HTTP troubleshooting
403 Forbidden
Your uptime monitor detected that the server understood the request but strictly refuses to authorize it. Unlike a 401 error, the server knows exactly who you are, but you simply do not have the permission rights required to view this specific page or resource.
What 403 Status Code Means
- 1.
Permission restriction
The server configuration or file settings are locked down to prevent public access to this folder or file.
- 2.
IP address blocking
The server or a security firewall is blocking our uptime monitor's IP address from connecting to the site.
- 3.
Uptime monitor behavior
Our monitor flagged this because the server actively slammed the door shut instead of loading the website content.
Troubleshooting checklist
- 1.
Check file permissions
Look at the hosting panel to see if the folder or file permissions are set too strictly for public access.
- 2.
Review firewall rules
Check your security plugins, Cloudflare, or server firewall settings to see if they are blocking traffic.
- 3.
Inspect hotlink protection
Verify if the server blocks direct requests to specific files like images or documents from outside links.
- 4.
Examine index file settings
Check if the folder lacks a default index file like index.html or index.php while folder browsing is turned off.
- 5.
Review robots.txt
Check your robots.txt file to see if it is inadvertently blocking the monitoring path.
- 6.
Check Cloudflare WAF rules
Log into Cloudflare and review Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules that might be blocking the monitor's IP address.
- 7.
Verify Cloudflare Bot Fight Mode
Check if Bot Fight Mode is enabled in Cloudflare, which can block automated monitoring requests.
- 8.
Contact your provider
If you cannot identify the blocker, reach out to your hosting or CDN provider with the uptime monitor IP addresses so they can help identify what rule is blocking the request.
Need to Whitelist Our Monitoring IPs?
Allow our monitoring IPs and bots to access your website without restrictions. Contact our team or email us to receive the required IP details and ensure uninterrupted monitoring.
How to Fix It
- 1.
Fix folder permissions
Change your server folder permissions to 755 and file permissions to 644 so the public can read them.
- 2.
Whitelist monitor IPs
Add our uptime monitor IP addresses to your firewall or security plugin safelist so they do not get blocked.
- 3.
Create an index file
Upload a blank or basic index.html file to the folder if you want to stop the server from showing a 403 error.
- 4.
Adjust access control lists
Fix your .htaccess or NGINX configuration files to remove any accidental 'Deny from all' rules.
- 5.
Update robots.txt
Edit your robots.txt file to allow monitoring requests if you found they were being blocked.
- 6.
Disable or adjust Cloudflare WAF rules
Log into Cloudflare, review the WAF rules, and create an exception or whitelist for the uptime monitor IP addresses.
- 7.
Reconfigure Bot Fight Mode
In Cloudflare settings, either disable Bot Fight Mode or configure it to whitelist the monitoring service IP addresses.
- 8.
Work with your provider
Contact Cloudflare support or your hosting provider to get our uptime monitor IP ranges whitelisted in their security policies.
After the Service is Fixed
- 1.
Verify with Uptime Monitor
Confirm that the monitor shows a healthy green status once the server permissions are opened back up.
- 2.
Test from multiple regions
Check if the site loads fine from different places to ensure a local firewall rule isn't causing a sneak block.
- 3.
Audit security systems
Keep a log of your firewall block triggers so you can see if real visitors are accidentally getting locked out too.
- 4.
Review access rules regular
Make it a habit to check your security rules whenever you add new plugins or update your server software.