Skip to main content

508 Loop Detected

This error occurs when PowerWAF detects that your origin server configuration is pointing back to the PowerWAF proxy itself, creating an infinite loop.

What is happening?​

When a request arrives at PowerWAF, it forwards it to your origin server. If the origin server's IP address is configured to point to PowerWAF (instead of your actual server), the request comes back to PowerWAF, which forwards it again, creating an endless loop.

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    LOOP DETECTED                        │
│                                                         │
│   Client ──► PowerWAF ──► Origin IP ──► PowerWAF ──►...│
│                  │                          │           │
│                  └──────── LOOP ────────────┘           │
│                                                         │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Common causes​

  1. Origin IP set to PowerWAF's IP: The most common cause is configuring your origin server with PowerWAF's IP address instead of your actual server's IP.

  2. DNS misconfiguration: Your origin server might be resolving to PowerWAF's IP through DNS instead of going directly to the server.

  3. Load balancer misconfiguration: An intermediate load balancer might be routing traffic back to PowerWAF.

How to fix it​

Step 1: Check your origin server configuration​

In your PowerWAF dashboard, verify that the origin server IP is set to your actual server's IP address, not PowerWAF's IP.

The origin IP should be:

  • Your server's public IP address, OR
  • Your server's private IP if using internal networking

Step 2: Verify DNS resolution​

If you're using a hostname for your origin, ensure it resolves to your actual server:

# Check what IP the hostname resolves to
nslookup your-origin-server.example.com

# It should NOT resolve to PowerWAF's IP

Step 3: Test direct connection​

Verify you can connect directly to your origin server:

# Test direct connection to your origin
curl -H "Host: yourdomain.com" http://YOUR_ORIGIN_IP/

# You should get a response from your actual server

Step 4: Update and verify​

  1. Update your origin server IP in the PowerWAF dashboard
  2. Wait a few minutes for changes to propagate
  3. Test your website again

Still having issues?​

If you continue to see the 508 error after following these steps, please contact our support team with:

  • Your domain name
  • The current origin server IP configuration
  • Any recent changes made to your infrastructure

Our team will help you identify and resolve the configuration issue.