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The 405 Method Not Allowed error in WordPress occurs when the web server is configured in a way that does not allow performing a specific action for a particular website URL. It’s an HTTP response status code that shows that the request method is known by the server but it is not supported by the target resource. As a WordPress website user, there is a significant interdependence between you, your CMS (WordPress Configuration in this case), your web host, and other third-party services. If someone comes across an error page on your website, they are bound to get aggravated and will leave right away.
In this article, you will learn how to fix or resolve the HTTP error 405 method not allowed on wordpress. You just need to simply follow the steps mentioned below 🙂
This can happen because of WordPress Update, new plugin installation or Server Configuration Settings changes.
Like the 404 page not found error, 500 internal server error or error establishing database connection. 405 method not allowed error WordPress is another common problem that most WordPress users face at some point.
All this can result in lost engagement and will hamper sales as well. Out of a plethora of error codes, one particularly common error you should be wary of is the “405 Method Not Allowed” message”. But, you don’t need to be worried sick as you can fix 405 method not allowed error with a little effort and patience.
In this post, we will walk you through what is 405 Method Not Allowed error, how it can appear, and an extensive list of things on how to solve http status 405 method not allowed when calling web services.
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While maintaining a website, you have to come across lots of hardships and you are going to stuck with some or the other issue. Speaking of issues, you may have to face link breaks, website going down, or pages loading slowly. Now, you may be thinking that these are pretty common issues, but wait, if you ignore them, it may result in poor user experience.
Alas, it is quite unfortunate that some problems are quite tricky to fix, for instance, this is an HTTP response status showing that a web browser has demanded access to one of the pages of your website.
In this case, your web browser has accepted and identified the request but has turned down the particular HTTP method it is using. Practically speaking, the browser is not able to access the page it asked for. Visitors of your website will be encountered with an error page instead of the content they were looking for.
Keep in mind that 405 Method Not Allowed error and 404 Not Found errors are not the same and they both are significantly different from each other. A 404 Not Found error means the server was unable to find the requested resource and it is, generally, the result of an incorrect URL address.
On the other hand, a 405 Method Not Allowed error means that the requested resource is valid and does exist; however, the HTTP request method used by the browser is not received by your web server.
You will see an HTTP 405 method not allowed error in the form we have discussed above, different browsers, web servers, and operations systems have their unique ways to present in varied ways. The actual cause of the issue also tends to differ from server to server, this will also change the way the method not allowed 405 error appears.
You may come across the HTTP error code 405 method not allowed in the following variations –
Regardless of their appearance, what makes 405 error intricate is the fact that it can be difficult to solve. This is because it lets you know that something has gone wrong, but they will not tell you about the reason behind the issue. Generally, you will have to do all the research to find the root cause and repair it, if possible.
Let us put the definition of 405 Method Not Allowed error into perspective – HTTP delineate set of methods that bespeak viable actions that can be carried out on the webserver that is being contacted. For instance, this comprises of the following methods –
Entirely depending on the goal of the web server, its administrator will organize it to adopt particular methods or ignore others. For instance – if a particular website lacks interactive content, it hardly makes any sense to let the POST method on the web server. In case, this method is not permitted and a client has contacted the server using a POST request, there will be an error 405 method not allowed post, notifying the browser that there is no permission for the method.
As we have discussed above that according to Error Message: 405 Method Not Allowed, the user requests from the server, a valid resource with an invalid HTTP method. This is exactly why the technical error lies on the client-side – from the server’s perspective, the client made the wrong request.
Let us now discuss some of the common scenarios that will activate the issue –
Before we go ahead and discuss how to fix error 405 method not allowed, make sure you backup WordPress database. When you tinker with your WordPress settings, there are chances that you may accidentally screw-up and backup and restore WordPress database will keep your mind calm and composed as you work through the issue.
You can use a plugin to backup your website or you can ask your WordPress hosting provider to create a copy on a secondary server or use any other method of your choice to fix the 405 method not allowed error issue.
Once, you have done that, you can move ahead with the troubleshooting process. We have compiled an exhaustive list of methods with the 2-minute guide to fixing HTTP error 405 (method not allowed) that will help you fix the issue once and for all.
If you are clueless as to how did you come across HTTP Error 405 Method Not Allowed, then you should first have a look at the software components that are accountable for responding to HTTP requests.
Generally, this is taken care of by the web server. However, if the method is not enabled, a pre-connected Proxy or HTTP handler can also be blamed for the issue. Since the configuration of each application is different, it is important that you first ascertain how the activation or deactivation of the HTTP methods functions for each software.
One of the common causes of a 405 Method Not Allowed error is to input the wrong URL. Nowadays, most of the web servers incorporate tight security measures and they don’t allow access to any improper URLs to prevent the visitors from accessing the wrong pages. In case of visitors face an issue like 405 client error method not allowed for url, it could be a web server security issue.
Before you move ahead, you have to ensure that you have entered the correct URL of the website you wish to visit.
There is no denying that updates come handy. With regular updates, you get to enjoy new exciting features and can help fix bugs and patch security holes. However, despite being a boon, updates can seldom cause some issues.
In case you have updated your WordPress just before the 405 Method Not Allowed error occurs, the new code might be the root cause of the issue. This also applies to the newly upgraded themes or extensions.
If you firmly believe that an update is the main culprit, then you may want to return to the previous version of WordPress. Like we have already discussed, don’t forget to have a full website backup before you ahead with this. , It’s worth reverting back to the previous version of WordPress.
This can be done manually as well, but using a plugin will easily help you roll back WordPress updates. You have a plethora of options at your disposal, but WP Downgrade is effective. With the help of this plugin, you are going to automate the process and you will be able to carry out things without making any error.
