Installation Overview

OpenLiteSpeed (OLS) is a lightweight, high-performance, open-source HTTP server. This section covers the available installation methods and requirements.

Supported Operating Systems

OS	Versions	Package Format
AlmaLinux / Rocky Linux	9	RPM
Ubuntu	22.04 LTS, 24.04 LTS	DEB
Debian	12 (Bookworm)	DEB

Other RHEL 9-compatible distributions (Oracle Linux 9, CentOS Stream 9) are also supported via the RPM repository.

Minimum System Requirements

Resource	Minimum	Recommended
RAM	1 GB	2 GB+
CPU	1 core	2+ cores
Disk	500 MB free	2 GB+
Network	Public IP or localhost	Public IP with ports 80, 443, 7080

OLS is lightweight and can run on smaller instances than Apache or Nginx for equivalent workloads.

Installation Methods

Repository Install (Recommended)

The fastest path to a working OLS server. LiteSpeed provides official RPM and APT repositories with pre-built packages.

See Install from Repository for step-by-step instructions.

Docker

Ideal for containerized environments, CI/CD pipelines, and quick evaluation. The official Docker image includes lsphp83 out of the box.

See Docker Deployment for details.

Build from Source

For users who need custom compile-time options, patches, or non-standard platforms.

See Build from Source for compilation instructions.

Default Installation Layout

After installation, OLS files reside under /usr/local/lsws/:

/usr/local/lsws/
  bin/                  # Server binaries (lshttpd, lswsctrl)
  conf/                 # Configuration files
    httpd_config.conf   # Main server config
    vhosts/             # Virtual host configs
  admin/                # WebAdmin interface
  Example/              # Default virtual host docroot
  logs/                 # Server logs
  modules/              # Loadable modules
  tmp/                  # Temporary files

Post-Install Checklist

Regardless of installation method, complete these steps after installing:

1. Set the WebAdmin password (see your installation method’s page for the exact command).
2. Access the WebAdmin GUI at https://your-server-ip:7080.
3. Configure your first virtual host and listener.
4. Set up SSL/TLS certificates. See SSL / TLS.
5. Install PHP if needed. See PHP Installation.

Next Steps

• Install from Repository — the recommended path for most users.
• Basic Configuration — understand the main config file structure.
• Upgrade and Downgrade — keep your installation current.