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OpenLiteSpeed VS Apache Tomcat

Compare OpenLiteSpeed VS Apache Tomcat and see what are their differences

OpenLiteSpeed logo OpenLiteSpeed

OpenLiteSpeed is a powerful, lightweight, open source and high performance HTTP server developed for those users who have to deal with a large number of websites at once.

Apache Tomcat logo Apache Tomcat

An open source software implementation of the Java Servlet and JavaServer Pages technologies
  • OpenLiteSpeed Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-15
  • Apache Tomcat Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-24

OpenLiteSpeed features and specs

  • High Performance
    OpenLiteSpeed is known for its high performance and efficiency. It uses an event-driven architecture that can handle thousands of simultaneous connections with minimal resource usage, making it ideal for high-traffic websites.
  • SSL Support
    It comes with native support for SSL and TLS protocols, providing a secure web environment and easy integration of SSL certificates for encrypted communication.
  • Easy-to-use Web Interface
    OpenLiteSpeed provides an intuitive web-based interface that allows users to easily manage configurations, monitor server performance, and apply updates, even without command-line expertise.
  • WordPress Optimization
    It offers features like LSCache, a server-level cache solution specifically designed for WordPress, which significantly boosts the performance and speed of WordPress sites.
  • Free and Open Source
    As an open-source web server, OpenLiteSpeed is free to use, modify, and distribute, providing flexibility and cost-effectiveness for developers and businesses.

Possible disadvantages of OpenLiteSpeed

  • Complex Configuration
    While the web interface is user-friendly, some advanced configuration tasks can be complex and may require a deeper understanding of web server management.
  • Limited Third-party Module Support
    Compared to other servers like Apache, OpenLiteSpeed has fewer available third-party modules, which could limit customization and functionalities for some users.
  • Learning Curve
    For users familiar with servers like Apache or Nginx, there might be a learning curve when transitioning to OpenLiteSpeed due to differences in configuration and management.
  • Smaller Community
    OpenLiteSpeed has a smaller user community compared to more established web servers, which might impact the availability of community support and resources.
  • Compatibility Issues
    Some legacy or highly customized applications might experience compatibility issues since OpenLiteSpeed is not as universally supported as Apache or Nginx.

Apache Tomcat features and specs

  • Open Source
    Apache Tomcat is an open-source software, which means it is freely available for use and modifications. This can significantly reduce the cost of ownership and allows for customization.
  • Community Support
    Being a widely-used open-source server, Tomcat has a large and active community of developers and users who contribute to its documentation, plugins, and forums, providing extensive support.
  • Lightweight
    Tomcat is designed to be a lightweight servlet container, making it faster and less resource-intensive compared to full-blown Java EE application servers.
  • Integration with Popular Frameworks
    Tomcat integrates well with popular Java frameworks such as Spring and Hibernate, making it easier for developers to deploy and manage web applications.
  • Easy to Set Up and Configure
    Tomcat is relatively easy to set up and configure, making it suitable for both development and production environments.
  • Frequent Updates
    Regular updates and patches are released to improve performance, security, and compatibility, ensuring the server is up-to-date with the latest web technologies.

Possible disadvantages of Apache Tomcat

  • Limited Functionality
    While Tomcat is a powerful servlet container, it lacks some of the advanced features found in full-fledged Java EE application servers, which might be necessary for complex enterprise applications.
  • Resource Management
    Tomcat's default configuration might not be suitable for high traffic web applications, requiring significant tweaking and tuning to handle heavy loads effectively.
  • Documentation Quality
    The documentation, while extensive, can sometimes be hard to navigate and understand, especially for beginners. This can slow down the learning curve.
  • Limited Built-in Tools
    Compared to other full-stack application servers, Tomcat comes with limited built-in tooling for monitoring, load balancing, and clustering, often requiring third-party solutions.
  • Security Concerns
    As with any open-source project, security vulnerabilities may emerge. It requires constant monitoring and timely updates to ensure security.
  • Lack of EJB Support
    Tomcat does not support Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB), limiting its use in scenarios where EJB is a crucial component of the architecture.

