WebSocket 1011 Internal Error vs 1013 Try Again Later
Both WebSocket 1011 (Internal Error) and 1013 (Try Again Later) belong to the WebSocket Close Codes category. 1011 indicates that the server is terminating the connection because it encountered an unexpected condition that prevented it from fulfilling the request. Meanwhile, 1013 means that the server is terminating the connection due to a temporary condition, such as being overloaded. The client should reconnect after a back-off period.
Description
The server is terminating the connection because it encountered an unexpected condition that prevented it from fulfilling the request.
When You See It
The server hit an unhandled exception or crashed while processing a WebSocket message. This is the WebSocket equivalent of HTTP 500 Internal Server Error.
How to Fix
Check the server-side application logs for stack traces and exceptions. Fix the underlying bug that caused the crash and add proper error handling around message processing.
Description
The server is terminating the connection due to a temporary condition, such as being overloaded. The client should reconnect after a back-off period.
When You See It
The server is temporarily overloaded or throttling connections. Unlike 1012, this does not indicate a restart — the server is running but cannot serve more clients right now.
How to Fix
Reconnect using exponential backoff (start at 1 second, double each attempt). If persistent, investigate server capacity, scale horizontally, or reduce the number of concurrent connections.
Key Differences
WebSocket 1011: The server is terminating the connection because it encountered an unexpected condition that prevented it from fulfilling the request.
WebSocket 1013: The server is terminating the connection due to a temporary condition, such as being overloaded. The client should reconnect after a back-off period.
You encounter 1011 when the server hit an unhandled exception or crashed while processing a WebSocket message. This is the WebSocket equivalent of HTTP 500 Internal Server Error.
You encounter 1013 when the server is temporarily overloaded or throttling connections. Unlike 1012, this does not indicate a restart — the server is running but cannot serve more clients right now.
When to Use Which
For 1011 (Internal Error): Check the server-side application logs for stack traces and exceptions. Fix the underlying bug that caused the crash and add proper error handling around message processing. For 1013 (Try Again Later): Reconnect using exponential backoff (start at 1 second, double each attempt). If persistent, investigate server capacity, scale horizontally, or reduce the number of concurrent connections.