
A 502 bad gateway WordPress error is a proxy reporting that the process behind it died, vanished or sent a broken answer. Find out who sent it, then read the log line: a PHP fatal error is a 500, and a slow request is a 504.
Free SSL and domain management means a domain-validated certificate that renews itself, a DNS zone editor, and nameserver control. It does not mean wildcard coverage, a verified company name, WHOIS privacy, or a free domain.

Verify hosting uptime and support claims yourself: read the measurement clause, decode the credit schedule and claim window, then time a pre-sales technical reply. Marketing badges are not contracts.

Shared hosting vs VPS hosting is not a bigger-number choice. Shared assigns you a fixed entry-process ceiling; a VPS gives you an unassigned pool you size yourself, and hands back the guardrails too.

Choosing between shared vs cloud vs dedicated hosting is a resource isolation decision, not a speed decision. Each tier draws its boundary in a different place, and that boundary decides what a bad neighbor can do to you.
