# Fix a 503 "Resource Limit Reached" error
Source: https://docs.webgee.com/en/performance/understanding-and-resolving-the-503-error-resource-limit-reached



Your site returns **503 Service Temporarily Unavailable**, or cPanel reports
"Resource Limit Reached". Applies to shared and reseller hosting.

This is not a server fault. It means your account reached one of its own
resource limits, and requests were refused until usage dropped.

## What the limits are [#what-the-limits-are]

Every cPanel account runs inside its own CloudLinux LVE — effectively a
container with fixed resources, so one busy account cannot slow down everyone
else on the server.

Unless your plan states otherwise:

| Resource        | Limit         |
| --------------- | ------------- |
| CPU             | 1 core        |
| Memory          | 1 GB          |
| Entry processes | 30 concurrent |

Hitting any of these produces a **fault**, and a fault is what the visitor sees
as a 503.

<Callout type="info">
  **Entry processes** is the one that catches people out. It counts requests
  being processed *simultaneously*, not per hour — see
  [Entry processes explained](/en/performance/entry-processes-ep-what-is-an-entry-process).
  A slow page holds its process open longer, so slowness and 503s compound each
  other.
</Callout>

## Find out what is consuming them [#find-out-what-is-consuming-them]

Start here rather than upgrading, because an upgrade masks the symptom of a
runaway plugin rather than fixing it.

1. In cPanel, open **Resource Usage**. It shows which limit was hit and when.
2. If the faults cluster at a particular time, check
   **cPanel → Cron Jobs** — a heavy job on a short schedule is a common cause.
3. Otherwise, trace the requests:
   [Find what is making your site slow](/en/performance/diagnose-slow-site-php-xray).

## Bring usage down [#bring-usage-down]

**Enable caching.** This is the single largest reduction available for most
sites, because a cached page never reaches PHP at all. Start with
[LiteSpeed Cache](/en/hosting/wordpress/how-do-i-install-and-enable-litespeed-cache),
then add [Redis object caching](/en/performance/redis-object-caching-lscache)
for logged-in traffic and the admin area.

**Audit your plugins.** Disable them all, wait a couple of minutes, then
re-enable them one at a time watching Resource Usage. Slow, but it identifies
the culprit conclusively.

**Fix your cron jobs.** WordPress's built-in WP-Cron runs on page load, which is
exactly the wrong behaviour under load — see
[Replace WP-Cron with a real cron job](/en/hosting/wordpress/enhancing-wordpress-performance-disabling-wp-cron-for-faster-load-times).
For anything else, lengthen the interval.

**Check for abnormal traffic.** Bots and scrapers consume the same resources as
customers. If a single country or IP range accounts for most of it, see
[Block countries from visiting your site](/en/security-ssl/how-do-i-block-particular-countries-from-visiting-my-websites).

## If usage is genuinely legitimate [#if-usage-is-genuinely-legitimate]

If the site is busy and the resources are being used properly, the limits can be
raised — that is what the Elastic Cloud plans are for. Open a ticket with your
Resource Usage figures and we will advise.

## Related [#related]

* [Entry processes explained](/en/performance/entry-processes-ep-what-is-an-entry-process)
* [Understanding CloudLinux and LVE limits](/en/performance/understanding-cloudlinux-and-lve-limits-enhancing-server-stability-and-performan)
* [I received an email about LVE / resource usage](/en/performance/i-have-received-an-email-about-lve-resource-usage)