Hi @sveilore,
Thanks for reaching out. I understand how frustrating it must be to see the “Error establishing a database connection” message, especially when it comes and goes.
This issue can happen for a few different reasons, like temporary database server downtime, incorrect credentials, or a corrupted database. To help us narrow it down, could you please share:
- Your site URL, so we can take a look from our end.
- A screenshot of the error, if possible.
- A copy of your System Status Report.
You can get a System Status Report by going to WooCommerce > Status > Get system report, then paste it into https://pastebin.com or https://gist.github.com
- Have you made any changes to your site files, plugins, or host settings before this started happening?
- Are you using any caching or security plugins that might be affecting database requests?
Also, if your host mentioned that the database server is s246.loopia.se, could you confirm whether they’ve verified it’s up and responding?
Once we have those details, we can suggest more focused next steps.
1 https://roxxbkk.com/
2 Don’t see how to add a screenshot here
3 System report pasted to Pastebin
4 Not that I know. It would have been months ago, but normally the site is fine. Now I have gotten this error for 48 hours or so.
5 Don’t really understand the question, so don’t know how to answer.
Hi there!
Thank you for sharing the details. I’ve checked your site, and it appears to be working fine. Regarding the screenshots, you can use the following tool to share them: https://snipboard.io
Could you please share the URL of the Pastebin where you posted the System Status Report?
Also, please share any fatal error logs (if available) under WooCommerce → Status → Logs — you can post those on Pastebin as well.
Does the error appear only in the backend, or does it also show on the frontend? Does the site go down when the error occurs?
Once we have more information, we’ll be able to assist you further.
https://pastebin.com/1x7nGXJh
https://snipboard.io/0dyBw2.jpg
https://pastebin.com/uBZKj6Xa Fatal errors (this from Oct 5. I also have from Oct 6, 7 and 8. You want all of them? They all look same to me)
The site is unavailable to all. At least it is to me when I use browsers where I’m not logged in, so I guess all have same issue. Not one sale since it started this time.
Hi @sveilore,
Thank you for getting back to us. From the report and logs you shared, it appears the issue is likely due to a conflict on your site — possibly caused by a plugin or your theme — as something seems to be continuously consuming your site’s resources.
To help identify the source of the problem, please start by disabling the Updraft plugin and the Envo Pro/Extra plugin. If you’re unable to access your WordPress admin area, log into your cPanel, navigate to wp-content/plugins, and rename the folders from updraft to updraft-disabled and envo-pro (or similar) to envo-pro-disabled.
Once done, try logging back into your site and let me know if you’re now able to access the admin dashboard.
I have disabled those 3 plugins now, but the error seemed to have stopped before I did it as I didn’t get the error message when refreshing some pages I use, and not when going to plugins either. Might have been lucky only though. Will find out soon.
Do I need those 3 plugins?
Hi @sveilore,
You don’t necessarily need the Updraft plugin, as it’s mainly used for creating site backups. Most hosting providers now include automated daily backups through cPanel or similar control panels, so you can easily manage backups there—feel free to confirm this with your host.
Regarding the Envo Pro and Envo Extra plugins, they are part of your theme. While I’m not entirely sure what features they include, they’re likely the main source of the issue along with the theme itself. You can try re-enabling both Envo Pro and Envo Extra—if the problem returns, then they’re the likely cause. As for the Updraft plugin, it’s safe to remove it.
Yeah, I saw that I probably need the Envo plugins (Extra only as I don’t use Pro) as some colours are gone. Not really an issue, but still. Or I might change the theme again.
My hosting provider do daily backups, so no problem with that.
Thanks for the help! I will see if I can do some work tonight and update you again tomorrow.
Awesome @sveilore,
I’ll be waiting for your response
The site has been OK for the last 24 hours or so. If the issue had anything to do with the mentioned plugins, I don’t know yet. We will see if the issue returns, as it has many times in the last few months. Now I know where to look if it returns.
