Technical Troubleshooting: Resolving Connection Errors

Most connection errors between Lexiik and your e-commerce store stem from authentication, permission, or server configuration issues. This guide helps you diagnose and resolve the most common problems.

The 5 Most Common Errors

Here are the errors we encounter most frequently when connecting a store. Each error has a simple solution.

Error 403: Access Denied (Forbidden)

Root cause: The API key does not have the necessary permissions to read or write product data.

Solutions by platform

Shopify

1. Go to Shopify Admin > Settings > Apps and sales channels
2. Find "Lexiik" and click "Manage"
3. Verify that permissions include: read_products, write_products, read_files, write_files
4. If permissions are incorrect, uninstall and reinstall the app

WooCommerce

1. WordPress Admin > WooCommerce > Settings > Advanced > REST API Keys
2. Find the key used by Lexiik
3. Verify that permissions are set to: Read/Write (not just "Read")
4. If needed, generate a new key with the correct permissions

PrestaShop

1. PrestaShop Back-office > Advanced Parameters > Webservice
2. Edit the API key used by Lexiik
3. Check all permissions for: products, categories, images, stock_availables
4. Save and test again

Error 500: Internal Server Error

Root cause: Server-side issue on your store (PHP, database, insufficient memory).

Step-by-step diagnosis

1. Check PHP error logs
   • WooCommerce: wp-content/debug.log
   • PrestaShop: var/logs/
2. Check PHP configuration
   • memory_limit: minimum 256M (recommended: 512M)
   • max_execution_time: minimum 300 seconds
   • upload_max_filesize: minimum 64M
3. Manually test the API — Use a tool like Postman or curl to directly test your store's API endpoint
4. Check the database connection — A saturated or disconnected database can cause intermittent 500 errors

Error 401: Unauthorized

Root cause: The API key is incorrect, expired, or improperly formatted.

Resolution checklist

• Verify there are no spaces before or after the API key (common copy-paste error)
• Make sure you are using the latest generated key (if you created multiple keys, only the most recent one is valid)
• Verify the key has not been revoked in your store settings
• For PrestaShop, verify the webservice is enabled (Advanced Parameters > Webservice > Yes)
• Test the API key with a curl call to validate its functionality

Timeout Error (Request Timed Out)

Root cause: Your server is too slow or overloaded to process API requests within the allotted time.

Solutions

• 1. Optimize the database — A catalog of 50,000+ products with unindexed tables can cause timeouts. Clean up logs and optimize MySQL tables.
• 2. Temporarily disable heavy plugins — On WooCommerce, some cache or security plugins (Wordfence, All In One Security) can slow down API requests. Test by temporarily disabling them.
• 3. Migrate to the Lexiik Bridge — The Lexiik Bridge uses asynchronous webhooks that never cause timeouts, unlike the standard API.
• 4. Upgrade your hosting — A VPS or dedicated hosting will provide better performance than basic shared hosting.

SSL/TLS Error (Invalid Certificate)

Root cause: Your store does not have a valid SSL certificate, or it has expired.

Resolution

1. Check your SSL certificate — Use SSL Labs to test the validity of your certificate
2. Install a free certificate — Let's Encrypt offers free, auto-renewable SSL certificates. Most hosting providers (cPanel, Plesk) offer one-click installation.
3. Force HTTPS in your CMS
   • Shopify: Automatic (managed by Shopify)
   • WooCommerce: Settings > General > WordPress Address and Site Address (use https://)
   • PrestaShop: Shop > Shop Parameters > Enable SSL (Yes)

API Key Management

API keys are the "passwords" that allow Lexiik to access your store. Here are best practices for managing them.

