Apache, Nginx or OpenLiteSpeed: which one to pick?

Apache, Nginx and OpenLiteSpeed all do the job. Your needs and habits decide, not a speed contest. WordPress.org recommends Apache or Nginx for WordPress. If your site depends on .htaccess files, Apache is the natural fit. If you want a lean configuration and a reverse proxy, pick Nginx. If you want a server-level WordPress cache and management from a web interface, OpenLiteSpeed is the better match.

The three web servers at a glance

Apache: .htaccess and familiarity

Apache is one of the most widely known options. With .htaccess files you can change settings directory by directory. Sites moved from shared hosting and many plugins rely on that file. Apache's own documentation, however, tells you to put rules in the main configuration file when you have access to it, because .htaccess is looked up in every directory on every request. On your own VPS you have root access, so you have that option. A common choice is to run PHP through PHP-FPM, with Apache in its event-driven event mode. On Ubuntu and Debian you switch modules on and off with a2enmod and sites with a2ensite.

Nginx: lean configuration and reverse proxy

Nginx is event-driven. Its official site describes it as a web server, reverse proxy, content cache and load balancer. It is a common choice for serving static files and for sitting in front of other applications. There is no .htaccess support, and the Nginx project's own blog says per-directory configuration files are not supported. For an application such as WordPress, you write the try_files rule that pretty permalinks need into the server configuration yourself. WordPress's official documentation shows the rule. PHP runs through PHP-FPM. In the Ubuntu and Debian package you write sites under /etc/nginx/sites-available and link them into sites-enabled. You test a change with sudo nginx -t and apply it with sudo systemctl reload nginx.

OpenLiteSpeed: WordPress cache and web interface

OpenLiteSpeed is the open-source edition of LiteSpeed Web Server Enterprise, and it is released under GPLv3. The same team develops both, and the Enterprise edition needs a license. OpenLiteSpeed can use Apache-compatible rewrite rules, so WordPress's permalink rules mostly work as they are. If an old site's .htaccess contains directives other than rewrite rules, test them before you move, because OpenLiteSpeed ignores directives it doesn't support without raising an error.

The server-level cache of the LiteSpeed Cache plugin for WordPress only works on LiteSpeed products. According to the plugin's documentation, on other servers only its optimization features are available. The web admin interface opens on port 7080 by default. Don't leave that port open to everyone. Open it only to your own IP address.

Caddy is an option too

For small projects you can consider Caddy as well. When you write a domain name in its configuration, it obtains and renews the HTTPS certificate on its own. According to its official documentation, this needs the domain's DNS record to point to the server and ports 80 and 443 to be reachable from outside. Its configuration file (the Caddyfile) is very short. In return there is no .htaccess support, so rules go into the configuration there too. Seturack's web-based ready-made apps, such as WordPress, use Caddy for HTTPS.

Which one should you pick?

"Which one is faster?" has no single answer. The result depends on the configuration, the PHP settings, caching and the site itself. On a slow WordPress site the web server is rarely the problem. A missing cache, heavy plugins or too little memory are more common causes. Check those before you switch servers. You only see the real difference by trying your own site on your own server. Let these questions guide the choice:

• If you are moving an old site that relies on .htaccess files: Apache.
• If you want a reverse proxy in front of a few applications, or a lean configuration: Nginx.
• If you run a single WordPress site and want a server cache and web-based management: OpenLiteSpeed.
• If you will host several domains, all three can do it: virtual hosts on Apache, server blocks on Nginx. This doesn't decide the choice.
• If you will use a control panel, go with the panel's default. CloudPanel uses Nginx and CyberPanel uses OpenLiteSpeed. HestiaCP installs Nginx together with Apache by default (Apache can be turned off).
• If you are unsure, choose Apache or Nginx. WordPress.org recommends both, and there is plenty of material for each.

Installation and switching later

Apache and Nginx install from Ubuntu's package repository with a single command:

sudo apt install apache2

sudo apt install nginx

If you install both at once, the second one can't take port 80 and won't start. sudo ss -tlnp | grep ':80 ' shows which service listens on port 80. You install OpenLiteSpeed by following the steps in LiteSpeed's official installation documentation. After installing, open the server's IP address in a browser. If you see the welcome page, the service is running. If the page doesn't open from outside, check that ports 80 and 443 are open in the firewall.

Switching later is possible. Your site's files and database stay the same. The configuration is what changes. When you go from Apache to Nginx, you translate the .htaccess rules by hand. Nginx's official documentation has a guide to converting rewrite rules. All three servers can be installed on the same machine, but they can't use ports 80 and 443 at the same time. Try them on a small server first. If you are not happy, you can switch the service without reinstalling the server.

You don't need a big server to try all three. Start with a small size and scale up from the panel. See the pricing page for the price.

If you'd rather start with your chosen web server ready, Seturack's LAMP (Apache), LEMP (Nginx) and OpenLiteSpeed options install themselves. For WordPress there is also WordPress on OpenLiteSpeed.

Ready-made on Seturack: OpenLiteSpeed, WordPress LiteSpeed, LAMP, LEMP.