OpenLiteSpeed

OpenLiteSpeed is the open-source edition of the LiteSpeed web server. In AdminBolt it is a third choice of web server next to MyApache (Apache) and LiteSpeed Enterprise: no license to buy, LSPHP for PHP, and LSCache for page caching.

This page is the end-to-end guide. Each screen has its own reference page, linked below.

What it provides

• OpenLiteSpeed as the active web server for every site on the node, installed from the Module Manager.
• A dashboard with the server state, switching, restart, and the WebAdmin console with its own credentials.
• A choice of how .htaccess files are applied, including a per-request module mode with no restarts.
• Server tuning (connections, timeouts, request body size, and gzip) from the panel.
• Error and access log viewers.
• LSPHP as the PHP engine, with the same PHP Engine Migration page LiteSpeed Enterprise uses.
• LSCache per domain, for both admins and account owners.

Before you start

• OpenLiteSpeed and LiteSpeed Enterprise cannot coexist. Both use /usr/local/lsws, so a server runs one or the other. Remove LiteSpeed Enterprise before installing OpenLiteSpeed.
• Switching affects every site on the node, so pick a quiet moment.
• Alt-PHP blocks the switch. On CloudLinux, a domain assigned to an Alt-PHP version has to move to an LSPHP or PHP-FPM version first; OpenLiteSpeed cannot serve Alt-PHP.
• OpenLiteSpeed is not LiteSpeed Enterprise. It reads .htaccess only on restart rather than natively per request, which is the difference the .htaccess handling setting exists to bridge. If unmodified .htaccess behavior matters more than the license cost, use LiteSpeed Enterprise.

Install OpenLiteSpeed

1. Go to Admin → Applications → Modules (Module Manager).
2. Install the OpenLiteSpeed module.
3. Open OpenLiteSpeed → Dashboard (OpenLiteSpeed Dashboard). The Web Server card should report OpenLiteSpeed installed: Yes with the service state next to it.

Installing does not switch anything: Apache keeps serving until you switch.

Switch the active web server

1. On the OpenLiteSpeed Dashboard, click Switch to OpenLiteSpeed and confirm.
2. The panel stops MyApache, generates the native OpenLiteSpeed configuration for every domain, and starts OpenLiteSpeed.
3. Success is reported once OpenLiteSpeed has started. If the configuration cannot be generated or the service does not start, the panel reports the failure and puts the previous web server back on the ports. Apache is stopped early in the switch, so verify the service state yourself after a failed attempt: the recovery is best effort and only logs when the previous server will not start either.
4. Check a few sites, then review the error logs.

If some domains fail to generate their virtual host, the switch still completes and the notification says how many to review.

To go back, use Switch to MyApache. Domains still assigned to LSPHP have to be moved back to REMI first.

Choose how .htaccess is applied

OpenLiteSpeed loads .htaccess rewrite rules when it starts. On the dashboard, pick a Mode:

• Restart on change (recommended) - a watcher notices a changed .htaccess and gracefully restarts the server, so rules behave as they do on Apache.
• Per-request module (experimental) - .htaccess is interpreted per request, with no restarts. Requires the bolt-ols-htaccess package.
• Off - .htaccess files are not applied.

Panel-managed protections (IP blockers, private directories, error pages, and index settings) are written natively into the virtual host in every mode. Hand-written directives that are not rewrite rules, such as Deny from or AuthUserFile, are not interpreted.

A site using a directive module mode does not cover falls back to restart-on-change on its own and is listed on the dashboard with the offending directive. Clean the file up, then use Retry on that site.

Move PHP engines to LSPHP

OpenLiteSpeed serves PHP through LSPHP, the same binaries LiteSpeed Enterprise uses. Use PHP Engine Migration to move domains and plans between REMI PHP and LSPHP; the page follows whichever LiteSpeed-family module is installed and appears in its navigation group.

Run the migration in the LSPHP → REMI direction before switching back to MyApache, otherwise the panel refuses the switch and names the domains still on LSPHP.

Manage LSCache

• Account owners manage the cache for their own domains on the client LiteSpeed Cache page, which is available on OpenLiteSpeed when their hosting plan grants the feature.
• Admins manage and purge the cache for every domain on the server from the admin LiteSpeed Cache page.

Server settings and logs

• OpenLiteSpeed Settings - max connections, connection and keep-alive timeouts, max request body size, and gzip. Saving rebuilds the configuration and restarts the server gracefully.
• OpenLiteSpeed Error Logs and OpenLiteSpeed Access Logs.

Login shortcut URLs

The /cpanel, /panel, and /webmail shortcuts on hosted domains are served the same way on Apache, LiteSpeed, and OpenLiteSpeed, and are configured from one shared section on the MyApache Settings and LiteSpeed Settings pages. They survive a settings save and a web server switch.

Open the WebAdmin console

WebAdmin Console on the dashboard shows the console URL, the admin username, and the generated password, with Reset WebAdmin Password to rotate it. The console is OpenLiteSpeed's own tool; keep its port reachable only from trusted networks.

Who can do what

Task	Admin	Reseller	Account owner
Install the module, switch the web server	Yes	No	No
Server tuning, logs, WebAdmin console	Yes	No	No
.htaccess mode, retry a fallen-back site	Yes	No	No
LSCache for every domain	Yes	No	No
LSCache for own domains	Yes	No	Yes, when the plan grants it

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Where to look
A rewrite rule does not take effect	The .htaccess mode and the fallback list on the dashboard. In watcher mode, check the suppressed restart counter.
A site returns 403 or 401 unexpectedly	Hand-written access directives are not interpreted. Use the panel's IP blockers and directory privacy instead.
The switch reports a failure	The previous web server is put back on the ports, best effort. Confirm a web server is actually running, read the message, then the error logs.
PHP does not run after switching	The domain is probably still on REMI. Check PHP Engine Migration.
The module offers only Uninstall after packages were removed by hand	Reopen the Module Manager; it reconciles the state with what is on disk.

Known limitations

• Cannot be installed alongside LiteSpeed Enterprise.
• Module mode is experimental and covers rewrite directives only.
• Hand-written non-rewrite .htaccess directives are not interpreted in any mode.

Further reading

• OpenLiteSpeed Dashboard
• OpenLiteSpeed Settings
• LiteSpeed - the Enterprise edition, and how the two differ.
• OpenLiteSpeed documentation