Introduction
Nginx and LiteSpeed Web Server (LSWS) are popular web servers used by millions of websites. But which one should you use for your website? Deciding on the correct server will depend on the type of website, the features you want, and your performance requirements. This article compares Nginx vs LiteSpeed to help you decide which web server is best for your website.
What is Nginx?
Nginx is a free, open-source web server that works on any operating system. Nginx is known for its high performance and low resource consumption. In addition, Nginx can handle high-traffic loads and is often used as a reverse proxy or load balancer.
What is Litespeed?
LiteSpeed Web Server (LSWS) is a commercial web server with a free, open-source version. It is known for its high performance, security, and scalability. LSWS can also be used as a reverse proxy or load balancer.
Big sites using Nginx
Nginx powers some of the biggest sites in the world:
Big sites using Litespeed
Litespeed doesn’t have the same market penetration or big sites using it as Nginx
Litespeed vs Nginx PHP Performance
When it comes to PHP performance, Litespeed and Nginx both have their pros and cons, but which one is the best? To answer this question, we need first to understand what PHP performance is and how it’s measured. The PHP performance measures how fast a server can process PHP scripts—the faster the server, the better the PHP performance. There are a few ways to measure PHP performance, but the Benchmark tool is the most common method. This tool calculates the time it takes for a server to process a PHP script. The results are then compared to other servers’ results to see the fastest. Based on these results, we can see that Litespeed is the clear winner in PHP performance. It’s not even close! Nginx is simply no match for Litespeed when it comes to speed. Litespeed is the way to go if you’re looking for the best PHP performance.
Litespeed has the edge because it includes its own PHP module (lsphp) with is lightweight and fast-processing PHP scripts; Nginx, on the other hand, relies on PHP FastCGI.Litespeed vs Nginx Static content performanceWhen it comes to static content performance, Litespeed slightly outpaces Nginx. However, Nginx has other features that may make it a better choice for some users. For example, Nginx can handle more concurrent connections than Litespeed and offers reverse proxy capabilities. Ultimately, the best server for you will depend on your specific needs. Litespeed is the way to go if static content performance is your top priority. But Nginx may be a better option if you need a more versatile server.
Which one to choose?
So, which web server should you use for your website? If you need high performance, security, and scalability, then LSWS is the best choice. Litespeed s a commercial web server with a free open source version, while Nginx is a free and open-source web server. LSWS is known for its high performance, security, and scalability, while Nginx is known for its high performance and low resource consumption. Both are good and fast, but if you go for Litespeed, there is a monthly fee associated with the Litespeed License.
For commercial hosting, our recommendation is Litespeed. His low resource usage and performance outpace the license cost, and Cloudlinux Integration is a match made in heaven.
For customers on a budget: If price is your primary concern, you have two choices: OpenLitespeed (the open-source and free version of Litespeed) or Nginx; both are good, but OpenLitespeed will be faster with PHP applications.
For reverse proxy users: Nginx is as good as Litespeed but free, so there are no valid reasons not to choose Nginx.
For serving static content: This one is tricky, You can go with Nginx and save some money or invest in more server resources like (Fast Storage, more memory or CPU) or if a few more milliseconds are too much for you, then Litespeed is the winner.
For hosting PHP Apps: CMSs like WordPress, Magento, Prestashop, and Wowcommerce depend heavily on PHP, which will run faster and use fewer resources with Litespeed.