Plugins are considered one of the key parts of any WordPress website. With the help of these plugins, you can add a plethora of features and above all, you can automate complex processes without any hassle. If we talk about themes, they are equally important. Without them, you will be spending most of your time doing intricate coding to create an appealing website.
Alas, just as you face issues with software updates, these extensions may also create issues. This is because when you add functionality at any level, it completely changes the way it operates. You may face an issue with the plugin or theme you are using, or any extension may cause a conflict with another part of your website. In such case, you should use Multi-purpose themes. Multipurpose WordPress themes are flexible WordPress templates that can be used to create almost any kind of website imaginable.
Consequently, if you choose to uninstall particular plugins or themes, you may be able to fix the issue. To start this process, you need to go to the Plugins section of the WordPress dashboard. This page will have a detailed list of all the installed plugins –
This is where you can start uninstalling the plugins one by one. When you are done uninstalling the plugins, check whether the issue has been resolved. You have to wait for a while as this process takes some time to complete, but you will get to know as to which plugin was causing the issue.
Now, you can repeat the same process with your active theme as well. If your theme or any of the plugin is creating the issue, you need to contact the developer, get rid of the plugin or theme, or you can look for the replacement.
Although you may be able to resolve any plugin or theme-related issue, you cannot be sure that the changes made by your extensions have been completely reverted. This happens with most of the WordPress plugins. Most of the time, they are given complete access to your database as you hit install.
A plugin might be able to make changes to the database records that don’t belong to it, until the developer clearly codes against it, but are alternatively managed by WordPress itself. In this case, the plugin might not be familiar with how to revert those alterations to database records, so it will pay no attention during the installation process.
Identifying the exact issue can be tricky, but if you still feel that the 405 Not Allowed error has been caused by a theme or plugin, then checking your database might help. You can find out by checking the database of your website and go through the tables and records changed by the extension. If you are still not sure, then try getting help from your developer.
Your website probably runs on a server that uses one of the two most popular server software options – Nginx and Apache. At the time of publication, both of these web servers make up 84% of the world’s web server software! If you can check software configuration files of your web server for any unintentional handling instructions, you may be able to find the root cause of the 405 Method Not Allowed error.
The key file will help you in making you familiar with the application your web server is using. Let us understand this with the help of an example. Let us assume that your web server is running Apache, you will find a .htaccess file within the root directory of the file system of your website.
In case, your application is on a shared host, you are possibly having a username linked with your account. If that is the case, finding the root directory will be quite easy by following the below-mentioned path –
/home/public_html/
Therefore, you will find the .htaccess file at –
/home/public_html/.htaccess
When you have successfully located .htaccess file, you need to open the file in a text editor and search for the lines that Rewrite directives. In Apache, these are a part of the mod_rewrite module. It defines a text-based pattern that will be matched against all entered URLs. In case, a user requests for a matching URL to your website, the RewriteRule will be redirecting the visitor aptly.
Let us understand this with the help of an example. Following is a RewriteRule that goes with all inbound requests to XYZ.com and retort with a 405 Method Not Allowed error.
Now, as you can see that there is a flag at the end of the rule marked R=405, it clearly affirms that response codes need to be 405. This demonstrates to the user that there is the availability of the resource; however, the specific HTTP method was unacceptable.
In case, you come across any awkward Rewrite directives in the .htaccess file having a similar instruction, make sure you provisionally comment them out with the help of # character prefix. Now, restart your web server to see if this has resolved the 405 method not allowed nginx or Apache error..
Configuration options for each different type of web server can vary dramatically, this is a list a few popular ones to give you some resources to look through, depending on what type of server your application is running on:
About every web application tends to keep some sort of server-side logs. Generally, web application logs have the complete history of all the tasks done by the software – from the database results it provides, to the pages, it has requested.
Whereas server logs are a bit different, they are linked with the actual hardware that is responsible for running the application. They will time and again provide the details of both the health and the status of all connected services, or just the server itself.
If you are looking for your WordPress server logs, connect to your website through SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol). There is a folder known as logs in the root directory, within this folder there are access logs along with your WordPress error logs. They look like this –
From there, you need to follow a process that is discussed in the previous point. Examine the logs and take note of anything that looks out of place. You can also refer to the codex for additional debugging details in WordPress.
Assuming that none of the above-mentioned steps worked for you, debugging the error is your last line of resistance – that is before you seek the assistance of the developer or hosting provider. Debugging the codes and scripts is one of the effective ways through which you can find the actual cause behind 405 Method Not Allowed error.
Be sure to make a copy of the entire installation ideally, you should do this to an online or local development area, like a staging site. From there, you can start the debugging process step-by-step. Remember, this will vary on your website and its attached software.
WP_DEBUG is a PHP constant (a permanent global variable) that can be used to trigger the “debug” mode throughout WordPress. It is assumed to be false by default and is usually set to true in the wp-config.php file on development copies of WordPress.
Note: The true and false values in the example are not surrounded by apostrophes (‘) because they are boolean (true/false) values. If you set constants to 'false', they will be interpreted as true because the quotes make it a string rather than a boolean.
It is not recommended to use WP_DEBUG or the other debug tools on live sites; they are meant for local testing and staging installs.
Wrap Up
When you have your website, you are bound to come across issues like Status Code 405 Method Not Allowed. While you shouldn’t panic over them, since there is a resolution for everything. It is imperative that you do your best to know & resolve the issue on how to fix 405 method not allowed Nginx or Apache. Although 405 Method Not Allowed error is a bit tricky, you can always fix the 405 method not allowed error on WordPress site with little troubleshooting.
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