In the digital era where web performance can dictate the success of your online presence, choosing the right web server becomes paramount. OpenLiteSpeed, known for its high performance and scalability, offers an ideal solution for those venturing into web hosting on Rocky Linux 9. This guide is tailored to demystify the installation and configuration process of OpenLiteSpeed on Rocky Linux 9, making it accessible to newcomers while providing depth for more experienced users.

Prerequisites

Before diving into the installation process, ensure that your server runs Rocky Linux 9. You should have root access or an account with sudo privileges to proceed with the installation.

Step 1: Update Your System

Keeping your system up-to-date is crucial for security and compatibility. Start by updating your Rocky Linux system with the following command:

sudo dnf update -y

This command refreshes your package lists and upgrades all your system software to the latest versions available.

Step 2: Add the OpenLiteSpeed Repository

OpenLiteSpeed provides an official repository for easy installation. To add this repository to your Rocky Linux system, execute the following command:

sudo rpm -Uvh https://rpms.litespeedtech.com/centos/litespeed-repo-1.1-1.el8.noarch.rpm

This command downloads and installs the repository package, enabling your system to access the OpenLiteSpeed packages.

Step 3: Install OpenLiteSpeed

With the repository in place, you can now install OpenLiteSpeed using the dnf package manager:

sudo dnf install openlitespeed -y

This will install the latest version of OpenLiteSpeed along with any necessary dependencies.

Step 4: Start and Verify OpenLiteSpeed

After installation, start the OpenLiteSpeed server with:

sudo systemctl start lsws

To ensure that OpenLiteSpeed has started successfully, you can check its status with:

sudo systemctl status lsws

You should see an active (running) status indicating that OpenLiteSpeed is up and running.

Step 5: Accessing the OpenLiteSpeed Web Admin Console

OpenLiteSpeed’s administration interface is accessible through a web browser. However, you first need to set up an administrator password:

sudo /usr/local/lsws/admin/misc/admpass.sh

Follow the prompts to establish a username and password. You can then access the OpenLiteSpeed web admin console at http://your_server_ip:7080, replacing your_server_ip with your server’s IP address.

Step 6: Configuring PHP with OpenLiteSpeed

OpenLiteSpeed uses the LSPHP engine for PHP processing. Install a version of PHP by running:

sudo dnf install lsphp74 lsphp74-mysqlnd lsphp74-common lsphp74-gd lsphp74-process lsphp74-mbstring lsphp74-xml -y

Then, configure OpenLiteSpeed to use this PHP version through the web admin console or by modifying the server configuration files directly.

Integrating with Shape.host Services

For individuals and businesses seeking a reliable, high-performance hosting solution for their OpenLiteSpeed-powered websites, Shape.host offers Linux SSD VPS services that provide the perfect blend of speed, reliability, and scalability. With Shape.host, you can leverage the full power of OpenLiteSpeed on a solid-state drive (SSD) infrastructure, ensuring that your web applications run smoothly and efficiently. Shape.host’s Linux SSD VPS solutions are designed to meet the needs of a wide range of applications, from small personal blogs to large-scale business websites, making it an excellent choice for hosting your OpenLiteSpeed web server.

By following this guide, you should now have a fully operational OpenLiteSpeed server running on Rocky Linux 9, ready to host your web applications with efficiency and speed. Remember, exploring OpenLiteSpeed’s extensive features and capabilities can further enhance your web server’s performance and reliability.