Server Technology

What Is a LiteSpeed Web Server, and Why Is It Faster Than Apache?

Apache and Nginx serve most of the web — LiteSpeed serves this one, caching whole pages in memory so they load before a visitor notices the click.

LSCache

Built-in page caching engine

NVMe SSD

Storage backing every cached page

1-click

Installers for LiteSpeed-cached apps

24/7

Human support for server questions

In short

A LiteSpeed web server is a high-performance replacement for Apache that handles the same .htaccess rules and configurations but processes requests with an event-driven architecture closer to Nginx. Its built-in LSCache module stores fully rendered pages in server memory, so repeat visits skip PHP and database processing entirely and load in a fraction of the time.

Hosting Cheap runs LiteSpeed with LSCache across its NVMe SSD plans, which is why WordPress and PHP sites hosted there load noticeably faster than on standard Apache setups without extra caching plugins.

Every website request needs software on the server to receive it, run any PHP, and hand back a finished page — that software is the web server, and it's one of the least visible decisions a hosting plan makes on your behalf. Apache has handled that job since the 1990s, Nginx became the go-to for handling heavy concurrent traffic, and LiteSpeed arrived as a third option built to combine the speed advantages of one with the compatibility of the other.

The part that actually changes how a site feels to a visitor is LSCache, LiteSpeed's built-in caching engine. Rather than re-running PHP and querying a database on every single visit, LSCache stores a finished copy of a page in memory and serves that copy directly, skipping the heavy lifting almost entirely. Paired with NVMe SSD storage and a cPanel-style panel with 1-click installers, that's the stack Hosting Cheap runs underneath its hosting plans.

What a LiteSpeed Web Server Does Differently From Apache

Apache has run the web server job since the 1990s using a process-per-connection model that's flexible and widely compatible, but memory-hungry once concurrent traffic climbs. Nginx addressed that with an event-driven model that handles thousands of connections lightly, but it doesn't read .htaccess files, so configurations built around Apache-style rules need translating before they'll work on it.

LiteSpeed uses the same event-driven approach as Nginx for handling many simultaneous requests efficiently, while still reading Apache's .htaccess rules and mod_rewrite syntax directly, so existing WordPress and PHP configurations keep working without being rewritten. That's the combination that made it a common choice for hosting built specifically around speed.

How LSCache Serves Pages Straight From Memory

The speed difference most site owners actually notice isn't the web server itself — it's LSCache, LiteSpeed's built-in caching module. Instead of running PHP and querying the database on every visit, LSCache stores a fully rendered copy of a page in server memory the first time it's requested, then serves that cached copy to every visitor after, skipping the processing entirely.

Because caching happens at the server level rather than through a plugin bolted on top, there's less overhead translating between the two. A page cached by LSCache can return in a fraction of the time a fresh PHP render takes, particularly under load when several visitors hit the same page at once.

Why .htaccess Compatibility Matters for WordPress Sites

Most WordPress installs rely on .htaccess for permalinks, redirects, security rules and caching directives set by plugins. Server types that don't read .htaccess natively need those rules translated into a different config format, which is extra work and a common source of broken redirects after a migration.

LiteSpeed reads .htaccess directly, so a WordPress site moved onto it keeps its existing permalink structure, redirect rules and plugin-set directives working exactly as before, without a manual rewrite of server config files.

What LiteSpeed Plus NVMe SSD Means in Practice

A caching engine can only serve pages as fast as the storage behind it can read them, and that's where NVMe SSD comes in. NVMe drives read and write substantially faster than older SATA SSDs or spinning disks, so on the occasions LSCache does need to fetch fresh data — a logged-in user, a cart page, a search result — storage isn't the bottleneck.

Hosting Cheap runs LiteSpeed with LSCache across its NVMe SSD hosting plans, paired with a cPanel-style control panel and 1-click installers for WordPress and other PHP apps. The web server, the cache and the storage all pull in the same direction, rather than a fast drive sitting behind a slow server or the other way round.

What Is LiteSpeed? The Web Server Behind Fast Sites

The Web Server Most Hosts Don't Mention

Plenty of hosting plans quietly run older Apache setups with no page-level caching, leaving speed entirely up to whichever caching plugin a site owner installs and configures correctly. LiteSpeed with LSCache handles that at the server layer instead, so caching works by default rather than depending on plugin settings.

Combined with NVMe SSD storage, a WordPress or PHP site doesn't need a stack of speed plugins just to load acceptably — the server itself is already doing the heaviest lifting.

LSCache caches whole pages in server memory, not just database queries
Full .htaccess and mod_rewrite compatibility, no config rewrites needed
NVMe SSD storage backs every LiteSpeed-cached page
1-click installers deploy WordPress and PHP apps straight onto LiteSpeed

Why Hosting Cheap

What you get

Server-level caching

LSCache serves rendered pages from memory without a separate caching plugin needing to be configured correctly.

Drop-in Apache compatibility

.htaccess rules, redirects and permalink structures work unchanged after moving to LiteSpeed.

NVMe SSD storage

Fast reads back every cache miss, so even uncached requests stay quick.

1-click installers

Deploy WordPress and other PHP apps onto a LiteSpeed environment in a few clicks.

Free auto-renewing SSL

Every domain gets HTTPS by default, with certificates that renew themselves.

24/7 human support

Real people to answer server and caching questions, day or night.

How It Works

Get set up in a few steps

Choose an NVMe hosting plan

Pick a plan running LiteSpeed with LSCache built in, starting from $2.09/mo.

Install or migrate your site

Use the 1-click installer for a fresh WordPress or PHP site, or move an existing one over free.

Let LSCache do the caching

Server-level caching starts working automatically, with no extra plugin configuration required.

Included

Everything you need, on every plan

Understand what LiteSpeed is and how it differs from Apache and Nginx
Confirm LSCache is included, not a separate paid add-on
Check for .htaccess and mod_rewrite compatibility if migrating a WordPress site
Look for NVMe SSD storage backing the web server
Confirm a 1-click installer is available for WordPress or your PHP app
Check that free auto-renewing SSL is included on every domain
Ask whether migration from your current Apache or Nginx host is free
Confirm 24/7 human support is available if a caching issue comes up

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is LiteSpeed the same as Apache?

No. LiteSpeed is a separate web server built to be compatible with Apache's .htaccess and mod_rewrite rules, but it processes requests with a different, event-driven architecture and adds a built-in caching module Apache doesn't have.

Do I need a caching plugin if my host runs LiteSpeed?

Not for basic page caching — LSCache handles that at the server level. Plugins can still add extra tuning, but the core caching behavior is already built into the server.

Will my WordPress permalinks break if I move to LiteSpeed?

No. LiteSpeed reads .htaccess files directly, so permalink structures, redirects and other rules set through WordPress or plugins keep working without changes.

Does LiteSpeed work with any PHP application, or just WordPress?

Any PHP-based site can run on LiteSpeed, since it handles PHP execution the same way Apache does. WordPress, WooCommerce and other CMS platforms all run on it without special configuration.

How is LiteSpeed different from Nginx?

Both use an efficient event-driven model for handling concurrent connections, but Nginx doesn't read .htaccess files natively, so migrating Apache-style configs to Nginx usually means rewriting them. LiteSpeed reads them as-is.

Does Hosting Cheap run LiteSpeed on all its plans?

Hosting Cheap pairs LiteSpeed and LSCache with NVMe SSD storage across its hosting plans, starting from $2.09/mo, with free migration if you're moving from another host.

Run Your Site on LiteSpeed, Not Just Apache

Get LSCache and NVMe SSD storage together on plans from $2.09/mo, with free migration from your current host.

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