title: How a website should handle a database crash
body: <p>I am currently creating a website in php that has a database backend (can be either MySQL or SQL Server) and I realized recently that if my database crashes at any time, my website will not run properly and probably cause some headaches.</p>
  
  <p>So what is the proper thing to display on the website if my database (or any crucial outside component) goes down? My particular website relies heavily on its database and will be almost useless without it.  </p>
  
  <p>One option I have been told is to email the website admin and display a Error 500 page that says something is wrong with the server and basically make the website unusable till the issue is fixed.  Is there anything else I could do to work around this problem? Are there any ways to design a website so that the database (any crucial component) crashing isn't an issue?</p>
  
  <p>I am looking for general rules of thumb as well as specific examples of how people have worked around this in the past.  Also, these examples don't just have to be for my website example.</p>