OpenLiteSpeed Web Server AMI - cloudimg Support

This is a repackaged open source software product wherein additional charges apply for cloudimg support services.

OpenLiteSpeed is the open source edition of the LiteSpeed web server: an event driven, single process HTTP server built for high concurrency and low memory use. Unlike traditional worker or prefork architectures, it serves static and dynamic content through a single process that scales to thousands of concurrent connections without spawning additional threads per request. It runs PHP applications through the LiteSpeed SAPI handler, eliminating the overhead of a separate FastCGI pool, speaks HTTP/2 and HTTP/3, and is administered through a browser based WebAdmin console instead of hand edited configuration files.

This image delivers OpenLiteSpeed 1.9 fully installed and running, with a supported PHP 8.3 runtime already wired to the default handler, so you can point a virtual host at your code within minutes of launch.

Web hosting teams who need a fast PHP application server that handles high request concurrency on modest instance sizes. Platform engineers replacing a heavier web server tier where memory per connection is the constraint. Application owners who want an origin server behind a content delivery network, with HTTP/3 support and a GUI for day to day configuration rather than a configuration file workflow.

• OpenLiteSpeed 1.9 from the official LiteSpeed apt repository, installed at /usr/local/lsws
• lsphp83 providing the PHP 8.3 LSAPI handler, with the opcache, curl and mysql extensions
• WebAdmin console on port 7080 over HTTPS, for listeners, virtual hosts, rewrite rules, certificates and live statistics
• Default web site on port 8088, ready to be repointed at your own document root
• A managed systemd unit, lshttpd.service, enabled and started automatically

OpenLiteSpeed's own packaging writes a cleartext administrator password to disk. This image does not ship one:

• The packaged cleartext password file is removed during the build
• The captured image carries no known WebAdmin credential at all - the build time password is a random value that is never recorded
• On the first boot of every instance, a one shot service generates a fresh random WebAdmin password, installs it through the official htpasswd mechanism, and writes it to a root only file
• The WebAdmin self signed certificate is regenerated per instance, so no two deployments share a key
• Unattended security upgrades remain enabled on the running instance

The entire OpenLiteSpeed server root, including virtual host document roots, configuration, certificates and logs, is mounted on its own EBS volume. You can grow web content storage without touching the operating system disk, and snapshot the server tier independently.

1. Launch the AMI on an m5.large instance or larger, opening ports 22, 80, 443, 7080 and 8088 as required
2. SSH in and read the generated console password from the root only credentials file
3. Browse to the WebAdmin console on port 7080 over HTTPS and accept the self signed certificate warning
4. Sign in as admin with the generated password and change it from the console
5. Add a listener on port 80 or 443 and a virtual host pointing at your document root
6. Install a certificate authority signed certificate, then remove the sample virtual host before serving production traffic

• Minimum: t3.small for evaluation and low traffic sites
• Recommended: m5.large for production PHP workloads
• Storage: 20 GB gp3 for the operating system plus the dedicated server volume, grown to suit your content

Every deployment is backed by cloudimg engineers available around the clock by email and live chat. Support covers deployment and sizing guidance, listener and virtual host configuration, PHP tuning and extension installation, certificate installation and renewal, HTTP/3 enablement, rewrite rule migration from other web servers, and upgrade assistance. Critical issues receive a one hour average response.

OpenLiteSpeed and LiteSpeed are trademarks of their respective owner. All product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.