Generate a New API Key

Shopify

1. Shopify Admin > Settings > Apps and sales channels
2. Click "Develop apps" (at the bottom)
3. Create a private app with the scopes: read_products, write_products, read_files, write_files
4. Copy the Admin API access token

WooCommerce

1. WordPress Admin > WooCommerce > Settings > Advanced > REST API Keys
2. Click "Add key"
3. Description: "Lexiik Bridge"
4. User: Your admin account
5. Permissions: Read/Write
6. Generate the key and copy the Consumer key and Consumer secret

PrestaShop

1. PrestaShop Back-office > Advanced Parameters > Webservice
2. Enable the webservice if not already done
3. Click "Add a new key"
4. Key description: "Lexiik Bridge"
5. Check all permissions (or at minimum: products, categories, images, stock_availables)
6. Click "Save" and copy the generated key

Secure Your API Keys

• Never share your API keys publicly (GitHub, forums, screenshots)
• Regenerate your keys every 6 months as a security measure
• Delete unused keys to reduce the attack surface
• Create a dedicated key per service (one for Lexiik, one for another tool, etc.)
• Document each key's usage with a clear description

Write Permission Issues

Some errors occur when Lexiik does not have write permissions on certain files or directories on your server.

Image Upload Error

Cause: The upload directory does not have the correct write permissions.

Solution (via SSH or FTP)

chmod -R 755 /path/to/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/

chmod -R 755 /path/to/prestashop/img/

Permission Verification

Here are the recommended permissions for each platform:

Diagnostic Tools

Lexiik provides several built-in tools to diagnose connection issues.

Built-in Connection Test

In the Lexiik dashboard, go to Connections > Test Connection. This tool performs a series of automatic checks:

• API key validity
• Read/write permissions
• Server response time
• SSL certificate
• Platform version compatibility

Synchronization Logs

Each synchronization attempt is recorded in the logs. To access them:

1. Lexiik Dashboard > Connections
2. Click on the 3 dots next to your store
3. Select "View logs"

The logs show:

• Date and time of each synchronization
• Status (success or failure)
• Synchronization duration
• Number of products processed
• Detailed error messages in case of failure

Debug Mode

For developers, the Lexiik Bridge offers a debug mode that records all technical details.

Enable debug mode

In the Lexiik Bridge module of your store:

1. Open the module configuration
2. Enable the "Debug mode" option
3. Perform a synchronization
4. Check the generated log file (location indicated in the config)

Special Cases and Specific Hosting Environments

Some hosting providers or server configurations require specific adjustments.

Shared Hosting

Shared hosting providers (OVH, O2Switch, Ionos, etc.) sometimes impose restrictions.

• Problem: Webhooks blocked by the firewall
  Solution: Add Lexiik's IPs to the whitelist (available in Settings > Integrations)
• Problem: API request rate limit per minute
  Solution: The Lexiik Bridge automatically handles rate limiting. If you are using the standard API, migrate to the Bridge.
• Problem: PHP memory_limit too low (128M)
  Solution: Contact your hosting provider to increase it to 256M minimum. Or add to wp-config.php: define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');

Sites Behind Cloudflare

If your store uses Cloudflare, security rules may block Lexiik webhooks.

Recommended Cloudflare configuration

1. Cloudflare Dashboard > Firewall Rules
2. Create an exception rule for URLs: /wp-json/lexiik/* (WooCommerce) or /api/lexiik/* (PrestaShop)
3. Action: Allow
4. In Security Level, set to "Medium" instead of "High" for these URLs

Web Application Firewall (WAF)

WAFs like Sucuri, Wordfence, or ModSecurity can block API requests.

• Wordfence (WordPress): Go to Wordfence > Firewall > Rate Limiting > Add Lexiik's IP to the whitelist
• Sucuri: Create an exception rule for endpoints /wp-json/lexiik/ or /api/lexiik/
• ModSecurity: Add an exception rule in the .htaccess file or contact your hosting provider

Getting Additional Help

If you cannot find a solution in this guide, the Lexiik support team is here to help.

Contact support

• Live chat: Available 7 days a week in the Lexiik dashboard (bottom right corner)
• Email: [email protected] (average response time: 2 hours)
• Phone: Pro and Expert plans only (number available in your client area)
• Technical documentation: docs.lexiik.com

Additional Resources

• Store Connection Guide
• Bridge vs Standard API Comparison
• Launch Your First SEO Audit