Azure App Service
Azure App Service is a service used to create and deploy scalable, mission-critical web apps.
Unable to Access WordPress Admin and Frontend After Migration from Azure
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Patrick McCook
0
Reputation points
I recently migrated my WordPress site from Cloudways to Azure App Service. Initially, I was able to log in to the WordPress admin dashboard once, but shortly after, both the admin portal and the frontend stopped working. I now receive an HTTP 500 error and a “critical error” message when trying to access the site.
I attempted troubleshooting by:
- Verifying
wp-config.phpsettings - Enabling debug mode
- Renaming plugins and theme folders to disable them Despite these steps, the site remains inaccessible. I need assistance regaining access to my WordPress site and restoring normal functionality.
Azure App Service
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Vimal Lalani 2,400 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator2025-12-02T17:19:16.66+00:00 Hi @Patrick McCook
Thank you for posting your question on Q&A!
You mentioned that after migrating your WordPress site from Cloudways to Azure App Service, the site worked once and then quickly started showing HTTP 500 and “There has been a critical error” messages. Even after checking wp-config.php, enabling debug mode, and renaming plugins/themes, the site is still not loading.
This usually indicates that the WordPress application is unable to run correctly inside the Azure App Service environment due Wrong PHP version on Azure App Service or Database connection problems as Azure MySQL requires SSL where as Cloudways did not
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Patrick McCook 0 Reputation points
2025-12-02T22:19:48.23+00:00 Hi Vimal,
Thank you for your earlier response and guidance. I’ve tried the suggested steps, including enabling SSL for MySQL and checking configurations, but I’m still unable to access my WordPress admin portal. The site now loads a blank page, and after reviewing logs and troubleshooting, I believe the issue may be related to the environment change when I downgraded my App Service plan from Premium V3 to Basic B2.
At this point, I’d like to move my site back to Cloudways, but I need help regaining access to the WordPress admin so I can complete the migration. Could you please assist me in restoring access or advise on the quickest way to get the site functional again so I can proceed with the transfer?
Your support would be greatly appreciated.
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Vimal Lalani 2,400 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
2025-12-03T00:03:12.51+00:00 Hi @Patrick McCook
Could you please share the requested and completed consent form sent to you via private message so we can continue with the troubleshooting?
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Patrick McCook 0 Reputation points
2025-12-03T13:38:22.0933333+00:00 Sent last night
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Patrick McCook 0 Reputation points
2025-12-04T13:42:25.4433333+00:00 Hi, I'm following up. My site is still down.
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Praneeth Maddali 2,265 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator2025-12-04T16:52:28.87+00:00 HI @Patrick McCook
Apologies for delay from deeper investigation we found that The logs confirm that your site is throwing pure HTTP 500.0 errors (1,165 of them) directly from the application container, and the URLs that are failing the most are WooCommerce REST API endpoints plus the admin area and login page. At the same time we can see low swap space on the instance and the app is running on a Basic B2 tier (1.75 GB RAM, 1 core). WooCommerce stores are quite memory-hungry, especially when the REST API is being called, and the combination of the two is what’s pushing the container into constant crashes – that’s why you get the blank page and the “critical error” message.
Could you kindly follow the below steps :
- Temporarily increase the App Service Plan by navigating to the Azure Portal, selecting your App Service, then choosing Scale up (App Service plan), and picking P1v3 or at least S1. This will immediately provide the site with additional memory and CPU resources.
- While the scale-up is in progress, disable all plugins directly in the database. This will prevent WooCommerce from overloading the API and should allow the dashboard to load, even if other issues persist. Please access Azure Database for MySQL and navigate to the Query Editor, or use phpMyAdmin if available. Execute the following two statements, ensuring you replace 'wp_' with your actual table prefix if it differs.
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- Please refresh your site; both the homepage and /wp-admin should now be loading correctly.
- To export the site, access the dashboard and install either All-in-One WP Migration or UpdraftPlus. Then, generate a complete backup or export and download the file to your computer.
- Please migrate back to Cloudways by creating a new application on the platform. You can use either the built-in WordPress migrator or the All-in-One WP Migration import tool to transfer all content efficiently in a single step.
- If possible, please enable daily backups on the Azure side before you leave, as a precautionary measure.
Reference :
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/app-service/manage-backup?tabs=portal
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/app-service/tutorial-connect-msi-sql-database?tabs=windowsclient%2Cefcore
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/app-service/manage-scale-upKindly let us know if the above helps or you need further assistance on this issue.
Please "upvote" if the information helped you. This will help us and others in the community as well.
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