Updraft is removed. The Envo plugins are active.
Hi @sveilore,
Glad to hear that the site has been running smoothly for the last 24 hours! It’s great that you now have a better idea of where to look if the issue comes back.
At the moment, we’ll go ahead and mark this issue as resolved. If the problem reappears or you notice anything unusual, please feel free to get back to us anytime — we’ll be happy to help further.
If you’ve been satisfied with the support received, we’d really appreciate it if you could take a moment to leave a review for WooCommerce here: https://ww.wp.xz.cn/support/plugin/woocommerce/reviews/#new-post. Your feedback helps us improve and assists other merchants, too.
Thank you again, and wishing you continued smooth site performance!
Now I get this message:
Warning: mysqli_real_connect(): (HY000/1203): User wrdprs@r154165 already has more than ‘max_user_connections’ active connections in /www/webvol50/dp/i0ww99t2rt6911l/roxxbkk.com/public_html/wp-includes/class-wpdb.php on line 1988
User wrdprs@r154165 already has more than 'max_user_connections' active connectionsError establishing a database connection
This either means that the username and password information in your wp-config.php file is incorrect or that contact with the database server at s246.loopia.se could not be established. This could mean your host’s database server is down.
- Are you sure you have the correct username and password?
- Are you sure you have typed the correct hostname?
- Are you sure the database server is running?
If you are unsure what these terms mean you should probably contact your host. If you still need help you can always visit the WordPress support forums.
Hi @sveilore,
Thank you for the update and clarification. Based on what you’ve described, this issue seems to be either a result of bot activity or a plugin/theme making repeated database requests, which could be causing the spikes.
As a next step, I recommend deactivating both Envo plugins and temporarily switching to a different theme to monitor the situation. Be sure to clear your cache after making these changes, then observe the site’s performance over the next two to three days and let me know the outcome.
Since you mention bot activity, do you have a solution to stop/reduce those?
I clearly have bots at my site as I get many emails daily with “Undelivered Mail Returned to Sender” because they add fake emails to new accounts. I currently have more than 7300 registered users, which is very high. Most are probably bots.
In the last few months, I also had someone trying lots of credit cards. They made many orders within a few minutes (up to about 200 in 30 minutes) with different cards/names, so clearly not orders made manually. This has stopped because I removed the US from available countries.
Hi @sveilore,
Thanks for the update, and it’s sad to hear about the bot activity and fraudulent behavior you’ve been dealing with. That kind of abuse can be incredibly draining, not just technically, but emotionally too.
Based on what you’ve described, it sounds like your site is being targeted by automated scripts that are:
- Creating fake user accounts with invalid email addresses
- Attempting fraudulent orders using stolen or random credit card data
Here are some steps you can take to reduce or block this kind of bot traffic: 🔒 Strengthen Account Creation
- Enable Google reCAPTCHA on your registration and checkout pages.
- Limit registration to verified emails using plugins that require email confirmation before account activation.
- Use a honeypot field to trap bots, many form plugins support this.
To protect your checkout from fraud:
- Enable Stripe Radar or PayPal Fraud Protection, depending on your payment gateway. These tools can automatically block suspicious transactions.
- Limit checkout to logged-in users only, if your store model allows it.
- Use country restrictions, as you’ve already done, to block high-risk regions.
To block known bots:
- Install a security plugin like Jetpack or Wordfence to monitor and block malicious IPs.
- Consider using a firewall or CDN like Cloudflare, which can filter bot traffic before it reaches your server.
To clean up fake accounts
- Use a plugin like Bulk Delete to remove inactive or suspicious users.
- You can also export your user list and filter by registration patterns (e.g. same domain, no orders) to identify bots.
You’ve already taken smart steps like removing the US from your shipping zones, and that’s clearly helped. With a few more layers of protection, you should see a big drop in bot activity and fraudulent behavior.
I hope that helps. Let us know if you need anything else.
