---
title: "Cloudflare Error 522 on WordPress: cause and fix"
description: "Shared WordPress hosts throttle or firewall Cloudflare's IP ranges after a traffic spike, so the TCP handshake to the origin never completes and the edge…"
canonical: "https://lemwatch.com/errors/cloudflare-522/in-wordpress"
source: "https://lemwatch.com"
---

# Cloudflare Error 522 on WordPress

> Shared WordPress hosts throttle or firewall Cloudflare's IP ranges after a traffic spike, so the TCP handshake to the origin never completes and the edge gives up.

## Why it happens on WordPress

 Shared WordPress hosts throttle or firewall Cloudflare's IP ranges after a traffic spike, so the TCP handshake to the origin never completes and the edge gives up.

## The fix on WordPress

 Ask the host to allowlist Cloudflare's published IP ranges, then raise PHP workers or enable a page cache so the origin answers within the 15-second edge timeout.

## If that didn't fix it

 WordPress has its own failure mode, but Cloudflare Error 522 has a wider set of causes. The most common one overall is: The origin firewall silently drops Cloudflare's IP ranges.

 Allowlist Cloudflare's IP ranges with an accept rule, and make sure the default policy does not drop them earlier in the chain.

## Check your own domain

 Probing the origin address directly shows whether it is reachable from outside Cloudflare, which immediately tells you whether the fault is the firewall or the host.

## Frequently asked questions

### Why does Cloudflare Error 522 happen on WordPress?

 Shared WordPress hosts throttle or firewall Cloudflare's IP ranges after a traffic spike, so the TCP handshake to the origin never completes and the edge gives up.

### How do I fix Cloudflare Error 522 on WordPress?

 Ask the host to allowlist Cloudflare's published IP ranges, then raise PHP workers or enable a page cache so the origin answers within the 15-second edge timeout.

### What does Cloudflare Error 522 mean?

 Cloudflare tried to open a connection to the origin and nothing answered before the timeout. Usually a firewall silently dropping Cloudflare's traffic, an overloaded origin, or a wrong origin IP.


## Related

- [All causes of Cloudflare Error 522](https://lemwatch.com/errors/cloudflare-522)
- [All website error codes](https://lemwatch.com/errors)
- [Cloudflare Error 522 on Nginx](https://lemwatch.com/errors/cloudflare-522/in-nginx)
- [Free Uptime & response check](https://lemwatch.com/tools/website-uptime)
- [Cloudflare Error 523: Origin is unreachable](https://lemwatch.com/errors/cloudflare-523)
- [Website monitoring overview](https://lemwatch.com/website-monitoring)