Instance troubleshooting

Use this page to diagnose common problems with your cloud instances. Each section covers a category of issues with practical steps to resolve them.

Instance status problems

Problem	Possible cause	What to do
Instance stuck in Pending or Creating	The server may be busy provisioning.	Wait up to 5 minutes. If the status does not change, refresh the page. If it persists, note the correlation ID and contact support.
Instance shows Error after start	A lifecycle operation failed on the server.	Try starting the instance again. If the error recurs, note the error message and correlation ID, then contact support.
Instance shows Error after restart	The restart operation encountered a problem.	Try stopping the instance first, then starting it. If the error persists, contact support with the correlation ID.
Status badge does not update	The real-time connection may have dropped.	Refresh the page. The app re-synchronizes status on every page load.
Instance disappeared from the list	An administrator may have deleted or unassigned the instance.	Contact your administrator to confirm.

Problem	Possible cause	What to do
Terminal button is disabled	The instance is not in Running status.	Start the instance first, then try again.
"Connection closed" appears immediately	Your session token may have expired, or the instance stopped.	Navigate back and open a new terminal session. Check that the instance is still running.
Terminal is slow or laggy	Network latency between your browser and the server.	Check your internet connection. Try a wired connection if on Wi-Fi.
Text is garbled or columns misaligned	Terminal dimensions are out of sync.	Resize the browser window to trigger a refit, or refresh and reconnect.
Session ended unexpectedly	The 1-hour session limit was reached.	Open a new terminal session. Sessions are limited to 1 hour for security.
Cannot paste text into terminal	Browser keyboard shortcut conflict.	Use Ctrl+Shift+V (Linux) or Cmd+V (macOS). Right-click paste may also work.

Problem	Possible cause	What to do
Metrics are not showing	The instance may have just started.	Wait 15–30 seconds for the first metric snapshot to be recorded.
Metrics appear stale	The monitoring worker may be delayed.	Check the recorded at timestamp. If it is more than a few minutes old, refresh the page.
Metrics show 0% for everything	The instance may be idle or just booted.	This is normal for a freshly started or idle instance.

Problem	Possible cause	What to do
Domain status stuck on Pending CNAME	The DNS record has not propagated yet.	Verify the CNAME record with your DNS provider. Allow up to 30 minutes for propagation. Mincemeat checks every 5 minutes.
Domain shows CNAME Failed	DNS verification did not complete within 24 hours.	Check that the CNAME record exists and points to the correct target. Contact your administrator — the domain may need to be re-added.
Domain shows Error	A provisioning error occurred.	Note the error message and contact your administrator.
Custom domain not loading in browser	SSL may still be provisioning, or DNS has not propagated.	Check the domain status in Mincemeat. If it shows SSL Active, try clearing your browser cache or waiting a few minutes.

Problem	Possible cause	What to do
Proxy settings section not visible	No domain is attached, or the domain is not SSL Active.	Check the Domains tab for domain status.
Authentication not working for visitors	The setting may not have been saved.	Open proxy settings and confirm authentication mode is enabled, then save again.
Maintenance page not showing	The setting may not have propagated yet.	Save again and wait a few seconds. Clear browser cache if you previously accessed the domain.

Problem	Possible cause	What to do
Snapshots tab is empty	No snapshots have been created for this instance.	Contact your administrator to request a snapshot.
Cannot create or restore snapshots	User-role accounts have read-only access to snapshots.	Contact your administrator for snapshot operations.

When you need help beyond what this page covers:

Note the correlation ID from any error message. This is a unique reference that helps support locate the exact issue.
Note the instance name and current status.
Note the time the problem occurred.
Describe what you were trying to do and what happened instead.

See Correlation IDs for more on how to find and use correlation IDs.