The first 10 minutes of an outage

What to check, who to tell, and what to write down while your site is offline.

The first minutes of an outage decide how long it lasts and how much trust it costs. Work through these steps in order.

1. Confirm it is really down

Use the five quick checks. A problem only you can see needs a different fix from one everyone can see.

2. Write down the time

Note when it started and what you saw. Your host will ask, and it helps you check whether a fix worked.

3. Tell the people who depend on it

A short message to your team or your customers, saying you know and are working on it, prevents a flood of questions.

4. Contact your host with the facts

Send the address, the error you saw, and the time it started. Never send passwords in a ticket.

5. Change nothing in a panic

Avoid deleting files or reinstalling software until you know the cause. Many outages fix themselves once the real problem is found, and hasty changes create new ones.