Common Issues and How to Resolve Them

This document summarizes common issues that may arise while using Shifter and WordPress, along with how to resolve them.

Table of Contents

1. Issues with Generate (static generation)
2. Issues with 404 errors
3. Issues with custom domains
4. Issues with the WordPress admin
5. Issues with plugins and themes
6. Issues with media and files
7. Issues with disk and storage
8. Issues with billing and subscriptions

1. Issues with Generate (Static Generation)

Generate Fails or Does Not Complete

Possible Causes

• A plugin or theme is causing an error
• Insufficient PHP memory (Fatal error: Allowed memory size exhausted)
• URLs or filenames containing Japanese characters are being used
• Requests to external services (such as APIs) are timing out

Troubleshooting Steps

1. Check for PHP errors
2. Start WordPress in safe mode and disable all plugins and themes
3. Run Generate again and check if the error is resolved
4. If the error is resolved, reactivate plugins one by one to identify the cause
5. Contact the developer of the plugin or theme that caused the generation failure or error

Different pages return a 404 error each time you run Generate

Possible Causes

• Server load during Generate is high, causing the staticization process for some pages to fail midway
• Processing is interrupted due to insufficient PHP memory

Troubleshooting Steps

• Check for PHP errors
• Disable plugins and themes to reduce the load during Generate, and check if the issue is resolved
• If processing per post is heavy (e.g., large images or a large number of related posts), consider optimizing images or reviewing your plugins

2. Issues Related to 404 Errors

A published post returns a 404 error on the production domain

Verification Steps

1. Check for PHP errors
2. Check whether the page in question is displayed using the preview URL at static.getshifter.net

• If it displays: This may be due to a CDN cache or an issue on the delivery side
• If it does not display: It may not be included in the artifact (Generate failure)

1. Save the permalink settings again in the WordPress admin panel and run Generate once more
2. If the issue persists, please isolate the cause by checking for potential issues with plugins or themes

About Cache Invalidation

CloudFront invalidation is an operation that clears the cache on the CDN. It does not affect the WordPress container or the Generate process. If the issue is caused by a Generate failure, performing invalidation will not resolve the root cause.

3. Issues with Custom Domains

I set up a custom domain but cannot access the site

Troubleshooting Steps

1. Check the Shifter dashboard to ensure the domain status is “Connected”
2. Verify that the DNS records are configured correctly

3. It may take up to 48–72 hours for DNS changes to take effect

Unable to configure an ALIAS record

Some DNS providers may not support ALIAS records. Please consider one of the following options:

• Migrate to a DNS service that supports ALIAS records (such as Amazon Route 53)
• Use only the www subdomain with Shifter and handle the naked domain using your DNS provider’s URL forwarding feature

I want to set up a redirect between the naked domain and “www”

Shifter does not support redirects between domains. Please use your DNS server’s forwarding feature or an external URL forwarding service. For details, please contact your DNS service provider.

4. Issues with the WordPress Admin Dashboard

Unable to access the WordPress admin dashboard

Troubleshooting Steps

1. Check the Shifter dashboard to see if WordPress is showing as “Running.”
2. WordPress containers automatically stop if there is no activity for a certain period of time. Please restart it from the dashboard.
3. If you still cannot access it, try starting it in safe mode.

How to Use Safe Mode

When you start WordPress in Safe Mode, it launches with all plugins disabled. This is useful for isolating issues caused by plugins.

1. Open Site Settings in the Shifter Dashboard
2. Select “Start in Safe Mode” to launch WordPress
3. If the issue is resolved, enable plugins one by one to identify the cause

Forgot Your Login Password

You can use the Magic Link feature in the Shifter dashboard to access the WordPress admin panel without a password.

Reference: How to Share Access to the WordPress Admin Panel Using the Magic Link Feature

5. Issues with Plugins and Themes

My site broke after installing a plugin

1. Start WordPress in Safe Mode and disable all plugins.
2. Once you’ve confirmed that the site is functioning properly, enable the plugins one by one to identify the cause.
3. Please contact the developer of the plugin that caused the issue.

Some Plugins Do Not Work with Shifter

Since Shifter is a service that generates static sites, plugins that require dynamic processing may not work. Please refer to the following for plugins that are not recommended for use.

Reference: Plugins that are incompatible with Shifter

Please contact the developers of each plugin regarding their compatibility with Shifter.

6. Issues with Media Files

Images Do Not Display or Become Corrupted After Generating

Possible Causes

• The file name contains Japanese characters or special characters.
• The image file is too large (this may cause insufficient memory).

Solutions

1. Change the file name to consist only of half-width alphanumeric characters, hyphens, and underscores, then re-upload it.
2. Compress and resize large image files before uploading

Want to use Japanese characters in URLs or filenames?

While this is possible, it is not recommended. URLs or filenames containing Japanese characters may cause errors during the Generate process or result in access errors.

Reference: Can I use Japanese characters in URLs or filenames?

7. Disk and Storage Issues

Disk is full / WordPress won’t start

Common Causes

• Backup files generated by backup plugins (such as BackWPUp) are accumulating on the server

Solution

1. Start WordPress in Safe Mode
2. Check the amount of used storage under [Tools] → [Site Health]
3. If necessary, download the backup files from within WordPress to your local machine, then delete the files on the server
4. Review your backup plugin settings and configure it so that backup files are not retained on the server

8. Billing and Subscription Issues

The invoice details are split across multiple lines

In months when you change your plan or cancel your site, Stripe’s pro-rata calculation generates multiple line items. The calculation offsets the credit for the unused period against the charge for the remaining period.

What is the Account Balance (Customer Invoice Balance)?

Any balance resulting from a subscription cancellation or change is retained as an account balance rather than being refunded. This balance will be automatically applied to your next bill.

I want to cancel my subscription

You can cancel your subscription by deleting your site from the Shifter dashboard. Deleting a site will permanently delete all data, and it cannot be recovered. Please back up any necessary data beforehand.

Reference: Deleting a Site

If the issue persists

If the steps above do not resolve the issue, please contact support with the following information:

• Site ID
• Details of the issue
• Error message (if any)
• Steps you’ve already taken
• Date and time the issue occurred

Contact us here