OpenLiteSpeed Documentation

A comprehensive guide to installing, configuring, and operating OpenLiteSpeed — a high-performance, event-driven web server built for speed, low resource usage, and modern web workloads.

CLI-First Philosophy

This documentation is written for administrators who work in tmux, navigate with yazi, and build automation with bash. Every task is covered via the command line. You do not need the WebAdmin GUI for day-to-day operations. OpenAI-powered tools like opencode can be piped directly with log output and config files for AI-assisted debugging.

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Learning Path

1. Foundations

Start here to understand the server model, filesystem layout, and admin workflow.

• Core Foundations — Server basics, installation, directory layout, and CLI management
• Server Configuration — Listeners, virtual hosts, server settings, and config files

2. Core Workflows

Master the layers that make OpenLiteSpeed fast and efficient.

Layer	Module	Focus
Tune	Performance Optimization	Caching, compression, static delivery, and connection tuning
Execute	PHP Integration	LSAPI, external apps, handlers, and PHP tuning
Protect	Security	TLS, access control, ModSecurity, and DDoS protections
Observe	Logging and Monitoring	Logs, statistics, and operational metrics

3. Edge & CDN Integration

Connect OpenLiteSpeed to Cloudflare for caching, security, and global delivery.

• Cloudflare Integration — DNS, proxy behavior, real IP handling, and edge security
• Cloudflare SSL Full (Strict) Setup — Origin certificates, listener SSL, dashboard settings, and verification

4. Advanced & Reference

Expert-level routing, containerization, automation, and troubleshooting.

• Advanced Features — Rewrite engine, reverse proxy, containers, CLI management, and bash automation
• Troubleshooting and Maintenance — Reloads, diagnostics, SSL failures, and upgrades

5. Cheatsheets

Quick-reference cards for every OLS operation — designed for fast lookup in a tmux session.

Cheatsheet	What It Covers
CLI Quick Reference	All CLI commands — service, logs, PHP, diagnostics
Config File Syntax	httpd_config.conf and vhconf.conf directives
Virtual Host Setup	Complete vhost workflow CLI to live site
PHP & lsphp Tuning	OPcache, process limits, extensions, overrides
Security Hardening	SSL, headers, IP rules, ModSecurity
Performance Tuning	HTTP/2, compression, caching, benchmarking
Troubleshooting Matrix	Errors → root cause → exact fix
Automation & Bash Scripts	Production scripts, cron, opencode workflows

OpenLiteSpeed at a Glance

Request Flow: What Happens When a Browser Hits Your Server

Tooling Matrix

Tool	Role	Best For
OpenLiteSpeed	Web server	Self-managed VPS, PHP hosting, WordPress
LiteSpeed Enterprise	Web server (commercial)	Shared hosting, enterprise support, advanced features
Nginx	Web server / reverse proxy	Static serving, upstream proxying, microservices
Apache	Web server	Legacy applications, .htaccess-heavy stacks
Cloudflare	CDN / Edge proxy	Edge caching, DDoS, WAF, DNS management

Quick Start

first-setup.sh

# 1) Add the LiteSpeed repository
wget -O - https://repo.litespeed.sh | sudo bash

# 2) Install OpenLiteSpeed and PHP
sudo apt update
sudo apt install openlitespeed lsphp84 lsphp84-common lsphp84-mysql

# 3) Set the admin password
sudo /usr/local/lsws/admin/misc/admpass.sh

# 4) Start the service
sudo systemctl start lsws

# 5) Verify — open in your browser
#    Default site:   http://your-server-ip:8088
#    WebAdmin panel: https://your-server-ip:7080

Prerequisites

• Basic Linux administration (SSH, file permissions, package management)
• Comfort with DNS, ports, and TLS terminology
• Familiarity with PHP hosting helps but is not required

Success Criteria

By the end of this documentation, you will be able to:

• Install and operate OpenLiteSpeed on Linux.
• Build clean listener and virtual host layouts.
• Tune caching, compression, and HTTP protocol settings.
• Run PHP efficiently with lsphp through LSAPI.
• Secure deployments with TLS, ModSecurity, and Cloudflare.
• Set up Cloudflare SSL Full (Strict) with origin certificates.
• Diagnose common server, permission, and SSL issues.