What is a LiteSpeed Server?
The LiteSpeed Web Server is a completely compatible Apache drop-in replacement. It’s produced by LiteSpeed Technologies
This means that it can be used to replace an existing Apache server, without changing any other programs or operating system details, and without breaking anything.
It even reads Apache configuration files.
LiteSpeed is a product of New Jersey-based LightSpeed Technologies.
What is a Web Server?
A web server is a computer application that receives requests via HTTP (and other protocols) and then delivers files and other assets back in response.
The web server sits on a computer system and stands between the internet and the rest of the files and processes of the computer.
What is the Most Popular Web Server?
The most popular web server software is the open-source program called Apache.
LiteSpeed Web Server is a direct, drop-in replacement for Apache.
LiteSpeed Web Server Overview
LiteSpeed is the most popular commercial web server available for Linux and Unix systems.
Do I Need LiteSpeed?
Compared to Apache, Litespeed offers greater speed and performance through a number of proprietary features.
Notable among those is its event-driven architecture, which greatly reduces the number of new processes launched by the web server.
Another noteworthy performance boost comes from the way LiteSpeed handles scripting languages like PHP, Ruby, and Python. The LiteSpeed Server API increases script interpretation performance by up to 50%.
The scripts don’t have to change to get the benefit, but the language interpreter needs to be rebuilt to include LSAPI support.
How Does LiteSpeed Compare to Other Popular Web Servers?
| Apache | LiteSpeed | NGINX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to Use | Free (Open Source) | Proprietary | Free (Open Source) |
| Out-of-Box Load | Bloated | Light | Light |
| Speed | Good | Excellent | Excellent |
| Ease of Finding Hosting | Very Easy | Easy | Easy |
| Support Community | Excellent | Great | Good |
What Are The Main Features of LiteSpeed Web Server?
Yes, the list is long – but it’s worth familiarizing yourself with these features.
- Runs on Linux, FreeBSD, Mac OS X, and Solaris.
- HTTP 1.1, with backwards compatibility for HTTP 1.0.
- HTTPS support, including TLS (v1.1 and 1.2), SSL, SNI, and OCSP stapling. Can be configured for PCI compliance.
- SSL Acceleration speeds the delivery of secure content.
- Event-driven architecture conserves resources and serves more connections, faster.
- Full support for scripting languages like PHP, Ruby, Python, Perl, and Java through ultra-fast LiteSpeed Server API (LSAPI).
- IPV4 and IPV6.
- Unlimited IP-based and name-based virtual hosts.
- Unlimited concurrent connections.
- GZIP compression.
- Faster HTTP throughput with SPDY 2 and 3.
- Websockets and Websocket Proxying.
- Full compatibility with Apache httpd.config and .htaccess files, with added .htaccess caching.
- Compatible with mod_security features.
- Supports all Apache-based control panels, including cPanel, Plesk, and Direct Admin.
- Control panel plugins allowing for web server administration from the control panel.
- Drop-in replacement for Apache from the control panel.
- Compatible with all Apache modules.
- Optimized memory use.
- Asynchronous input/output processing to reduce latency.
- Shared hosting PHP reduces the overall number of PHP processes, conserving resources.
- Automated and highly configurable caching.
- Edge Side Includes allowing sections of a single resource to be delivered differently. This can significantly speed up the loading of templated content management systems like WordPress.
- Web Application Buffering.
- CPU process binding in multi-CPU deployments, allowing increased use of CPU caching.
- Connection and bandwidth throttling, to stop attackers or others who make too many connections and requests.
- Detailed HTTP Request Validation, including denial of requests for hidden files, and configurable settings for maximum URL, header, and body lengths.
- suEXEC mode for PHP, Ruby, CGI, and FCGI.
- chroot jailing.
- No-downtime configuration changes and entire upgrades, through a piecemeal process, restart feature.
- Auto restart of interrupted processes.
- Graphical Web Admin console.
- Virtual host templates that offer pre-configured setups for a number of general and specialized virtual host situations.
- Robust, real-time statistics on usage, performance, speed, and diagnostic checks.
