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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →A GitLab 502 on a VPS usually means the front-end proxy cannot obtain a usable response from GitLab’s application upstream. If the server was just rebooted or GitLab was restarted, wait up to about one minute on a single-core machine: GitLab documents that the instance returns 502 until Puma is ready. If the error persists, check the managed service states, restart the narrowest failed component, and then trace the NGINX → Workhorse → Puma path. A registry-only 502 follows a different troubleshooting branch.
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What a GitLab 502 means on a VPS
HTTP 502 Bad Gateway is a proxy-level response. In a standard Linux-package GitLab installation, the request normally travels through NGINX, GitLab Workhorse, and Puma, which runs the Rails application. A failure at any hand-off can look identical in the browser even though the underlying cause differs.
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| Layer | Role in the request | What a failure can look like |
|---|---|---|
| NGINX | Accepts the client connection and proxies GitLab traffic. | Immediate 502, connection or upstream errors, or an unavailable web endpoint. |
| GitLab Workhorse | GitLab’s smart reverse proxy for resource-intensive and long-running requests; it handles HTTP traffic to and from Rails. | Requests fail even when NGINX itself is running, because Workhorse cannot reach or serve the Rails upstream. |
| Puma | Runs the GitLab Rails application. | Workhorse has no healthy application process to contact, producing an upstream refusal or timeout. |
| Sidekiq | Processes background jobs alongside the web application. | It can be down during startup or a wider service incident; web availability may return only after the full stack settles. |
| PostgreSQL and Redis | Provide database and cache/queue services used by GitLab. | Application processes may fail to initialize or remain unhealthy when dependencies are unavailable. |
The 502 page does not identify which layer failed. Use service status and the affected feature to narrow the problem before changing configuration.
First, determine whether the outage is still starting up
Check what is affected
Open the main GitLab web interface and test the specific operation that reported the error. Record whether the failure affects:
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- the entire web UI;
- Git over HTTP;
- API requests; or
- only container-registry requests.
This distinction matters because the main application and the registry can use different upstreams and configuration. A working GitLab UI with a failing registry should not trigger an indiscriminate restart of every service.
Allow the documented restart interval
After a VPS reboot or a GitLab restart, do not immediately rewrite proxy settings. GitLab states that the instance gives a 502 until Puma is up again, and that a single-core server may take up to a minute for Puma and Sidekiq to restart. Treat a short-lived 502 during that interval as expected startup behavior. If the page remains unavailable after the interval, continue with service checks.
Check the Linux-package service state
These commands apply to a GitLab installation managed by the Linux package. Log in with an account that can use sudo, then run:
sudo gitlab-ctl statusThe output reports the state of managed components, including NGINX, Puma, Workhorse, Sidekiq, PostgreSQL, and Redis. Look for a service marked down, repeatedly restarting, or failing to become ready. A single unhealthy process can explain a 502 while the other services appear normal.
Compare the status output with the scope you observed:
- If NGINX is down, the client may receive a connection failure or an immediate gateway error before the request reaches Workhorse.
- If Workhorse is down, NGINX may be listening but have no healthy proxy target.
- If Puma is down or still starting, Workhorse cannot complete Rails requests.
- If a dependency such as PostgreSQL or Redis is unhealthy, Puma or Sidekiq may fail to initialize correctly.
Status is a point-in-time check. Run it again after any restart and wait for processes to report healthy before testing the site repeatedly.
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Restart the smallest failing scope first
A targeted restart limits disruption and makes the result easier to interpret. Restart the component that status identifies rather than immediately cycling the entire stack.
Restart NGINX only
Use this when NGINX is the component that is stopped or wedged:
sudo gitlab-ctl restart nginxAfter the command completes, check status again:
sudo gitlab-ctl statusThen retry the same URL that produced the 502. If NGINX returns to a healthy state and the error disappears, avoid restarting Puma or the database unnecessarily.
Restart the complete GitLab service set
When several managed services are unhealthy, or when a coordinated restart is appropriate after maintenance, use:
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Use kill only as a last resort
GitLab’s maintenance guidance notes that a stuck component may require gitlab-ctl kill <service> before it can be restarted. This forcibly terminates the named service and can interrupt requests or background work. Use it only when you understand which service is stuck and what work may be lost; follow it with a targeted restart and a fresh status check.
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Trace the NGINX–Workhorse–Puma path
If every service appears up but clients still receive 502, investigate the hand-offs in request order. NGINX should be able to reach Workhorse, and Workhorse should be able to reach Puma/Rails. GitLab describes Workhorse as a smart reverse proxy intended for resource-intensive and long-running requests; it intercepts every HTTP request destined for or emitted from GitLab Rails.
When NGINX is healthy but the application is not
An active NGINX process only proves that the front door is listening. A 502 can remain if Workhorse’s upstream is refusing connections or if Puma has not finished starting. Correlate the states of all three services and inspect their time-correlated logs using the logging method appropriate to your installation. Look for an upstream connection refusal, timeout, or a process repeatedly exiting rather than treating the HTML error page as the diagnosis.
When Puma is repeatedly restarting
Allow the documented startup interval once, then check status again. If Puma never reaches a stable state, the gateway error is a symptom of that application failure, not an NGINX routing problem. Keep the restart scope narrow while you determine whether a dependency or host resource issue is preventing Puma from staying up.
When only long or large requests fail
Because Workhorse handles resource-intensive and long-running Rails requests, a failure limited to those operations still belongs in the Workhorse/Puma branch. Compare a simple page request with the failing operation and correlate the proxy and application states at the same time; do not assume that a successful login proves every upstream path is healthy.
