What is LiteSpeed?

LiteSpeed is a web server software that provides speed and scalability for websites. It is designed to be faster and more efficient than Apache, the most popular web server software on the market. LiteSpeed can handle thousands of concurrent connections with minimal memory and CPU usage, and can protect websites from various attacks with its built-in security features.

LiteSpeed vs Apache

LiteSpeed is compatible with all popular Apache features, including its Rewrite Engine and ModSecurity. It can also load Apache configuration files directly, making it easy to switch from Apache to LiteSpeed without changing any settings. LiteSpeed can fully integrate with control panels written for Apache, such as cPanel, Plesk, DirectAdmin, and more.

However, LiteSpeed has some advantages over Apache that make it a better choice for web hosting. Some of these advantages are:

Event Driven Architecture: LiteSpeed uses an event-driven architecture that allows it to handle more requests with fewer processes and threads. This reduces the overhead and improves the performance of the web server.
HTTP/2, QUIC, HTTP/3 Support: LiteSpeed supports the latest web protocols that enable faster and more secure data transfer between the web server and the browser. These protocols include HTTP/2, QUIC, and HTTP/3, which are not fully supported by Apache yet.
Asynchronous ModSecurity: LiteSpeed can process popular ModSecurity rulesets asynchronously, without blocking the main event loop. This improves the security and performance of the web server, especially under heavy load.
LSCache Engine with ESI: LiteSpeed has a built-in caching engine that can cache dynamic content at the server level. It also supports Edge Side Includes (ESI), which allows it to cache parts of a page separately and combine them later. This reduces the load on the backend and improves the user experience.

LiteSpeed Features

LiteSpeed has many features that make it a powerful and versatile web server software. Some of these features are:

Unlimited Connections: LiteSpeed can support unlimited concurrent connections without any license restrictions or extra fees.
Mass Hosting Support: LiteSpeed can dynamically set up virtual hosts through Redis backend or Rewrite Rules, making it ideal for mass hosting environments.
CloudLinux Integration: LiteSpeed supports CloudLinux features such as LVE, CageFS, PHP/Ruby/Python Selector, which allow users to isolate and manage their resources on shared servers.
SSL Handshake Offloading: LiteSpeed can offload SSL handshake operations to avoid clogging the main event loop. This improves the HTTPS performance and reduces the CPU load on the web server.

LiteSpeed Web Server Editions

LiteSpeed offers four different editions of its web server software, each with different features and pricing. They are:

OpenLiteSpeed: This is the open source and free edition of LiteSpeed. It has most of the features of LiteSpeed, except for some advanced ones such as LSCache, ESI, QUIC, HTTP/3, and CloudLinux integration. It is suitable for personal or hobby projects that do not require high performance or scalability.
LiteSpeed Standard: This is the entry-level paid edition of LiteSpeed. It has all the features of OpenLiteSpeed, plus LSCache, ESI, QUIC, HTTP/3, and CloudLinux integration. It is suitable for small to medium-sized websites that need speed and security.
LiteSpeed Enterprise: This is the premium paid edition of LiteSpeed. It has all the features of LiteSpeed Standard, plus unlimited connections, mass hosting support, SSL handshake offloading, and more. It is suitable for large-scale websites that need high performance and scalability.
LiteSpeed ADC: This is the application delivery controller edition of LiteSpeed. It has all the features of LiteSpeed Enterprise, plus load balancing, caching proxy, web application firewall, and more. It is suitable for enterprise-level applications that need high availability and reliability.

Conclusion

LiteSpeed is a web server software that provides speed and scalability for websites. It is faster and more efficient than Apache, and supports the latest web protocols and technologies. It has various features and editions to suit different needs and budgets. LiteSpeed can help you improve your website performance and user experience.

What is LiteSpeed?