Lightsail/Wordpress site mysteriously down and inaccessible

Question

Hello,

I'm not sure what happened, but sometime in the past few weeks (around NYE I think) my website went offline.  This is the error I'm receiving when I go to my site https://www.streetlevelrecords.com/

**Warning: mysqli_real_connect(): (HY000/2002): Connection refused in /opt/bitnami/wordpress/wp-includes/class-wpdb.php on line 1982**

And line 1982 says: **mysqli_real_connect( $this->dbh, $host, $this->dbuser, $this->dbpassword, null, $port, $socket, $client_flags );**

I can't access the site via WP admin, but can via FTP.  However, I am being denied access to a bunch of files/folders.  I haven't done anything to the site or done any updates recently.  I do have the plugins set to auto-update, but I'm not sure a plugin caused this issue.  I changed the name of the plugin folder and it didn't help.  I'm wondering if it got hacked somehow?  IDK.  I'm totally lost here and would be grateful for any advice.

I ran **sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh status** and it says *Cannot find any running daemon to contact. If it is running, make sure you are pointing to the right pid file (/var/run/gonit.pid)*

re:Post Agent · Answer

Based on the error message you're receiving, it appears that your WordPress site is unable to establish a connection with the database. This could be due to several reasons:

1. Database server issues: The MySQL/MariaDB service might have stopped running or crashed.

2. Incorrect database credentials: The wp-config.php file might have incorrect database connection details.

3. Resource constraints: Your Lightsail instance might be running out of resources, particularly memory, which can cause database connection issues.

4. Potential security breach: While it's less likely, it's possible that unauthorized access has occurred, leading to configuration changes.

To troubleshoot this issue:

1. Try to restart the MySQL service on your Lightsail instance. You can do this by SSHing into your instance and running the command:
   sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh restart mysql

2. Check if MySQL is running by using the command:
   sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh status

3. Verify the database credentials in your wp-config.php file and ensure they match the actual database settings.

4. Monitor your instance's resource usage, particularly CPU and memory. If you're consistently running low on resources, consider upgrading to a larger Lightsail plan.

5. Review your Apache and MySQL error logs for any suspicious activity or error messages that might provide more insight into the issue.

6. If you suspect a security breach, change your database and WordPress admin passwords, and consider restoring from a recent backup if available.

If these steps don't resolve the issue, you may need to dig deeper into the logs or consider restoring from a backup if you have one available. It's also worth noting that auto-updates, while generally beneficial, can sometimes lead to compatibility issues or conflicts that might cause site downtime.  
**Sources**  
[Wordpress website on Lightsail keeps dropping offline/unavailable | AWS re:Post](https://repost.aws/questions/QUPz6FP8DxSBOHlkXttlgU0g/wordpress-website-on-lightsail-keeps-dropping-offline-unavailable)  
[Error establishing a database connection - Lightsail and Wordpress | AWS re:Post](https://repost.aws/questions/QUqKbQOxn-QseTA7JpT5Naiw/error-establishing-a-database-connection-lightsail-and-wordpress)

Lightsail/Wordpress site mysteriously down and inaccessible

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