Error logs record PHP errors, server warnings, and application failures. Reviewing them is the fastest way to diagnose why a page is broken, a script is failing, or a site is slow.
Accessing Error Logs in cPanel
Go to Metrics > Errors in cPanel. This shows the last 300 lines of your Apache error log. For more detailed logs, use File Manager to browse to your logs or public_html/logs directory and download the full log file.
Enabling PHP Error Display
During development, you can display PHP errors on screen by adding this to your .htaccess:
php_flag display_errors on\nphp_value error_reporting E_ALLWarning: Never display PHP errors on a live production site β it can expose sensitive information. Disable this before going live.
Common Error Types
- 500 Internal Server Error β usually a PHP fatal error or bad .htaccess rule
- 403 Forbidden β incorrect file permissions or a directory protection rule
- 404 Not Found β a file or URL doesn't exist; check for typos
- PHP Fatal Error β a plugin or theme conflict; disable recently added code