External reverse proxy: permissions, sockets, and trusted proxies
The troubleshooting changes when bundled NGINX is disabled and an external NGINX or Apache instance fronts GitLab. Configuration ownership is then split: the external web server accepts traffic, while GitLab’s generated configuration still defines Workhorse and application endpoints.
| Topology | What you must verify | Who owns the change |
|---|---|---|
| Bundled GitLab NGINX | Managed service status and the internal NGINX → Workhorse path. | GitLab’s package-managed services and gitlab.rb settings. |
| External NGINX | External process permissions, the Workhorse socket or TCP target, and trusted-proxy settings. | Your external web-server configuration plus GitLab’s generated configuration. |
| External Apache | All of the above, with a Workhorse TCP listener when Apache cannot connect to a UNIX socket. | Apache configuration and GitLab’s Workhorse settings. |
Give the external web server the required access
GitLab requires the external web-server user to be configured and to have access through the gitlab-www group. If the proxy reports a permission error while reading the upstream socket or related files, verify the user and group membership before changing application settings. A proxy that cannot read or connect to its upstream will surface a gateway error regardless of Puma’s state.
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Match the upstream transport
NGINX can proxy to the Workhorse UNIX socket normally used by the package. Apache cannot connect to that UNIX socket in the documented setup, so configure a Workhorse TCP listener and point Apache at the matching TCP address. A socket-versus-TCP mismatch produces a persistent 502 even when Workhorse itself is running.
Apply GitLab configuration changes
After editing /etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb for the external proxy, trusted proxies, or Workhorse listener, apply the generated configuration:
sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigureRetest the same endpoint after reconfiguration. Keep one known-good upstream target and change one setting at a time so that a new failure can be attributed to the edit.
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Trusted-proxy settings control how GitLab interprets requests forwarded by the external web server. An incorrect trust configuration can break requests or produce misleading client information even when the upstream connection works. Confirm that the external proxy’s address and forwarding arrangement match the GitLab settings generated from gitlab.rb.
When only the container registry returns 502
A registry-only failure is a separate branch. If the main GitLab UI, Git over HTTP, and API work but image pulls or pushes fail, inspect the registry NGINX configuration and the registry upstream instead of restarting the entire Rails stack.
Check localhost address-family resolution
GitLab documents a failure in which localhost resolves to IPv6 ::1 while the registry is listening on IPv4. In that situation, force the registry listener to IPv4 in /etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb:
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registry['registry_http_addr'] = "127.0.0.1:5000"Apply the setting with:
sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigureThen test a registry request again. This change addresses the documented IPv6-to-IPv4 localhost mismatch; it is not a universal fix for every registry 502.
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GitLab also documents a registry deployment failure involving pushes to Google Cloud Storage and HTTP/2. For that specific scenario, the documented workaround is to disable the HTTP/2 client in the registry process with:
GODEBUG=http2client=0Use this only when your registry deployment matches that GCS push failure. It does not explain a general web-UI 502 and should not be applied solely because the registry endpoint is unavailable.
Account for VPS resource pressure without guessing at the cause
There is no universal percentage or guaranteed repair time for GitLab 502 errors. The cause depends on installation type, reverse-proxy topology, the failing service, and conditions such as host resource pressure. A small VPS may take longer to bring Puma and Sidekiq back after a restart, especially on a single core, but a longer delay alone does not identify the failing component.
Use evidence from the sequence of events:
- A 502 that appears immediately after reboot and clears within the documented startup interval is consistent with normal Puma startup.
- A 502 that remains while one service is down points to that service’s recovery path.
- A 502 limited to one feature points to that feature’s upstream, such as the registry.
- A 502 introduced after moving to an external proxy points first to permissions, socket/TCP targeting, or trusted-proxy configuration.
Avoid claiming that a restart has permanently fixed the problem unless the service remains healthy and the affected request succeeds after the restart. If a component repeatedly fails, preserve the status and log evidence before making broader changes.
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A decision workflow you can repeat
- Classify the failure. Test the web UI, Git over HTTP, API, and registry separately so you know whether the issue is global or feature-specific.
- Check timing. If the host or GitLab was just restarted, allow up to the documented one-minute single-core startup interval before editing configuration.
- Inspect managed state. Run
sudo gitlab-ctl statusand identify services that are down, restarting, or timing out. - Restart narrowly. Use
sudo gitlab-ctl restart nginxfor an NGINX-specific failure; usesudo gitlab-ctl restartonly when a broader restart is justified. - Recheck and retest. Run status again, wait for services to settle, and repeat the exact request that failed.
- Trace the path. If status is healthy but 502 persists, correlate NGINX, Workhorse, and Puma connectivity and logs.
- Validate external-proxy settings. Confirm the web-server user,
gitlab-wwwaccess, Workhorse socket or TCP target, and trusted-proxy configuration; runsudo gitlab-ctl reconfigureafter edits. - Use the registry branch when appropriate. Inspect registry upstreams, apply the documented IPv4 listener setting for the
localhost/::1mismatch, or use the GCS-specific HTTP/2 workaround only when that scenario matches.
What not to assume
- There is no single fix that applies to every GitLab 502 on every VPS.
- A running NGINX process does not prove that Workhorse or Puma is reachable.
- A registry-only 502 does not prove that the Rails application is down.
- A restart that restores service once does not establish a permanent cause.
- GitLab does not publish a universal percentage breakdown of 502 causes or a guaranteed recovery time.
The reliable approach is to identify the failing scope, verify the managed state, restart the smallest affected component, and then follow the actual proxy path. That sequence minimizes downtime while keeping the diagnosis tied to observable evidence.
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