OpenLiteSpeed videos

Create a High Performance Web Server (CyberPanel/OpenLiteSpeed) for WordPress in 10 minutes

More videos:

  • Tutorial - How to Install WordPress with OpenLiteSpeed Server for Fastest WP Sites

Apache Tomcat videos

Introducing Apache Tomcat 8.5

More videos:

  • Review - Webinar: Introduction to Apache Tomcat 8
  • Review - Tcat - The Leading Enterprise Apache Tomcat Application Server

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to OpenLiteSpeed and Apache Tomcat)
Web And Application Servers
Web Servers
6 6%
94% 94
Application Server
3 3%
97% 97
HTTP/2 Web Server
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare OpenLiteSpeed and Apache Tomcat

OpenLiteSpeed Reviews

We have no reviews of OpenLiteSpeed yet.
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Apache Tomcat Reviews

FOSS | Top 15 Web Servers 2021
Java programs are run using Apache Tomcat. To be more precise, it is a Java servlet – a Java software component that expands the functionality of a web server. Apache Tomcat, released under the Apache License version 2, is used by 0.1% of websites worldwide.
Source: www.zentao.pm
4 Open Source Application Servers (Comparison and Review)
Apache Tomcat is an open-source implementation of several Java technologies. It is the result of a collaboration of the finest developers worldwide. You can get involved with the development in a number of ways.
Source: shadow-soft.com
Top 5 open source web servers
Apache Tomcat is an open source Java servlet container that functions as a web server. A Java servlet is a Java program that extends the capabilities of a server. Although servlets can respond to any types of requests, they most commonly implement applications hosted on Web servers. Such web servlets are the Java counterpart to other dynamic web content technologies such as...
Source: opensource.com
Top 10 Open Source Java and JavaEE Application Servers
It is built upon a modular kernel powered by OSGi, and runs straight on top of the Apache Felix implementation. It is also capable of running with Equinox OSGi or Knopflerfish OSGi runtimes. HK2 abstracts the OSGi module system to provide components, which can also be viewed as services and injected into the run time and uses a derivative of Apache Tomcat as the servlet...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Apache Tomcat should be more popular than OpenLiteSpeed. It has been mentiond 17 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

OpenLiteSpeed mentions (3)

  • How to install the OpenLiteSpeed Web Server on CentOS 7
    In today's interconnected world, web servers serve as the backbone of internet infrastructure, playing a crucial role in hosting websites and web applications. OpenLiteSpeed, an open-source web server from LiteSpeed Technologies, is one such tool that's gaining popularity due to its speed, efficiency, and comprehensive security features. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • My Wordpress Hosting Experience - Comments?
    LiteSpeed (and the free-to-use version, OpenLiteSpeed) is a web server application, not hardware. It's a (more or less) drop-in replacement for Apache that uses the same type of config files, but offers some features that Apache doesn't have out of the box. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Autoptimize, Litespeed Cache and WP Cloudflare Super Page Cache in WordPress combined works. But clear cache often messes up site.
    You need to be using Litespeed or OpenLitespeed for the Litespeed plugin to do anything. Source: over 3 years ago

Apache Tomcat mentions (17)

  • Java News: WildFly 36, Spring Milestones, and Open Liberty Updates
    Versions 11.0.6 and 9.0.104 of Apache Tomcat deliver new features and improvements. The release notes can be found for both versions. - Source: dev.to / 25 days ago
  • Artifactory: Centralizing Artifact Management for DevOps Success
    Download and Install Tomcat Before downloading, confirm the latest Tomcat build package from the official website. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • How to Deploy Applications Using Tomcat on a Web Server
    First, download the latest version of Tomcat from the official Apache Tomcat website. Choose the version that suits your needs, typically the latest stable release. - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
  • Spring Boot Monitoring with Open-Source Tools
    Manual instrumentation allows you to define your Spans within the code itself rather than relying on automatic instrumentation finding the entry point for a trace. Manual instrumentation is especially helpful for applications that don’t use an application server such as Tomcat, JBoss, or Jetty. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Issue with chatgpy
    99% is a huge exaggeration. Two essential deployment tools off the top of my head: Https://tomcat.apache.org/ Https://docs.jboss.org/author/display/AS71/Developer%20Guide.html. Source: about 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing OpenLiteSpeed and Apache Tomcat, you can also consider the following products

nginx - A high performance free open source web server powering busiest sites on the Internet.

Microsoft IIS - Internet Information Services is a web server for Microsoft Windows

lighttpd - A secure, fast, compliant, and very flexible web-server that has been optimized for high-performance environments

Apache HTTP Server - Apache httpd has been the most popular web server on the Internet since April 1996

Caddy - The HTTP/2 Web Server with Automatic HTTPS

LiteSpeed Web Server - LiteSpeed Web Server (LSWS) is a high-performance Apache drop-in replacement.