509 Bandwidth Limit Exceeded
509 is not registered with IANA. It is used by hosting control panels such as cPanel and by Apache bandwidth-limiting modules to block a site until its bandwidth quota resets or is raised.
A non-standard code shown by some shared hosts when a site has used up its bandwidth allowance.
509 is an unofficial status code used by hosting providers. It is not part of the HTTP standard or the IANA registry.
What HTTP 509 Bandwidth Limit Exceeded Means
A non-standard code shown by some shared hosts when a site has used up its bandwidth allowance.
509 is not registered with IANA. It is used by hosting control panels such as cPanel and by Apache bandwidth-limiting modules to block a site until its bandwidth quota resets or is raised.
Common Causes
- The hosting plan's monthly bandwidth quota is used up
- A traffic spike from a popular post, bot traffic, or a scraper
- Large files (video, downloads, images) served directly from the host
- Other sites hotlinking your images or files
How to Fix It (For Visitors)
- Try again later - the limit usually resets at the start of the billing period
- Let the site owner know the site is down
How to Fix It (For Developers/Admins)
- Check bandwidth usage in your hosting control panel and raise the limit or upgrade the plan
- Put a CDN in front of the site to serve static files from cache
- Move large media to object storage or a video host
- Block abusive bots and enable hotlink protection
Frequently Asked Questions
What does HTTP 509 Bandwidth Limit Exceeded mean?
509 is not registered with IANA. It is used by hosting control panels such as cPanel and by Apache bandwidth-limiting modules to block a site until its bandwidth quota resets or is raised. In short: A non-standard code shown by some shared hosts when a site has used up its bandwidth allowance.
Is 509 an official HTTP status code?
No. 509 is not registered in the IANA HTTP Status Code Registry; it is specific to hosting providers. A client that receives an unrecognized status code treats it like the generic 500 code of its class.
How do I fix a 509 Bandwidth Limit Exceeded error?
Check bandwidth usage in your hosting control panel and raise the limit or upgrade the plan. Put a CDN in front of the site to serve static files from cache. Move large media to object storage or a video host.
Specification Status
509 Bandwidth Limit Exceeded is not an official HTTP status code. It is not registered in the IANA HTTP Status Code Registry and is specific to hosting providers. Other servers and clients may not recognize it.