[Cache] Clarify Always Online trigger condition — only activates on origin unreachability#31012
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ack-cf merged 2 commits intoMay 22, 2026
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zaidoon1
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May 22, 2026
| When a visitor requests content for an offline website, Cloudflare returns an HTTP response status code in the range [520–527](/support/troubleshooting/http-status-codes/cloudflare-5xx-errors/error-520/), depending on the issue. These status codes indicate that the origin is unreachable. | ||
| When a visitor requests content and Cloudflare is unable to reach your origin server, Cloudflare returns an HTTP response status code in the range [520–527](/support/troubleshooting/http-status-codes/cloudflare-5xx-errors/error-520/), depending on the issue. These status codes are generated by Cloudflare and indicate that the origin is unreachable. Always Online only activates when Cloudflare cannot connect to your origin — it does not activate when the origin is reachable but returning error responses. | ||
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| If your origin is reachable and returns a 5xx status code (such as 500 or 503), Always Online will not trigger because the origin is online. Always Online is designed to handle origin unreachability, not origin errors. |
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let's say "such as 520" . 500/503 is not related to AO so it's not as strong as an example. Rest looks good to you.
MohamedH1998
approved these changes
May 22, 2026
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Summary
Clarifies that Always Online only activates when Cloudflare cannot reach the origin server (resulting in Cloudflare-generated 520–527 status codes), not when the origin is reachable but returning 5xx errors.
Changes
src/content/docs/cache/how-to/always-online.mdxMakes explicit in the Visitor Experience section that:
src/content/docs/cache/troubleshooting/always-online.mdxAdds context to the existing limitation explaining why 404/500/503 errors don't trigger Always Online — because they indicate the origin is reachable and responding.