This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.
Problem: If you're experiencing issues connecting to the WPML API server and suspect that your server might be blocked or unable to establish a connection, it's important to verify several aspects to diagnose the connectivity problem.
Solution: First, confirm that the IP address '192.169.179.165' is the correct public IP for your server and that it's configured to host your WordPress site. Check if there are any firewalls or security services like Cloudflare or ModSecurity that could be blocking outbound connections.
Next, connect to your server via SSH or your hosting control panel's terminal and execute the following commands to gather more information about your server environment and network settings:
uname -a
dig +short api.wpml.org
nc -vz -w 10 api.wpml.org 443
curl -I https://api.wpml.org --max-time 10
getenforce
getsebool -a | grep httpd_can_network_connect
These commands will help determine the operating system details, DNS resolution for api.wpml.org, connectivity to api.wpml.org on port 443, HTTP response from api.wpml.org, SELinux status, and whether Apache or PHP-FPM can make outbound connections.
If the issue persists, check if the outbound firewall or network policy is blocking port 443 and consult with your hosting provider to enable SELinux and the 'httpd_can_network_connect' boolean. This will allow outbound connections necessary for WPML.
If these steps do not resolve the issue, it might be due to server-level configurations or restrictions beyond our control. In such cases, we recommend contacting your system administrator or hosting provider for a detailed investigation.
Please note that this solution might be outdated or not applicable to your specific case. We highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have installed the latest versions of themes and plugins. If the problem persists, please open a new support ticket.
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To continue the diagnosis on a Linux environment, could you please connect via SSH (or use the cPanel/Plesk Terminal) and run the following commands? Then copy and paste all the output you see here:
uname -a
Confirms the operating system and kernel version.
dig +short api.wpml.org
Checks if your server is correctly resolving the DNS for api.wpml.org.
nc -vz -w 10 api.wpml.org 443
Tests whether port 443 on api.wpml.org is reachable from your server (TCP connectivity check).
curl -I hidden link --max-time 10
Attempts an HTTP HEAD request to api.wpml.org with a 10-second timeout to see if the HTTPS layer responds.
getenforce
Shows the current SELinux status (enforcing, permissive, or disabled).
getsebool -a | grep httpd_can_network_connect
Reveals whether the httpd_can_network_connect SELinux boolean is enabled or not. This tells us if Apache (or PHP-FPM) can make outbound connections.
Once you have all the results, please paste them here so we can examine each point. This will help us determine whether SELinux or a firewall is blocking outbound connections to api.wpml.org.
Languages: English (English )Spanish (Español )Italian (Italiano )
Timezone: Europe/Madrid (GMT+02:00)
Hi there!
This is the answer from the systems team:
Please try 2 things.
1. Check if Outbound firewall/network policy blocking port 443. As it seems the outbound connections are failing.
2. They can get assistance from their hosting provider to get the httpd_can_network_connect enabled and try again.
In order for them to enable httpd_can_network_connect they will need to enable the SELinux. So let them get their host to enable SELinux and httpd_can_network_connect.
I have enabled SElinux and httpd_can_network_connect. I have made sure port 443 is open for outbound connections and tested to other servers with success. When trying to access api.wpml.org it fails still. Here is the new output
[root@165 ~]# nc -vz -w 10 api.wpml.org 443
nc: connect to api.wpml.org (3.222.75.123) port 443 (tcp) failed: Connection timed out
nc: connect to api.wpml.org (52.44.186.53) port 443 (tcp) failed: Connection timed out
nc: connect to api.wpml.org (3.226.66.255) port 443 (tcp) failed: Connection timed out
^C
[root@165 ~]# getenforce
Enforcing
[root@165 ~]# getsebool -a | grep httpd_can_network_connect
httpd_can_network_connect --> off
httpd_can_network_connect_cobbler --> off
httpd_can_network_connect_db --> off
[root@165 ~]# setsebool -P httpd_can_network_connect 1
[root@165 ~]# getsebool -a | grep httpd_can_network_connect
httpd_can_network_connect --> on
httpd_can_network_connect_cobbler --> off
httpd_can_network_connect_db --> off
At this point, we’ve carefully reviewed everything we can from our side, and we’re not seeing any requests from your site reaching our systems. This strongly suggests that the issue is likely occurring at the server level, beyond the scope of what we can access or control.
To avoid unnecessary guesswork and ensure the issue is addressed accurately and efficiently, we kindly recommend that your system administrator or hosting company take a closer look. They’ll be in the best position to investigate server configurations, firewall rules, or any network-level restrictions that may be interfering with the connection.
Please feel free to share any findings with us—we’re happy to collaborate further once we have more insight from the server-side investigation.
Thank you again for your understanding. Please let us know if you need any technical details from us to assist your hosting team.
Languages: English (English )Spanish (Español )Italian (Italiano )
Timezone: Europe/Madrid (GMT+02:00)
Hi there!
I just wanted to follow up regarding the issue we discussed.
Were you able to check with your system administrator or hosting company as suggested?
If you already have any updates or findings from their side, please share them with us so we can continue assisting if needed. Otherwise, if everything is resolved, we’ll be happy to close this ticket.
Thank you very much for your cooperation, and I look forward to your reply.
