How to fix a stuck PHP-FPM service on Ubuntu (502 Bad Gateway)

Your Nginx site is down with a 502 Bad Gateway. You restart PHP-FPM and get an error like Job for php8.3-fpm.service failed.... Here's the quick, reliable way I fix it.

1) Find the real problem

When systemctl shows a failure like status=78, it often points to a bad configuration. Start by testing the config:

sudo php-fpm8.3 -t

If this passes but the service still won't start, check full service logs:

sudo journalctl -xeu php8.3-fpm.service

Look for an ERROR line similar to:

ERROR: Another FPM instance seems to already listen on /var/run/php/your-socket-name.sock

This means an old/stuck PHP-FPM process is still bound to the socket, blocking the new instance.

2) The fix: clear the old process

In the commands below, replace /var/run/php/your-socket-name.sock with the actual socket path from your error log.

1. Find the stuck process (PID)

   sudo lsof /var/run/php/your-socket-name.sock

   This prints the process holding the socket (likely running as root). Note its PID.

2. Stop that process

   # Replace 12345 with the actual PID
   sudo kill 12345

   If it refuses to die after a few seconds, you can force kill it (use cautiously):

   sudo kill -9 12345

3. Remove the stale socket file

   sudo rm /var/run/php/your-socket-name.sock

   PHP-FPM will recreate it when it starts.

4. Start PHP-FPM

   sudo systemctl start php8.3-fpm

   Your service should now start cleanly. Verify status:

   systemctl status php8.3-fpm

3) Why this happens

If PHP-FPM crashes or is killed unexpectedly, it can leave a running child or a stale socket behind. Systemd tries to start a fresh master process, but the socket is already taken.

4) Prevent it next time

• Graceful restarts: Prefer systemctl reload php8.3-fpm for config changes.
• Watch logs: Monitor /var/log/php8.3-fpm.log (or your distro path) for crashes.
• Socket vs. port: If you keep hitting socket conflicts, consider TCP (127.0.0.1:9000) temporarily while you debug.

Quick copy-paste checklist

# 1) Sanity-check config
sudo php-fpm8.3 -t

# 2) Inspect service logs
sudo journalctl -xeu php8.3-fpm.service

# 3) If "already listen" error -> free the socket
sudo lsof /var/run/php/your-socket-name.sock
sudo kill <PID>
sudo rm /var/run/php/your-socket-name.sock

# 4) Start service
sudo systemctl start php8.3-fpm

# 5) Verify
systemctl status php8.3-fpm