129 lines
5.6 KiB
Markdown
129 lines
5.6 KiB
Markdown
# LiteSpeed Server Appliance
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An Open Source Appliance from Robbie Ferguson
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(c) 2025 Robbie Ferguson – Licensed under Apache 2.0
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## Overview
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The LiteSpeed Server Appliance is a fast, modern web server environment built on:
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* **OpenLiteSpeed** for blazing-fast HTTP/3-powered web serving
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* **MariaDB** for robust, MySQL-compatible databases
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* **PHP 8.3** and essential extensions
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* **Redis**, GZIP, and Brotli for performance and caching
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* **Self-signed SSL** out of the box, with **Let's Encrypt support via Certbot**
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It's perfect for hosting WordPress or other high-performance websites and apps on
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low-powered hardware such as Raspberry Pi.
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---
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## ⚡ Why OpenLiteSpeed?
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**OpenLiteSpeed** is a next-generation web server built for performance, efficiency, and scalability, making it the clear choice over platforms like Apache in 2025.
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Developed by LiteSpeed Technologies, OpenLiteSpeed is the open-source counterpart to their enterprise LiteSpeed Web Server (LSWS). While the enterprise version includes premium features and commercial support, OpenLiteSpeed provides a powerful, free alternative with impressive speed, lower resource usage than other open source server platforms, built-in caching, and support for modern web technologies. OpenLiteSpeed is perfect for developers, hobbyists, and production deployments alike.
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- 🚀 **Blazing Fast**: OpenLiteSpeed serves dynamic PHP content up to **6× faster than Apache** and **2× faster than NGINX**, thanks to its event-driven architecture and LSAPI.
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- 🔋 **Low Resource Usage**: Designed with modern workloads in mind, OpenLiteSpeed can handle high traffic on modest hardware with a fraction of the CPU and memory usage of traditional servers. Did someone say Raspberry Pi?
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- 🔄 **Effortless Scalability**: Handles thousands of concurrent connections with ease! No need for complex tuning or reverse proxy layers.
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- 🔒 **Built-in HTTP/3, QUIC, and Brotli**: Stay ahead with cutting-edge protocols and compression for superior speed and SEO.
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- 🧩 **Compatible with .htaccess & Apache-style Configs**: Easily migrate sites from Apache without rewriting your code or server configs.
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- 🧠 **Smart Caching and Optimization**: Especially when paired with LSCache (see below) OpenLiteSpeed delivers ultra-fast load times even under heavy load.
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Whether you're running a small VPS or scaling to enterprise traffic, **OpenLiteSpeed delivers unmatched performance with minimal overhead** and it's 100% open source.
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## Web Server Performance
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Serving a 10 KB PHP page (SSL LABS latency test, 50 concurrent requests)
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| Web Server | Requests per Second |
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|-----------------|---------------------|
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| Apache 2 | 5.5 |
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| NGINX | 16.1 |
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| OpenLiteSpeed | **34.2** |
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🧪 *Numbers vary slightly based on configuration, caching, and hardware. These values are approximate based on benchmark tests from LiteSpeedTech and real-world tests from server comparison blogs (2023–2025).*
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### 🔧 Enabling LSCache via `.htaccess`
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OpenLiteSpeed includes support for [LSCache](https://www.litespeedtech.com/products/cache-plugins) by default. LSCache is a high-performance, server-level cache engine that significantly improves website speed and reduces server load.
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To enable LSCache for your site:
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1. **Create or edit** a `.htaccess` file in your document root (e.g., `/var/www/html/.htaccess`)
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2. **Add the following LSCache rules:**
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```apache
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<IfModule LiteSpeed>
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CacheEnable public /
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CacheEnable private /
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CacheExpiresActive On
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CacheExpiresByType text/html A300
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</IfModule>
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```
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3. **Restart OpenLiteSpeed** to apply the changes:
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```bash
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systemctl restart lsws
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```
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> **Note:** This configuration example caches both public and private content and sets a default expiration of 300 seconds (5 minutes) for HTML content. You can customize these values to suit your needs. You may wish to disable caching during active development, as it can prevent you from seeing changes immediately.
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---
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## Default Settings
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* Web Root: `/var/www/html`
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* WebAdmin Panel: `https://your-server-ip:7080`
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* Set admin password: `/usr/local/lsws/admin/misc/admpass.sh` (as root)
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* Web View: `https://your-server/`
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* UFW Firewall: Enabled (Ports 22, 80, 443, 7080 allowed)
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* php.ini is located at /usr/local/lsws/lsphp83/etc/php/83/litespeed/php.ini
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---
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## SSL Setup
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### ✅ Configured Out-of-the-box
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* A **self-signed SSL certificate** is preinstalled and active for your site on port 443.
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* This lets you test HTTPS immediately with a browser security exception.
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### 🔒 Upgrade to Let's Encrypt SSL (Recommended)
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1. Let's Encrypt certbot is already installed and ready.
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2. Ensure your domain points to this server.
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3. Run:
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```bash
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certbot certonly --webroot -w /var/www/html -d yourdomain.com
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```
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4. Update LiteSpeed's config to use the real cert:
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```
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certFile /etc/letsencrypt/live/yourdomain.com/fullchain.pem
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keyFile /etc/letsencrypt/live/yourdomain.com/privkey.pem
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```
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5. Restart LiteSpeed:
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```bash
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systemctl restart lsws
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```
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---
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## Notes
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* The appliance does **not** include WordPress or any CMS by default. Install your web site or CMS to /var/www/html/
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* All configuration happens during the build phase. End users can begin using the server immediately.
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* File uploads, rewrite rules, caching behavior, and database settings can be optimized, but editing of defaults via LiteSpeed WebAdmin or php.ini is entirely open.
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---
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## Support & Licensing
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This appliance is open source and released under the **Apache 2.0 license**. Use at your own risk. Contributions and forks are welcome.
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