lsphp Configuration

Learning Focus

By the end of this lesson you will know how to set up the lsphp external application in WebAdmin, configure the command path, and verify it runs correctly.

What lsphp Configuration Does

The lsphp external application definition tells OpenLiteSpeed which PHP binary to use, how to communicate with it, and what resource limits to apply.

Configuring in WebAdmin

Step 1: Navigate to External Apps

1. Go to Server Configuration → External App (or per-vhost External App)
2. Click Add

Step 2: Fill in the Settings

Setting	Value	Notes
Name	lsphp84	Descriptive name
Address	uds://tmp/lshttpd/lsphp.sock	Unix domain socket path
Max Connections	35	Adjust based on RAM
Command	/usr/local/lsws/lsphp84/bin/lsphp	Path to the lsphp binary
Instances	1	Usually 1 for auto-management
Environment	PHP_LSAPI_MAX_REQUESTS=1000	Optional tuning

Step 3: Save and Test

# Verify the binary exists
ls -la /usr/local/lsws/lsphp84/bin/lsphp

# Reload OpenLiteSpeed
sudo /usr/local/lsws/bin/lswsctrl restart

# Check that lsphp processes start
ps aux | grep lsphp | grep -v grep

# Test PHP execution
curl http://localhost/info.php

info

The Command path must point to the correct lsphp binary for your desired PHP version. Different versions have different binary paths (e.g., lsphp81, lsphp83, lsphp84).

Common Configuration Mistakes

Mistake	Symptom	Fix
Wrong binary path	503 error on PHP pages	Verify path with ls -la
Socket permission issue	Connection refused	Check /tmp/lshttpd/ permissions
Max connections too low	Slow under load	Increase, but check RAM
Missing PHP extensions	Application errors	Install missing lsphp84-* packages

Key Takeaways

• The external app definition connects OpenLiteSpeed to a specific PHP binary.
• Always verify the binary path, socket path, and connection limits.
• Test with a simple PHP file after any configuration change.

What's Next

• Continue to Socket Configuration for detailed socket setup.