sending emails

Cause: Port 25 is blocked by design to prevent spam abuse.

Fix: Install and configure WP Mail SMTP with a relay provider:

Emails going to spam

Cause: Missing SPF/DKIM/DMARC records for your sending domain.

Fix:

1. Add SPF TXT record including your SMTP provider's servers
2. Add DKIM CNAME/TXT record from your provider
3. Add DMARC: v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com
4. Test with mail-tester.com — aim for 9+/10

Contact form submissions not received

Cause: WP Mail SMTP not configured, or "From" address domain doesn't match SPF.

Fix:

1. Configure SMTP (above)
2. Set "From email" to an address on your verified domain
3. Check spam folder — many providers quarantine first-time senders

WordPress

White screen of death (WSOD)

Cause: PHP fatal error (usually a plugin conflict or memory limit).

Fix:

1. Enable debug: add define('WP_DEBUG', true); to wp-config.php via File Manager
2. Check the error (usually names the offending plugin/theme)
3. Disable the plugin via File Manager: rename wp-content/plugins/plugin-name/ to plugin-name.disabled/
4. If theme-related: switch to a default theme by renaming the active theme folder

502 Bad Gateway on wp-admin

Cause: PHP memory limit too low, or a plugin consuming all memory.

Fix:

1. Panel → PHP settings → memory_limit → increase to 256M or 512M
2. Disable heavy plugins (page builders, WooCommerce at scale) temporarily to isolate
3. Check if cron or a background process is stuck

Can't log into wp-admin (lost password)

Fix options:

1. Panel → Websites → your site → WordPress → Reset admin password
2. Use the "Lost password" email reset (requires SMTP configured)
3. Via database manager: update wp_users table, set user_pass = MD5 hash of new password

Permalinks broken (404 on all pages except home)

Cause: .htaccess rules not generated, or wrong server configuration.

Fix: Go to Settings → Permalinks → Save (without changing anything). This regenerates the rewrite rules.

Performance

Site is slow (high TTFB)

Cause: Caching disabled, PHP too old, or plan resources maxed out.

Fix (in priority order):

1. Enable LiteSpeed Cache (one toggle in panel or wp-admin)
2. Upgrade to PHP 8.2+ (one click in panel)
3. Check Panel → Metrics: if CPU/RAM is consistently at limit, upgrade plan
4. Disable unused plugins (each adds PHP execution time)
5. Compress images with ShortPixel or LiteSpeed Cache image optimization

"Resource limit reached" error

Cause: Site exceeding plan's CPU, RAM, or concurrent connection limits.

Fix:

1. Panel → Metrics → identify the spike
2. Enable caching to reduce server-side processing
3. Upgrade plan for more resources
4. For WooCommerce: disable cart fragments on non-shop pages

Images loading slowly

Fix:

1. Install an image optimization plugin (or use LiteSpeed Cache → Image Optimization)
2. Enable lazy loading (loads images only as they scroll into view)
3. Use WebP format (LiteSpeed Cache auto-converts)
4. Resize images before upload (don't upload 4000px photos for a 800px display)

VPS-specific

SSH connection refused

Cause: Firewall blocking port 22, or SSH service not running.

Fix:

1. Check firewall rules in panel or via firewall-cmd --list-all
2. Verify SSH is running: Panel → Services, or systemctl status sshd
3. Try connecting with verbose logging: ssh -vvv root@your-ip

Disk full

Cause: Log files, Docker images, or old backups consuming space.

Fix:

1. Check: df -h and du -sh /var/log/* | sort -rh | head
2. Clean old logs: journalctl --vacuum-time=7d
3. Prune Docker: docker system prune -af
4. Remove old backup archives if stored locally

Still stuck?

Open a support ticket with:

• Your domain name
• Plan ID (visible in client area)
• What you already tried
• Screenshots of any error messages

This saves a round trip and gets you a faster answer.

Related docs

• FAQ
• Custom domain guide
• SSL certificates
• WordPress hosting