LiteSpeed Web Server

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LiteSpeed Web Server

The LiteSpeed Web ADC stack comes with HTTP/3 support enabled by default. However, a public IP address is necessary to connect directly to the server over HTTP/3 and avoid the Shared Load Balancer.

LiteSpeed Web Server stands out as a high-performance PHP web server known for its low memory usage and scalability. It leverages the best practices from PHP hosting and combines the strengths of Apache and NGINX while incorporating its unique optimizations.

Key features of LiteSpeed include

  • An event-driven architecture, similar to NGINX, which uses fewer resources compared to Apache’s process-based model, resulting in better performance with minimal memory and CPU consumption.
  • Full compatibility with popular Apache features such as mod_rewrite, .htaccess, and mod_security.
  • Tailored optimizations for widely used hosting platforms like WordPress, Magento, Drupal, and Joomla.
  • Support for caching plugins, advanced anti-DDoS capabilities, and an integrated Web Application Firewall (WAF) for enhanced security.
Note: As a commercial product, LiteSpeed Web Server isn’t available for free distribution; you need a license to use it. When you utilize this application server, there will be an extra cost associated with the required license.

Setting up a new LiteSpeed Web Server on the platform is a simple process:

Step 1. First, log into your dashboard and click on the New Environment button located at the top of the page.

New Environment

Step 2. In the topology wizard that appears, navigate to the PHP engine tab and select LiteSpeed Web Server as your application server.

Select Application Server

To customize your LiteSpeed Web Server, you may need to adjust dedicated environment variables:

  • JELASTIC_AUTOCONFIG: This variable, enabled by default, manages the autoconfiguration of LiteSpeed worker processes based on the allocated RAM and CPU cores. You can disable it if needed.
  • LSWS_MAX_CHILDREN: By default, this variable is hidden as the platform automatically sets the maximum number of child processes to match the available CPU cores for optimal performance. To change this, manually add the variable and restart the server.
  • REDIS_ENABLED: This toggles object caching with Redis. It is set to false by default but can be enabled by setting it to true.
  • WAF: This controls the Web Application Firewall using the Comodo default ruleset. It is disabled by default (false) but can be enabled by setting it to true.
  • WP_PROTECT: Configures actions for WordPress Brute Force Attack Protection. Options are off, on, drop, deny, throttle, or captcha, with off being the default.
  • WP_PROTECT_LIMIT: Sets a limit for the WordPress Brute Force Attack Protection feature, ranging from 0 to 1000, with a default of 10.

Environment Variables

Configure any additional parameters you need (such as cloudlets, disk space, regions, etc.), and click the Create button.

Step 3. Once created, you can view the default phpinfo data on the server by selecting Open in Browser next to your LiteSpeed server:

Open in Browser

Step 4. To manage the server, use the Admin Panel button found in the Additionally list next to the layer. (Access credentials will be sent via email after the node is created.)

LightSpeed admin panel

Note: When working with the platform’s implementation of LiteSpeed via the admin panel, keep the following specifics in mind:

For container stability, use the platform-native redeploy feature instead of the Actions > Version Manager function.

Force Reinstall

Ignore the notification about the license key expiration in Actions > Server Log Viewer, as the leasing is automatically handled by the platform.

Licence key expiration notification

The procedure for deploying an application is the same regardless of the application server.

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License Pricing

The platform incorporates the LiteSpeed license cost using a fair pay-as-you-go model. This means the license fee is charged only for active containers on an hourly basis, up to 70 hours per month. Additionally, license management is entirely automated:

  • New licenses are issued for every new container (e.g., during environment provisioning or horizontal scaling).
  • Licenses are updated when changing the resource limits within each container.
  • Licenses are decommissioned when stopping the environment or scaling in.

You can choose the appropriate plan through the dedicated LiteSpeed License Manager add-on, which is automatically installed on all LiteSpeed-based nodes (LS Web Server, LS ADC, LLSMP) tailored to meet your specific needs.

LiteSpeed License Manager

The add-on lets you select a LiteSpeed plan by setting the necessary limits for:

  • Workers: Specifies the number of processes that will be started to handle general server tasks.
  • Domains: Defines the maximum number of top-level domains allowed (subdomains remain unlimited). Exceeding the domain limit will trigger a 403 error.

Limit settings

The add-on also offers automatic configuration for the LiteMage Cache extension, a widely-used and speedy full-page caching solution that converts dynamic pages into static files. Simply enable the relevant setting within the add-on interface and select the desired plan from the Options field that appears:

  • Starter: 1500 cached objects (0 USD/month)
  • Standard: 25,000 cached objects (39 USD/month)
  • Unlimited: Unlimited cached objects (97 USD/month)

Plan options

Note: The price might differ a bit for platforms using currencies other than USD; it hinges on the current conversion rate when the hourly billing takes place. You can check all the charges on your account by heading to the Billing History section in the dashboard.
Billing history

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