Understanding Resource Limits & "508 Resource Limit Reached"

Shared hosting gives every account a set amount of server resources. When your site needs more than its share, it can slow down or briefly show a "508 Resource Limit Reached" message. This article explains what the limits are, why you might hit them, and how to stay within them.

What resource limits are

On shared hosting, many accounts run on the same server, so each account has limits that keep one busy site from slowing down the others. These typically include the amount of processing power (CPU), memory (RAM), and the number of processes your site can run at once.

A 508 Resource Limit Reached message means your account momentarily needed more than its allowance. It is usually temporary — the site recovers on its own once usage drops — but frequent 508s mean your site is regularly bumping the ceiling and needs attention.

Before you begin

• cPanel access, to view your resource usage.

Step 1: Check your resource usage

cPanel shows how your account is using its resources over time.

1. Sign in to cPanel.
2. Open the resource usage tool.
3. Review whether you are hitting any limit, and when the spikes occur.

Tip: Note the times of day your usage peaks. Spikes that line up with traffic are normal; constant high usage points to something inefficient on the site.

Step 2: Find what's using resources

Common causes of high usage include:

• Too many plugins or a poorly coded one (common in WordPress).
• No caching, so every visit rebuilds pages from scratch. See Speeding Up Your Website (Caching & Performance).
• Bot or crawler traffic hitting the site aggressively.
• A traffic spike that genuinely exceeds the plan.

Step 3: Reduce your usage

1. Enable caching — usually the biggest single improvement. See Speeding Up Your Website (Caching & Performance).
2. Remove or replace heavy plugins. Deactivate them one at a time to find the culprit.
3. Optimize images and your database to lighten each page.
4. Block abusive bots with the IP Blocker. See Securing Your Site with cPanel Tools.

Step 4: Decide whether to upgrade

If your usage is legitimate and consistently exceeds your plan even after optimizing, the right move is a plan with more resources.

Warning: Repeatedly hitting resource limits degrades your visitors' experience and, in extreme cases, can affect account stability. Address persistent 508 errors rather than ignoring them.

Next steps

• Speed up your site. See Speeding Up Your Website (Caching & Performance).
• A different error? See Troubleshooting '500 Internal Server Error'.

Questions? Contact Exact Hosting Support.