Internal Server Error

A generic error meaning the server hit an unexpected condition.

500 Internal Server Error is the server's way of saying 'something broke and I don't have a more specific code'. It's a catch-all for unhandled exceptions, failed database calls, misconfiguration, and bugs. The useful detail is in the server logs, not the response - the client usually can't fix a 500 on its own.

What 500 looks like on the wire

GET /api/orders HTTP/1.1
Host: api.example.com

HTTP/1.1 500 Internal Server Error
Content-Type: text/html
Connection: close

About 5xx Server Error

The server failed to fulfill a valid request. The problem is on the server side, not the client.

How to fix 500 Internal Server Error

Check the server logs and stack trace for the real error.
Look for a recent deploy or config change that lines up with it.
Reproduce locally with the same input to find the failing code path.
Confirm dependencies (database, cache, downstream APIs) are healthy.

Where it's defined

500 Internal Server Error is defined in RFC 9110 §15.6.1. MDN's 500 reference covers browser behavior and examples.