What do these error messages mean?

[Togath]

For the past hour or so, whenever I try to access a humor website I often visit(cracked.com) I keep getting either a 502 ~ Bad Gateway, or a 504 ~ Gateway Timeout(or at least I think that's what came after the number on the 504 one) error, and the page doesn't load. Is this an error on my end, or the website's end?

[Xuc Xac]

It's actually between you. One of the servers between you and the destination had a problem making a connection.

[Togath]

Ah, so just wait and see if it resolves?

[Rawhide]

500 series errors are always server errors, not client errors. It is the server you are contacting that has the error.

In the case of 502 and 504, they probably have a reverse proxy or similar set up, and the server it is trying to retrieve the information from that is having the problem (thus causing the reverse proxy not to understand it).

[Togath]

Ah. Also looks like it's back up now. I will keep the 500 error thing in mind if I encounter that type again.