Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

XAMPP VS LiteSpeed Web Server (LSWS)

Compare XAMPP VS LiteSpeed Web Server (LSWS) and see what are their differences

XAMPP logo XAMPP

XAMPP is a free and open-source cross-platform web server that is primarily used when locally developing web applications.

LiteSpeed Web Server (LSWS) logo LiteSpeed Web Server (LSWS)

LiteSpeed Web Server Documentation - Server General
  • XAMPP Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-12-20
  • LiteSpeed Web Server (LSWS) Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-05-30

XAMPP features and specs

  • Ease of Installation
    XAMPP provides an easy installation process, bundling Apache, MariaDB, PHP, and Perl into a single package, making it simple for developers to set up a local development environment.
  • Cross-Platform
    XAMPP is available for Windows, Linux, and macOS, ensuring a wide range of developers can use it regardless of their operating system.
  • Pre-Configured
    XAMPP comes pre-configured with many useful modules, reducing the need for manual setup and configuration of these components.
  • Community Support
    XAMPP has an active community and extensive documentation, making it easier to find solutions to potential issues and learn how to use the tool effectively.
  • Open Source
    XAMPP is free and open-source, making it accessible for anyone to use and modify according to their needs.

Possible disadvantages of XAMPP

  • Security Concerns
    XAMPP is not recommended for production environments because it is configured with a wide range of open defaults for convenience, which can pose significant security risks.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running all of the bundled services simultaneously can be resource-intensive, potentially slowing down a developer’s machine, especially if it has limited hardware capabilities.
  • Updates and Compatibility
    Updates to XAMPP's components (Apache, MariaDB, PHP, etc.) may not be as frequent or timely compared to installing them individually, potentially leading to issues with compatibility or missing out on new features.
  • Limited Production Usability
    XAMPP is designed primarily for development and debugging, making it less suitable for live, production servers without significant reconfiguration.
  • Less Granular Control
    The pre-configured nature of XAMPP means that developers might have less granular control over individual components compared to setting up a custom server environment.

LiteSpeed Web Server (LSWS) features and specs

  • High Performance
    LiteSpeed Web Server is known for its high performance and speed, especially under high traffic conditions. It uses event-driven architecture which helps handle thousands of connections with minimal resource usage.
  • HTTP/3 Support
    LSWS offers full HTTP/3 support, which is beneficial for improved load times and performance by utilizing new protocol advantages over older versions like HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2.
  • Built-in Caching
    LiteSpeed includes built-in server-side caching mechanisms such as LiteSpeed Cache, which significantly boosts loading times and reduces server load.
  • Security Features
    LSWS provides robust security features, including DDoS protection, support for mod_security rules, and features like reCAPTCHA for login pages.
  • Compatibility with Apache
    LiteSpeed is designed to be a drop-in replacement for Apache, and it is compatible with Apache configuration files (.htaccess), making migration smooth and easy.

Possible disadvantages of LiteSpeed Web Server (LSWS)

  • License Cost
    Unlike some alternatives like Apache or Nginx, LiteSpeed Web Server is a paid software, which means there are licensing costs associated with its use.
  • Administration Complexity
    For those unfamiliar with it, configuring and managing LiteSpeed might present a learning curve, especially for people accustomed to using free, widely-used software like Apache.
  • Limited Open-Source Contributions
    As LiteSpeed is not open-source, it has a smaller community of developers and limited third-party contributions compared to open-source alternatives.
  • Compatibility Issues
    While LSWS is highly compatible with Apache, certain extensions or modules may not be fully supported, leading to potential compatibility issues with some applications.
  • Resource Usage
    Although LiteSpeed is optimized for high performance, it may appear to utilize more resources than needed when not configured correctly, especially in smaller or low-traffic environments.

XAMPP videos

XAMPP - What is...

More videos:

  • Tutorial - XAMPP Tutorial In One Video In Hindi With Live PHP MYSQL Project Using phpMyAdmin 2019
  • Review - MySQL & Apache Server auf dem Desktop! - XAMPP Review (Deutsch)

LiteSpeed Web Server (LSWS) videos

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to XAMPP and LiteSpeed Web Server (LSWS))
Web And Application Servers
Web Servers
95 95%
5% 5
Application Server
95 95%
5% 5
Development Tools
92 92%
8% 8

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare XAMPP and LiteSpeed Web Server (LSWS)

XAMPP Reviews

Exploring 7 Efficient Alternatives to MAMP for Local Development Environments
WampServer is a web development environment tailored for Windows, integrating Apache server, MySQL database, PHP, and phpMyAdmin. Similar to XAMPP, it offers an intuitive interface for managing server configurations and databases, supporting quick PHP version switching for testing in different environments.
Source: medium.com
Top 6 Alternatives to XAMPP for Local Development Environments
Fortunately, there are many excellent alternatives to XAMPP on the market. In this article, we'll analyze and recommend the top 6 alternatives to XAMPP.
Source: dev.to
Best XAMPP Alternatives for Website Development in 2024
While XAMPP is widely used for local website development, its limitations can hinder the process. However, XAMPP alternatives like InstaWP offer a powerful solution for WordPress development. Offering a user-friendly interface, seamless migration options, and comprehensive testing environments, InstaWP addresses the shortcomings of XAMPP.
Source: instawp.com
8 Best MAMP Alternatives (Definitive List)
Compared to MAMP or WampServer, the XAMPP control panel provides you with far more options to manage your local development setup. You get access to a broad range of configuration options and administrative controls for each software component. XAMPP also provides you with in-depth logs so you can track every change to the environment.
Source: kinsta.com
13 Best XAMPP Alternatives
It offers a wide range of great features, but let’s take a look at some of its best characteristics: automatic detection for PHP versions, Apache versions, MySQL versions, and much more; native support for most typical servers, including Xampp, LAMP, MAMP, and WampServer; automatic updates using CPanel on your server; easy migration process that can migrate databases between...
Source: thetechtian.com

LiteSpeed Web Server (LSWS) Reviews

We have no reviews of LiteSpeed Web Server (LSWS) yet.
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing XAMPP and LiteSpeed Web Server (LSWS), you can also consider the following products

MAMP - MAMP is the abbreviation for Macintosh, Apache, MySQL, and PHP. It is a reliable application with its four components that allows you to access the local PHP server as well as the database server (SQL).

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

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

Apache Tomcat - An open source software implementation of the Java Servlet and JavaServer Pages technologies

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

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