OpenLiteSpeed
Web server accelerator software
Web accelerator software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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What is OpenLiteSpeed
OpenLiteSpeed is an open-source HTTP web server designed to serve dynamic and static web content with an emphasis on performance and efficient resource usage. It is commonly deployed by hosting providers and administrators running PHP-based sites (including WordPress) and applications that can benefit from event-driven request handling and built-in caching options. The project is the open-source edition of LiteSpeed’s web server line and supports features such as HTTP/3/QUIC, TLS, and reverse-proxy style deployments.
Open-source web server core
OpenLiteSpeed is released as open-source software, which can reduce licensing friction for self-managed deployments. It provides a full web-server stack rather than only a caching layer, so it can replace or sit in front of application servers depending on architecture. This makes it a viable option for teams that want a configurable server with acceleration features without adopting a proprietary control plane.
HTTP/3 and modern TLS
OpenLiteSpeed supports modern web transport features such as HTTP/3/QUIC and contemporary TLS configurations. This can help administrators serve compatible clients with lower-latency connection setup and improved behavior on lossy networks. It also supports common operational needs such as virtual hosting and certificate-based HTTPS deployments.
Integrated caching for PHP sites
OpenLiteSpeed includes server-side caching capabilities and is commonly used with the LiteSpeed Cache plugin for WordPress to provide page caching and related optimizations. For PHP workloads, it supports LSAPI, which is designed to run PHP efficiently under LiteSpeed-based servers. This combination can reduce origin load for content-heavy sites compared with relying solely on an external caching proxy.
Enterprise features in paid edition
OpenLiteSpeed is the community/open-source edition and does not include all capabilities available in LiteSpeed Technologies’ commercial offerings. Certain enterprise requirements (for example, specific support commitments or advanced features) may require migrating to a paid product. This can introduce a later-stage cost or product change for growing deployments.
Not a global edge network
OpenLiteSpeed runs as software on your own servers or VMs and does not provide a globally distributed edge network by itself. Organizations needing worldwide traffic steering, DDoS absorption at the edge, or globally anycast acceleration typically require additional infrastructure or services. As a result, it addresses origin performance more than internet-scale delivery.
Smaller ecosystem than incumbents
Compared with long-established web servers and dedicated caching proxies, OpenLiteSpeed has a smaller third-party module ecosystem and fewer standardized enterprise integrations. Some advanced traffic management patterns may require custom configuration or external components. Teams may also find fewer community examples for niche use cases.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| OpenLiteSpeed (Open Source) | Free — GPLv3 | Free to download, use, distribute, and modify under GPLv3. Includes built-in WebAdmin GUI, event-driven architecture, intelligent full-page cache, QUIC/HTTP3 support. For proprietary OEM use, contact LiteSpeed for licensing. |
Seller details
LiteSpeed Technologies Inc.
New Jersey, United States
2002
Private
https://www.litespeedtech.com/
https://x.com/litespeedtech
https://www.linkedin.com/company/litespeed-technologies/
