People claim that choosing a hosting company is the first step in creating a website. We can go further and ensure you’re on the correct web server. All hosting elements – your site’s performance, continual uptime, and growth potential — are highly influenced by your hardware. In summary, a dependable business web hosting server might mean the difference between your company’s success and failure. 

What exactly is Apache?

When it comes to web server software, Apache is the market leader. The company has been in operation since 1995, and it has been revolutionizing the market ever since. Even though Apache may run on Windows servers, it performs best on Linux-based workstations. This is understandable. Apache is an open-source web server component of the well-known LAMP stack (MySQL, Apache, Linux, PHP), the most often used software configuration among cheap web hosting. To command network ports, accept and manage requests, increase security, and so on, the system depends on Multi-Processor Modules (MLM). 

What exactly is LiteSpeed?

Many new server solutions are built on the foundation of existing technology. With LiteSpeed, this was precisely the case. The LiteSpeed Web Host (LSWS) is LiteSpeed Technologies’ proprietary server solution. The program was first released in 2003 as an alternative to Apache. It can handle Apache configuration files, run the same commands as cPanel, Plesk, and Direct Admin, and fully interact with all control panels. 

LiteSpeed was designed to replace Apache. However, it does not share the same code base. In reality, the solution’s event-driven architecture is very similar to Nginx. The software employs predictive techniques to handle incoming traffic spikes and reduces the server’s burden. LiteSpeed is always ahead of the curve, as evidenced by the fact that it was the first prominent server solution to implement the newly introduced HTTP/2 protocol in 2015. It’s time to compare Apache and LiteSpeed to see who can shake the stage the most.

Apache comes out on top in terms of popularity.

In the Popularity contest, there can only be one winner. After all, Apache still had a decade to dominate the industry. When LiteSpeed was first released, its main competition was already powering 63 percent of all websites. Today’s scenario is slightly different; it relies on whatever third-party source you consult. According to Netcraft’s April 2020 report, Apache has already lost ground to Nginx, with a market share of only 25%.

Even if we only look at the top 1 million websites, open-source software maintains its lead: 29.55 percent of those pages are powered by Apache. Free LiteSpeed server with ghosted hosting, on the other hand, hosts 1.86 percent of those sites. W3Techs, the world’s largest web survey company, tells a different story. According to their most current usage statistics report, Apache is still the king, controlling 39 percent of the internet. Nginx is in second place with 31.9 percent, and LiteSpeed is in fifth place with 6.4 percent. It’s evident who comes out on top here: LSWS is on the rise, but it still has a long way to go.

Lightspeed is the Winner in Performance (Static Content).

LiteSpeed is substantially more flexible with more significant traffic and simultaneous connections due to its asynchronous nature. The solution employs clever cache caching, in which the system saves compressed cache files instead of generating a new request each time a user attempts to access them.

As a result, LSWS can boost the server’s PHP speed by 50%, making it up to 6 times quicker than Apache for static content. Another advantage is that LiteSpeed is highly efficient at compressing pages. Every new request is handled faster and consumes less RAM. LiteSpeed lives true to its name: static websites can get much more out of LSWS than the conventional Apache server configuration.

Draw in Performance (Variable Content).

The majority of websites today are dynamic. They use a server-side scripting cache, which controls how the server responds to requests from various users. CMSs (content management systems) are frequently used to create dynamic content. There’s a good possibility your website uses a content management system (CMS) like WordPress, Magento, Drupal, or Joomla. However, when comparing the performance of LiteSpeed and Apache, there is no apparent winner. 

You may easily preconfigure the latter with plugins such as FastCGI and PHP-FPM. In a multi-user PHP environment, it would be able to handle heavier loads and expedite your pages in this manner. LSWS is just as good, and the benchmarking tests back this up. Although Apache’s raw performance was marginally faster, LiteSpeed’s improved page compression provided it a slight advantage for larger websites. There’s nothing fairer than a tie in this situation.

Apache is the winner in terms of operating system support.

Another important aspect of your website’s setup is the operating system. Unix-like operating systems are an obvious choice because Linux servers are still the most popular fast web hosting solution. It wouldn’t make much of a difference which web server you use in that regard. Apache works with all Linux OS types and instances, including Ubuntu, Fedora, and RedHat. 

And since LiteSpeed is built on top of Apache. For Windows users, it’s a different story. Although Apache is fully optimized for Windows instances, LiteSpeed does not. As per the developers, Windows systems are considerably different from Unix-like systems and necessitate a lot of reworking of the present configuration.

LiteSpeed came out on top in terms of security.

The security aspect of things should never be overlooked. According to cybercrime studies, online attacks have increased by 600 percent during 2017, costing the global economy around $500 billion. Apache includes all components required to protect a fast web hosting server. You may set up security rules, restrict user access, and remove modules that aren’t needed. Additionally, Apache strives to keep current with the most recent server security standards by regularly delivering vulnerability updates and security enhancements.

Even so, you’ll need to know about admin management and reconfiguration. LiteSpeed comes pre-installed with high-level website security. You can anticipate the same robust server defenses because it supports Apache’s mod security rules. However, LiteSpeed shines in some areas, one of which is undoubtedly security against brute strength and other DDoS. In a synthetic test, a free LiteSpeed server with ghosted hosting handled the same amount of server connections that caused Apache to fail previously. Every detail matters. Therefore LiteSpeed would have to take this one.

LiteSpeed was the clear winner in terms of support.

Regarding support, both the LiteSpeed web server and Apache keep thorough documentation for those interested in self-helpers. On the other hand, LiteSpeed appears to have a more well-organized community. In addition to the specialized forums, LSWS members have their Slack and Facebook groups to discuss optimization ideas and client difficulties.

Apache does not provide live technical help. Because the program is open-source, you’ll have to rely on the community for support. 

LiteSpeed, on the other hand, is a commercial product. Thus they provide specialized support. From your user area, you may easily file a help request, as well as the operators are often helpful. LiteSpeed also offers Premium Support, including modules setup, DDoS package deployment, and denylist removal. LiteSpeed wins this round because of the wide range of support solutions and committed assistance.

Final Thoughts

Now it’s time to respond to the million-dollar question: Which business web hosting server is better in the LiteSpeed server vs. Apache comparison?

LiteSpeed is the winner!

• The event-driven architecture of LSWS allows it to serve static information up to six times quicker than Apache. Furthermore, the platform is unrivaled when it comes to page compression.  
• Some of the most reliable and secure servers are powered by LiteSpeed. There is comprehensive DDoS attack protection on top of all the policies and procedures you can use, which considerably reduces the danger of outage during high traffic.
• Ideal for larger enterprise projects and websites with a high volume of visitors looking fora cheap web hosting company.