Why LiteSpeed Speeds Up Your Website (and How to Take Advantage)

Introduction

LiteSpeed is a web server (the program that serves pages to browsers) considered the fastest on the market. Being hosted on a LiteSpeed server can make a huge difference to your website’s speed, especially if you use WordPress.

In this article you’ll see what LiteSpeed is, why it’s so fast, and how to get the most out of it.

What LiteSpeed is

LiteSpeed is a web server, that is, the software that’s on the server and receives browser requests and sends them pages. It’s the alternative to Apache and Nginx, the two best-known web servers.

What’s interesting about LiteSpeed is that it’s designed from scratch to be faster and more efficient than Apache and Nginx, especially on dynamic websites like WordPress.

At miHosting we use LiteSpeed on many of our professional hosting plans. It’s one of the reasons why websites hosted with us load so fast.

Why LiteSpeed is faster

1. Event-driven architecture

Apache creates a process or thread for each connection. If 100 visitors enter, Apache creates 100 processes. It consumes a lot of memory.

LiteSpeed uses an event-driven architecture: a single process handles thousands of connections. It consumes much less memory and responds earlier.

2. Server-level cache (LSCache)

LiteSpeed has its own cache system, LSCache, integrated in the server. It’s much faster than any PHP cache plugin, because the cache is served before going through PHP.

With the free LiteSpeed Cache plugin for WordPress, you take advantage of all this cache. It’s like having WP Rocket, but free and faster.

3. HTTP/3

LiteSpeed was the first web server to support HTTP/3, the modern protocol that enables faster and more secure connections. HTTP/3 reduces the connection time between browser and server.

4. Traffic spike handling

When your website receives an avalanche of visits (from a campaign, media mention), LiteSpeed handles it much better than Apache. It doesn’t crash.

5. Faster with PHP

LiteSpeed has its own PHP processor (LSAPI) that executes PHP much faster than Apache’s. And since WordPress is written in PHP, this translates directly into more speed.

[Imagen sugerida: performance comparison between Apache, Nginx and LiteSpeed]

How much faster LiteSpeed is

According to independent benchmarks:

• Up to 50 times faster serving static content than Apache.
• Up to 3 times faster executing PHP than Apache with mod_php.
• Less memory consumption under load.
• TTFB (server response time) significantly lower.

In practice: a WordPress website with LiteSpeed Cache can load in less than 1 second, while the same website on Apache without optimization takes 3-5 seconds.

LiteSpeed Cache for WordPress

LiteSpeed’s most visible advantage is its LiteSpeed Cache (LSCache) plugin, free and specific for WordPress.

What LSCache does

• Full page cache. Serves already-generated HTML pages.
• Object cache. Stores WordPress data in memory.
• CSS/JS optimization. Minification and combination.
• WebP image generation. Converts your images automatically.
• Lazy loading. Images and videos.
• WooCommerce support. Configures what to cache and what not in online stores.
• CDN integration. Compatible with QUIC.cloud and Cloudflare.

LSCache replaces several paid plugins: cache, CSS/JS optimization, WebP conversion and lazy loading. In a single plugin, and free.

How to enable LiteSpeed Cache in WordPress

1. Install LiteSpeed Cache from Plugins → Add New.
2. Activate it.
3. Go to LiteSpeed Cache → Cache and enable Enable Cache.
4. In Page Optimization, enable:
   • CSS Minify and Combine CSS.
   • JS Minify and Combine JS.
   • HTML Minify.
5. In Media Settings, enable:
   • Lazy Load Images.
   • Generate WebP (if your server allows it).
6. Save and clear the cache.

[Imagen sugerida: screenshot of the LiteSpeed Cache panel with options enabled]

If your host does NOT use LiteSpeed, LSCache doesn’t work correctly. Check with your host whether they have LiteSpeed before installing it.

How to know if your host uses LiteSpeed

Method 1: Check HTTP headers

1. Enter your website.
2. Open developer tools (F12).
3. Go to the Network tab.
4. Reload the page.
5. Click your domain and look for the Server header.

If it says LiteSpeed, you have it. If it says Apache, you don’t.

Method 2: Ask your host

At miHosting, most professional plans use LiteSpeed. If you have doubts, open a ticket and we’ll confirm it.

LiteSpeed vs Nginx vs Apache

Feature	Apache	Nginx	LiteSpeed
Speed	Medium	High	Very high
Memory consumption	High	Low	Very low
.htaccess compatible	Yes	No	Yes
Integrated cache	No	Basic	Yes (LSCache)
HTTP/3	No	Limited	Yes
Ideal for WordPress	Good	Better	Excellent

LiteSpeed combines the best of Apache (.htaccess compatibility) with the best of Nginx (performance).

Useful tips

• If your host uses LiteSpeed, install LSCache. It’s the best optimization decision you can make in WordPress.
• Don’t mix LSCache with other cache plugins. A single cache system is optimal.
• Enable WebP in LSCache. Converts your images automatically.
• Clear cache after major changes. It’s the #1 cause of “my change isn’t visible”.
• Measure before and after. Check TTFB and Core Web Vitals before and after enabling LSCache to see the difference.

Common problems

I installed LSCache but my website isn’t faster

Check that your host actually uses LiteSpeed. Without LiteSpeed on the server, the plugin doesn’t work.

My website breaks after enabling CSS/JS combination

Combination can break some themes or plugins. If it happens, disable combination (but leave minification active).

WebP images aren’t generated

You need to have the Imagick or GD extension active on the server. If you don’t have it, ask us.

My WordPress panel doesn’t load after enabling LSCache

LSCache doesn’t cache the panel by default. If you have problems, exclude /wp-admin/ in the configuration.

LSCache says “not connected to QUIC.cloud”

QUIC.cloud is optional (it’s LiteSpeed’s CDN). You can use LSCache without it, although by connecting it you gain an additional cache layer.

Frequently asked questions

Is LiteSpeed free?

The LiteSpeed Enterprise server is paid (the host pays for it). The LiteSpeed Cache plugin for WordPress is free for the user.

Do I need LiteSpeed Cache if I have WP Rocket?

No. LiteSpeed Cache already includes what WP Rocket does, and more. If your host uses LiteSpeed, use LSCache instead of WP Rocket.

Is LiteSpeed compatible with WooCommerce?

Yes, perfectly. LSCache has specific configuration for WooCommerce, to cache what can be cached and not cache the cart and checkout.

Can I have LiteSpeed on a VPS?

Yes. LiteSpeed can be installed on a VPS. There’s also OpenLiteSpeed, the free and open source version.

Does LiteSpeed improve SEO?

Indirectly yes. By improving speed and Core Web Vitals, it improves ranking. And it improves the user experience, which reduces the bounce rate.

LiteSpeed: the difference is noticeable

LiteSpeed is one of the technologies that can make the most difference to your website’s speed. Combined with NVMe SSD and the LiteSpeed Cache plugin for WordPress, it offers performance that Apache simply can’t match.

If you want to take advantage of LiteSpeed and aren’t sure if your current host has it, at miHosting all our professional plans use LiteSpeed and NVMe SSD. Additionally, LSCache turns your WordPress into an almost instantaneous website at no additional cost. Open a ticket from your client panel and we’ll advise you.