How to avoid 504 when making an API call

I am using the following code to create a request from my node application to call an API.

var options = {
      host: "www.something.com",
      path: "/api/something.php",
      method: "POST"
    };

var request = https.request(options, callback);
request.write(str);
request.end();

Sometimes I am getting a response with Status Code - 504

Will increasing the timeout of the app help?

When I get a response with 504, does it mean the the gateways in between my client and the API server gave up?

Or is the problem with my client?