- Multiple, concurrent versions of PHP, configurable all the way to the level of individual files.
- Geolocation by IP address.
- Piped loggers to stream log data to a remote location.
- Automatic and configurable load balancing.
- Video Streaming.
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What are the Technical Requirements for Installing LiteSpeed?
For optimal performance, you’ll want to ensure you’re running LiteSpeed on a server with the following elements:
- Operating System: Linux(i386), CentOS, Ubuntu, Debian, Solaris, FreeBSD, macOS (check with the manufacturer for minimum version numbers)
- Processor: Intel 80486 and up, PowerPC G4 or better
- Memory: 32 MB minimum
- Disk Space: 200 MB for installation, 300 MB minimum for runtime
- Command Line Access: installation, setup, and configuration of LiteSpeed requires access to the command line (there is no GUI alternative).
LiteSpeed Web Server Editions
The LiteSpeed web server is available in two editions:
- LiteSpeed Web Server
- OpenLiteSpeed
What is OpenLiteSpeed?
OpenLiteSpeed is an open-source server released under the GPL license.
Anyone can use it for free. It’s also available under an OEM license for anyone who wants to make it part of a proprietary product.
OpenLiteSpeed is a good way to get your feet wet with LiteSpeed, but know that it comes with a lot of limitations on how it can be used.
What are the Limitations of OpenLiteSpeed?
It’s not supported or compatible with web hosting control panels, and it doesn’t claim full Apache compatibility.
A big issue is that it doesn’t support .htaccess files, which many website administrators consider essential. It also doesn’t support mod_security, an Apache firewall module.
The OpenLiteSpeed edition is most appropriate for self-managed hosting environments, where the servers are owned by the people using them, and a hosting control panel is not required.
LightSpeed Web Server
LiteSpeed Web Server is fully featured, fully supported, and has no usage limits.
It includes a page caching feature that isn’t available in OpenLiteSpeed. LiteSpeed Web Server is available with premium Service Level Agreement (SLA) contracts, to ensure a high level of support.
The Enterprise Edition is the most appropriate choice for web hosting providers who sell hosting services to others.
Add-on Software for LiteSpeed
Several add-ons are available from LiteSpeed for a monthly fee or one-time license.
LiteSpeed Web ADC is a load balancer that provides application firewall protection and DDoS filtering.
Cache plugins are available for the WordPress, XenForo, and Magento web applications.
WordPress Plugins
The WordPress plugin caches images by converting them to the WebP format, which compresses files better than JPEG.
The LiteMage Cache for Magento is tightly integrated with the Magento page structure and combines multiple blocks in a single request.
The add-on for XenForo (a PHP-based forum hosting application) is free and open source. It caches pages only for users who aren’t logged in.
Do I Need LiteSpeed Webhosting for my Site?
Which web server software you should look for in a host service depends on your requirements.
If you serve mostly static content and don’t have unusually high-performance requirements, Apache’s familiarity and large support community make it a good choice.
What is a Good, Open-Source Alternative to OpenLiteSpeed?
If you’re looking for an open-source server that delivers better performance, you should consider Nginx as an alternative to OpenLiteSpeed.
Its performance is similar. Nginx has better Apache compatibility, including the ability to use popular control panels. Very few host services even offer OpenLiteSpeed, though you can install it on a VPS or dedicated server.
It’s the commercial-grade LiteSpeed Web Server which stands out the most against its competitors.
LiteSpeed As a Premium Add-on
Many web hosting companies offer LiteSpeed Web Server as a premium add-on feature to replace the default Apache web server that comes with a hosting plan.
Other hosting plans include it automatically. Be sure to check.
My Recommendations for LiteSpeed Web Hosting
When opting for LiteSpeed, which hosts are the best options?
Here are my recommendations to get your research started.
A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting makes LiteSpeed available in its Turbo and Managed VPS hosting plans, pre-installed and pre-configured.
It’s available for the semi-managed VPS and the Flex dedicated server but requires manual installation. With Turbo Web Hosting, you can install the LightSpeed WordPress cache plugin.
