Facing Error 500 While Developing a Job Portal

Hello,

I’m working on a job portal and encountering a 500 Internal Server Error, even though the server is running fine. The issue appears when accessing certain pages, but I’m unable to identify the root cause. I’ve checked the logs, but there’s no clear indication of what’s going wrong.

Here’s a snippet of my backend code (Node.js/Express example) that might be causing the issue:

app.post("/post-job", async (req, res) => {
try {
const { title, description, company } = req.body;
if (!title || !description || !company) {
return res.status(400).json({ error: "All fields are required" });
}
const newJob = new Job({ title, description, company });
await newJob.save();
res.status(201).json({ message: "Job posted successfully" });
} catch (error) {
console.error("Server Error:", error);
res.status(500).json({ error: "Internal Server Error" });
}
});

Steps I've Tried:
Checked server logs but found no specific error message.
Verified database connection and it's working fine.
Cleared cache and restarted the server.
Has anyone faced a similar issue? Any insights or debugging tips would be really helpful.

Comments

[Ashish Technosys]

If you’re encountering a 500 Internal Server Error while developing a job portal using Dev Technosys, it generally means there is a problem with the server configuration or the code on the backend.

Here are some steps you can take to resolve the issue:

1. Check the Server Logs Look at the error logs on your server to get more information about what might be causing the 500 error. These logs can help you pinpoint the exact issue (e.g., syntax errors, missing files, database issues).
2. Check the Code for Errors Ensure that there are no PHP, JavaScript, or backend framework errors in the code that could be causing the server to fail.
3. Database Configuration Verify that the database configuration (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL) is correctly set up. Make sure that your application can connect to the database and that the queries are correct.
4. Check File Permissions Make sure the files and directories on your server have the correct permissions. Incorrect permissions can lead to 500 errors.
5. Check for .htaccess Issues (If Applicable) If your portal uses .htaccess for configuration, ensure that the rules inside the file are correctly set up. Sometimes, incorrect rewrite rules or syntax errors can cause a 500 error.
6. Check for Resource Limits Sometimes, a 500 error is triggered when your server runs out of resources like memory or CPU. Check if the server is under heavy load or if any resource limits (like memory limits in php.ini) are being reached.
7. Temporary Disable Plugins or Extensions If you’re using a CMS or any third-party plugins for the portal, temporarily disable them to check if they are causing the issue.
8. Revert Recent Changes If you’ve made any recent changes to the code, try reverting them to see if the error goes away. This can help you identify the change that caused the issue.
9. Check for Framework-Specific Issues If you’re using a particular framework (like Laravel, Django, etc.), check their documentation for troubleshooting common 500 errors related to that framework.
10. Contact Dev Technosys Support If you are unable to find the issue, you can reach out to Dev Technosys support. They may have more specific advice or configurations related to their platform or any custom modules you might be using. Let me know if you need further help!

[Scarlett Evans]

It looks like you're encountering a 500 Internal Server Error on specific pages of your job portal, even though the server is running fine. Since you've checked logs but found no clear errors, here are some potential causes and debugging steps to help you resolve the issue:

Possible Causes & Solutions:

1. Check Detailed Logs

Instead of console.error("Server Error:", error), log the entire error object:
console.error("Server Error:", error.message, error.stack);

This might reveal more details about the root cause.

2. Validate Database Schema & Connection

Ensure your Job model schema matches the expected fields.
Test inserting a job manually using Mongoose or a database tool.
Try wrapping your newJob.save() in a try-catch to catch any database-specific errors.

3. Middleware & Request Body Issues

Ensure you're using Express JSON middleware to parse incoming requests:

app.use(express.json());

If your body parser isn’t configured, req.body might be undefined.

4. Check for Undefined Variables

Add debug logs before saving the job:

console.log("Received data:", req.body);

This will ensure title, description, and company are correctly received.

5. Permissions & Dependencies

Ensure your database user has write permissions to insert new jobs.
Check if there are missing or outdated Node.js dependencies by running:

npm install

6. Use Try-Catch Around Database Operations

app.post("/post-job", async (req, res) => {
try {
const { title, description, company } = req.body;
if (!title || !description || !company) {
return res.status(400).json({ error: "All fields are required" });
}
const newJob = new Job({ title, description, company });
await newJob.save();
res.status(201).json({ message: "Job posted successfully" });
} catch (error) {
console.error("Error posting job:", error.message);
res.status(500).json({ error: error.message || "Internal Server Error" });
}
});

Next Steps:

Run your server in debug mode (DEBUG=* node server.js) to get more details.
Check if the error occurs on specific job posts (e.g., long text, special characters).
Test with Postman or cURL to see if the issue persists.

Let me know if you need more help debugging!

[Takura Chimoyo]

Are you testing from your application frontend or from an API testing tool like POSTMAN?