The introduction For websites, speed and performance are very important factors that directly impact user experience. The web server software, which play a crucial role in boosting this performance, are therefore very important for any web application. In this article, we go step by step to perform detailed comparisons between LiteSpeed and FastCGI, which are popular server softwares, and discuss their installation and optimization process.

What is LiteSpeed? LiteSpeed is a high-performance web server type. It is compatible with Apache while giving speed and security through support of contemporary protocols like HTTP/3.

Benefits of LiteSpeed:

Offers easy transition through Apache compatibility.

Ensuring fast loading times through HTTP/3 and QUIC support.

Utilizing fewer resources while remaining highly efficient.

Strong security mechanisms against DDoS attacks.

Installing LiteSpeed:

Install LiteSpeed into your server:

wget https://www.litespeedtech.com/packages/cpanel/lsws_whm_plugin_install.sh
sh lsws_whm_plugin_install.sh
Activate LiteSpeed through the WHM Panel.

You may want to boost even further performance by installing the LSCache plugin.

LiteSpeed Optimizations:

Enable caching following the LSCache configuration.

Activate support for the HTTP/3 protocol.

Optimize the PHP version with LiteSpeed PHP.

What is FastCGI? FastCGI is a protocol that enables web applications to work fast. It enables applications like PHP to work on the server in a fast and efficient manner.

Benefits of FastCGI:

Enables optimizing performance.

Uses server resources efficiently.

Compatible with many web servers.

Installing FastCGI:

Install FastCGI module on Apache or Nginx:

sudo apt install php-fpm
Enable and start PHP-FPM service:

sudo systemctl enable php7.4-fpm
sudo systemctl start php7.4-fpm
FastCGI Optimizations:

Optimize resources through the modification of the PHP-FPM setting file (/etc/php/7.4/fpm/pool.d/www.conf):

pm.max_children = 50
pm.start_servers = 5
pm.min_spare_servers = 5
pm.max_spare_servers = 35
Comparison Between LiteSpeed and FastCGI

Features LiteSpeed FastCGI
Speed Much faster (with HTTP/3 support) Fast but no HTTP/3
Security Extremely secure Moderately secure
Resource Usage Extremely low resource usage Low to medium
Compatibility A+ compatibility with Apache Compatible with Apache and Nginx
Caching Strong internal caching through LSCache Requires extra configuration

Which Should You Choose?

If you want speed and benefits from modern protocols, then you should choose LiteSpeed.

If you want an easier setup and broader compatibility, then FastCGI is for you.

Conclusion LiteSpeed and FastCGI are powerful server solutions that cater to rather different needs. If High-performance speed and security is your priority, LiteSpeed will be ideal for you, while if simplicity of configuration with wider integration is your priority, FastCGI will suit you fine. You can optimize your server performance by following the above guide.