Customers get a 99.9% uptime guarantee, 24/7 support by phone, chat, or ticket, and data centers on three continents. The Turbo option delivers the highest speed with optimized software and limited users per server.
Liquid Web
Liquid Web offers LiteSpeed on its dedicated servers as an optional alternative to Apache.
The site mentions only PHP4 and PHP5 compatibility and the “Learn More” link is broken, though, so it’s not clear how up to date Liquid Web’s commitment is.
The web host specializes in managed services, and it gives guaranteed support response times around the clock, as well as guaranteeing 100% uptime.
GreenGeeks
GreenGeeks moved to LiteSpeed in 2016 but may still be in the process of upgrading some servers. It has data centers in the US, Canada, and the Netherlands, and it promises 99.9% uptime.
It offers shared, reseller, VPS, and dedicated hosting plans. All hosting plans include cPanel.
Support is available 24/7 by chat and email, and phone. (Phone support has more limited hours.) As its name suggests, it stresses eco-friendliness in its data centers.
Pros and Cons of LiteSpeed
In a nutshell: here’s a convenient summary of the pros and cons of LiteSpeed.
Pros
- Highly compatible with Apache web server, with better performance
- Commercial support
- Add-ons for further performance improvement
Cons
- Paid license required
- Open source available, but lacks important features
Other features in Web Servers
Looking for the right LiteSpeed host?
A2 Hosting scored #1 in our recent speed and performance tests. Right now you can save up to 50% on their LiteSpeed plans. Use this discount link to get the deal.
LiteSpeed Frequently Asked Questions
- Do I have to know how to program to use LiteSpeed?
Yes. You need to be comfortable using the command line, and you’ll need root access to your server.
If you can’t get root access, you can install LiteSpeed using the sudo command line, but you can only control LiteSpeed from the sudo command line thereafter.
- What are the disadvantages of LiteSpeed?
Apache is free, whereas LiteSpeed is not. This can push up the price of hosting. Additionally, some developers complain about LiteSpeed licensing because it directly impacts the types of software you can host on the server.
- What are the alternatives to LiteSpeed?
There are two main open source alternatives to LiteSpeed, and they are the most commonly used web servers on the internet: Apache and Nginx.
Apache is the most commonly used web server on the market, and has been the market leader for at least 20 years.
Nginx is an event-driven alternative to LiteSpeed; both LiteSpeed and Apache are process-driven.
IIS is another popular web server that can be considered an alternative. However, it only runs on Windows-based systems.
Lucas Rolff
June 15, 2019
There’s a few things in your article that isn’t correct or up to date:
> HTTP 1.1, with backwards compatibility for HTTP 1.0.
HTTP2 and QUIC being available as well
> HTTPS support, including TLS (v1.1 and 1.2), SSL, SNI, and OCSP stapling. Can be configured for PCI compliance.
LiteSpeed supports TLSv1.3 as well
> GZIP compression.
Brotli being available as well
> A big issue is that it doesn’t support .htaccess files, which many website administrators consider essential. It also doesn’t support mod_security, an Apache firewall module.
OpenLiteSpeed does support .htaccess files, it however does not understand all directives, and changes to the file requires a restart – but you can have your rewrite rules in .htaccess, and OpenLiteSpeed will read it just fine.
Additionally OpenLiteSpeed does support mod_security.
> It includes a page caching feature which isn’t available in OpenLiteSpeed.
You do have page caching in OpenLiteSpeed, however no ESI support.
> Its performance is similar. Nginx has better Apache compatibility, including the ability to use popular control panels.
nginx does not have better Apache compatibility compared to OpenLiteSpeed – in fact nginx has no apache compatibility what so ever.
Also it might be good to mention that you can get LiteSpeed Web Server Enterprise for free – however it’s limited to machines with 2 gigabyte of memory, but it’s still a great option for those who run single sites on VMs for example.
Lucas Rolff
June 15, 2019
Additionally you state in your FAQ:
> Nginx is an event-driven alternative to LiteSpeed; both LiteSpeed and Apache are process-driven.
LiteSpeed is event-driven and *not* process-driven.