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Vultr profile image Sanskriti Harmukh
Sanskriti Harmukh for Vultr

Posted on with Aashish Chaurasiya Originally published at docs.vultr.com

Installing OpenLiteSpeed on Ubuntu 22.04

#linux #webdev #devops #php

OpenLiteSpeed is a free, open-source, high-performance web server with HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 support, native PHP handling, and a graphical admin console for managing virtual hosts. This guide installs it on Ubuntu 22.04, creates a virtual host with a custom web root, and secures it with a real TLS certificate.

Prerequisites: an Ubuntu 22.04 instance, non-root sudo user, a domain A record (e.g. app.example.com).

Install OpenLiteSpeed

Not in the default repos — use the official setup script:

$ wget -O openlitespeed.sh https://repo.litespeed.sh
$ sudo bash openlitespeed.sh
$ sudo apt install openlitespeed -y
$ cat /usr/local/lsws/VERSION
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Manage the Service

Runs as lshttpd.service, aliased to lsws:

$ sudo systemctl enable lshttpd.service
$ sudo systemctl start lsws
$ sudo systemctl status lsws
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Stop/restart with sudo systemctl stop lsws / restart lsws.

Access the Admin Console

Runs on port 7080; default password lives at /usr/local/lsws/admin/password.

$ sudo bash /usr/local/lsws/admin/misc/admpass.sh
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Set a custom admin username and password when prompted, then open the port:

$ sudo ufw allow 7080/tcp
$ sudo ufw reload
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Visit http://SERVER-IP:7080, accept the self-signed cert warning, log in with the credentials you just set.

Move the default listener off 8088 onto standard HTTP:

  1. Listeners → view the Default listener → Edit on Address Settings.
  2. Change Port from 8088 to 80 → Save.
  3. Graceful Restart (top right, next to LSWS PID) → Go.

Create a Virtual Host 

$ sudo mkdir /usr/local/lsws/app.example.com
$ sudo mkdir /usr/local/lsws/app.example.com/{html,logs,conf} -p
$ sudo chown lsadm:lsadm -R /usr/local/lsws/app.example.com/
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  • html — served application files
  • logs — access/error logs
  • conf — site-specific config

In the console:

  1. Virtual Hosts → Add, replacing app.example.com with your domain:
    • Virtual Host Name: app.example.com
    • Virtual Host Root: $SERVER_ROOT/app.example.com/
    • Config File: $SERVER_ROOT/conf/vhosts/$VH_NAME/vhconf.conf
    • Follow Symbolic Link, Enable Scripts/ExtApps, Restrained: Yes
    • External App Set UID Mode: Server UID
  2. Save → CLICK TO CREATE on the config-file-missing prompt → Save again.
  3. Open the new virtual host → General → Edit:
    • Document Root: $VH_ROOT/html/
    • Domain Name: app.example.com
    • Enable GZIP Compression, Enable Brotli Compression: Yes
  4. Log → Edit (error log): Use Server's Log: Yes, File Name: $VH_ROOT/logs/error.log, Log Level: ERROR, Rolling Size: 10M, Keep Days: 30.
  5. Log → Add (access log): Log Control: Own Log File, File Name: $VH_ROOT/logs/access.log, same rolling/retention values.
  6. Rewrite → Edit: Enable Rewrite: Yes, Auto Load from .htaccess: Yes.
  7. Listeners → Default Listener → Virtual Host Mappings → Add: select your virtual host, enter app.example.com in Domains.
  8. Save, then Graceful Restart → Go.

Add a test page:

$ sudo nano /usr/local/lsws/app.example.com/html/index.html
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<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <title>OpenLiteSpeed Server Install Test</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1 style="text-align: center;">It works!</h1>
</body>
</html>
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$ sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
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Visit http://app.example.com and confirm the page loads.

Secure with Let's Encrypt 

$ sudo snap install --classic certbot
$ sudo certbot certonly --webroot -w /usr/local/lsws/app.example.com/html/ --agree-tos --no-eff-email --staple-ocsp --preferred-challenges http -m name@example.com -d app.example.com
$ sudo certbot renew --dry-run
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Certbot doesn't have an OpenLiteSpeed plugin — wire the certificate in manually via the console:

  1. Listeners → Add: Listener Name: HTTPS, IP Address: ANY IPv4, Port: 443, Secure: Yes → Save.
  2. Open the new HTTPS listener → Virtual Host Mappings → Add: Virtual Host: app.example.com, Domains: app.example.com.
  3. SSL → Edit:
    • Private Key File: /etc/letsencrypt/live/app.example.com/privkey.pem
    • Certificate File: /etc/letsencrypt/live/app.example.com/fullchain.pem
    • Chained Certificate: Yes
  4. Save, then Graceful Restart → Go.

For multiple virtual hosts, open each one's SSL tab individually to bind a certificate.

Firewall Rules 

$ sudo ufw allow 22/tcp && sudo ufw enable
$ sudo ufw allow 7080/tcp
$ sudo ufw allow http
$ sudo ufw allow https
$ sudo ufw reload
$ sudo ufw status
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Visit https://app.example.com to confirm TLS is working end to end.

Next Steps

OpenLiteSpeed is running with a virtual host, HTTPS, and a working test page. From here:

  • Add PHP via the console's Server Configuration → External App for dynamic sites
  • Repeat the virtual host steps per additional domain you host on the same server
  • Automate cert renewal hooks to reload the listener after Certbot rotates the certificate

For the full guide, visit the original article on Vultr Docs.

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