The problem “Update failed” started. The response does not represent a valid JSON response” appeared to users recently after the Classic Editor was updated to Gutenberg WordPress.
This is because the mechanism for editing WordPress pages with the Gutenberg WordPress editor depends on the client’s browser, and thus needs a connection by the web server in order to apply and publish edits.
Therefore, during the article, we will discuss the causes of the problem of the “Update process failed” message. The response is not a valid JSON response,” and all the step-by-step options to solve this problem radically.
Cause of the problem “The update failed. The response does not represent a valid JSON response .”
First, you need to understand how the Gutenberg WordPress editor works so that you can understand why the “Update failed” issue appears. The response does not represent a valid JSON response.”
The Gutenberg WordPress editor runs on the client’s browser, which means it cannot connect to WordPress databases directly. Unlike the traditional WordPress editor, the Gutenberg editor relies on a REST API connection to connect to WordPress databases, and receives data from WordPress in the form of JSON files (JavaScript Object Notation). “.
So when you edit or publish a post or page on your site, the Gutenberg WordPress editor sends a request to the WordPress databases via a REST API call, and waits for a response in JSON format.
If the Gutenberg WordPress editor does not receive a response from the WordPress databases in JSON format, or if it fails to connect to them with the REST API, you will see an update failed error. The response does not represent a valid JSON response.
This problem can appear in many images, as follows:
- Deployment failed. The response does not represent a valid JSON response
- The response does not represent a valid JSON response
- Updating failed. The response is not a valid JSON response
- Publishing failed. The response is not a valid JSON response
It can appear in different other forms, but what they always have in common is the JSON format, and the method of dealing with this problem is consistent in all different forms.
Solution to the error “The update failed.” The response does not represent a valid JSON response .”
The problem “Update failed” may appear. The response is not a valid JSON response” due to 6 main problems, and we will show you how to solve them step by step.
1- Check the site URL settings
If the WordPress site URL is set up incorrectly, this will block the REST API connection, resulting in the “Update Failed” issue. The response does not represent a valid JSON response.” This problem may appear when you move your site from one server to another, or clone the site on another server, so the URL is not updated.
You can address this problem through the following steps:
- Log in to the main WordPress dashboard.
- Choose Settings >> General.
- Review that the site URL is written correctly in both the WordPress address (URL) and the site address (URL), and they must match exactly.
You must check that the security protocol is written correctly, where it is written HTTPS and not HTTP, if a valid SSL certificate is used. After that, you click on Save Changes and review the problem.
2- Addressing the problem of permanent links on WordPress
Permanent links are one of the most prominent causes of the “Update Failed” problem. The response is not a valid JSON response,” due to the Gutenberg WordPress editor not receiving a valid JSON response. This problem may also be accompanied by a 404 Page Not Found issue , which is a sign to determine the root cause behind all these problems.
You can address this problem by updating WordPress permalinks or creating a new .htaccess file . You can first try updating WordPress permalinks using the following steps:
- Log in to the main WordPress dashboard.
- Choose Settings >> Permanent Links.
- Scroll down and click Save Changes.
In this way, the permanent links on your site have been updated. You return to the page editor and review the extent to which the problem has been addressed. If the problem still persists, you need to try creating a new .htaccess file to solve this problem radically through the following steps:
- You connect to your site server via an FTP connection , for example, using the FileZilla program.
- Go to the public_html file on the server.
- Select the .htaccess file, then right-click on the file and choose Download to save a backup copy of the file on your computer in case a problem occurs while creating a new .htaccess file.
After that, you re-select the .htaccess file, then right-click on the file and choose Delete to delete the file from the server, as shown in the following image:
You go back to the WordPress panel, then Settings >> Permanent Links, and click Save Changes again as we did in the previous step, in order to force WordPress to create a new .htaccess file.
In this way, the problem has been addressed radically. If it still persists, you can follow the following solutions.
3- SSL certificate problem “Fix mixed content warnings”
The problem “Update failed” may appear. The response is not a valid JSON response due to SSL certificate issues, especially due to Fix mixed content warnings.
These problems appear when you install a new SSL certificate on your site, and you find some old resources on the server being loaded using the old HTTP protocol, for example files, CSS codes, JavaScript, etc., which leads to the mixed content problem, which prevents the REST API connection.
You can address this problem through the following steps:
- Log in to the WordPress control panel.
- Choose Plugins >> Add New.
- Search for the Really Simple SSL plugin and install the plugin on your site.
After completing the installation of the add-on, you click on Activate, then you go to Settings >> SSL & Security, after that you click on Activate SSL as shown in the following image:
4- Conflict with one of the plugins or templates
Some plugins and templates affect the REST API connection with the server, especially in older versions, so you should check for any conflicts from templates or plugins with the REST API connection or JSON response.
Firstly, you deactivate all add-ons on your site through the following steps:
- Log in to the WordPress control panel.
- Choose Plugins >> Office Plugins.
- Identify all plugins activated on your site.
- Choose Disable from the command window and apply it to all add-ons.
You try the page editor and determine whether the problem is solved or not. If the problem is solved, you gradually reactivate the add-ons until you determine which add-on is causing the problem, and update it to the latest version or search for the old version on your site, or search for the optimal alternative.
If the problem is not in the plugins, you can now detect the template conflict with the REST API connection, by going to Appearance >> Templates and then activating the default WordPress template Twenty Twenty-three.
5- Disable the security firewall
The firewall on your site could be conflicting with the Rest API connection, resulting in the “Update failed” issue. The response does not represent a valid JSON response.”
Therefore, you must check the security add-ons that you rely on, disable the firewall, and check the page editor. If the problem is resolved, this means that the firewall is interrupting the connection between the server and the browser.
You adjust the firewall options on your site and add Gutenberg WordPress to the white page if the firewall is at the server level. However, if the firewall is cloud-based, you must contact the host and request permission to be given to the Gutenberg WordPress editor.
The problem may also appear if you rely on external CDN services, for example Cloudflare or others, and you need to perform the same steps with them. You can easily examine the firewall logs for each of them and look for the presence of commands related to Rest API services or a JSON connection to confirm the source of the problem.
6- Self-checking and correcting errors in WordPress
You can review the WordPress self-check for system errors to find the cause of the “Response is not a valid JSON response” issue, and the scan can automatically address that issue.
You can do this by going to the WordPress panel, then Tools >> Site Page, then you review the critical problems and recommended improvements, looking for problems related to the REST API connection, and then you review the recommendations required to solve those problems.
If you do not find errors related to the REST API connection, you can review the same in the WordPress error log, and you can access it by connecting to your site server via FTP, then searching for the wp-config.php file, then adding the following code:
define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
Then save the file. You will then find that the WordPress system has generated a file containing a log of all WordPress errors named debug.log inside the path public_html >> wp-content, so you search for errors within the file related to the REST API connection and try to search for solutions to those problems if they exist. .
Other alternatives to resolve the update failed issue. The response does not represent a valid JSON response
If you cannot determine the root cause behind the “Update Failed” issue. The response is not a valid JSON response,” you can rely on workarounds to get rid of this issue completely.
The best alternative solution is to rely on the Classic Editor directly instead of the Gutenberg WordPress editor, because the Classic Editor is directly server-based, and therefore does not need a Rest API connection or anything else.
You can install the Classic Editor using the following steps:
- Log in to the WordPress control panel.
- Choose Plugins >> Add New.
- Find and install the Classic Editor plugin on your site.
In this way, the problem “The update process failed” was solved. The response does not exactly represent a valid JSON response on your site, and we have reached the conclusion of the article, and you can share your experience in solving this problem or seek expertise .
