How to Install a LOMP Stack on Ubuntu (OpenLiteSpeed, MariaDB, and PHP Step by Step)

Short answer: A LOMP stack is Linux, OpenLiteSpeed, MariaDB (or MySQL), and PHP. On Ubuntu, add LiteSpeed's repository with wget -O - https://repo.litespeed.sh | sudo bash, then run sudo apt install openlitespeed lsphp83 lsphp83-common lsphp83-mysql mariadb-server. Set the admin password with sudo /usr/local/lsws/admin/misc/admpass.sh, log in to WebAdmin at https://your-server-ip:7080, and make sure the lsphp external app runs /usr/local/lsws/lsphp83/bin/lsphp. Then move the default listener from port 8088 to 80, map your domain to a virtual host, and secure MariaDB with sudo mariadb-secure-installation.

What Is a LOMP Stack?

LOMP is a variation of LAMP and LEMP that replaces Apache or Nginx with OpenLiteSpeed, the open-source edition of LiteSpeed Web Server. It's popular for WordPress because of its built-in page cache (LSCache) and its support for Apache-style rewrite rules.

Layer	Software	Job
Linux	Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (or 22.04)	Operating system, packages, firewall
OpenLiteSpeed	openlitespeed package	Event-driven web server with a browser-based admin panel
MariaDB	mariadb-server	MySQL-compatible database
PHP	LSPHP (lsphp83)	PHP built for LiteSpeed's LSAPI, a faster alternative to FastCGI

LOMP vs LEMP vs LAMP

	LOMP (OpenLiteSpeed)	LEMP (Nginx)	LAMP (Apache)
How PHP runs	LSPHP over LSAPI	PHP-FPM over FastCGI	mod_php or PHP-FPM
.htaccess	Rewrite rules only, read at restart	Not supported	Fully supported, per request
Configuration	WebAdmin GUI (port 7080) plus config files	Text config files	Text config files plus .htaccess
Built-in page cache	Yes (LSCache module)	fastcgi_cache / proxy_cache	Add-on modules
PHP packages	LiteSpeed repo (lsphpXX)	Ubuntu or ondrej PPA (phpX.Y-fpm)	Ubuntu or ondrej PPA
Docs and community	Smaller	Very large	Very large

If you're already comfortable editing Nginx config, see how to install a LEMP stack on Ubuntu. Choose LOMP when you want a GUI, LSCache for WordPress, or .htaccess rewrite compatibility without running Apache.

Prerequisites

• An Ubuntu 24.04 or 22.04 server with a non-root sudo user
• No other web server bound to port 80 or 443. Stop and disable Apache or Nginx first (sudo systemctl disable --now nginx).
• A domain pointing at the server's IP (needed for HTTPS)
• Your own public IP address, so you can restrict the admin panel to it

Step 1: Install OpenLiteSpeed

Add LiteSpeed's official repository and install the server, as described in the OpenLiteSpeed installation docs:

sudo apt update
wget -O - https://repo.litespeed.sh | sudo bash
sudo apt install -y openlitespeed

Everything lives under /usr/local/lsws ($SERVER_ROOT in the config). Check that it's running:

sudo /usr/local/lsws/bin/lswsctrl status
sudo systemctl status lsws

Command	What it does
sudo /usr/local/lsws/bin/lswsctrl start	Start OpenLiteSpeed
sudo /usr/local/lsws/bin/lswsctrl restart	Graceful restart (reloads config without dropping connections)
sudo /usr/local/lsws/bin/lswsctrl stop	Stop the server
sudo systemctl enable lsws	Start on boot

Out of the box, OpenLiteSpeed serves an Example site on port 8088 and the WebAdmin console on port 7080.

Step 2: Open the Firewall

Allow web traffic, and allow the admin panel only from your own IP:

sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp
sudo ufw allow 443/udp                                  # HTTP/3 (QUIC)
sudo ufw allow from 203.0.113.10 to any port 7080 proto tcp   # your IP
sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw status

Leave port 8088 closed. You'll move the site to port 80 in Step 5. Never open 7080 to the whole internet. It's a full control panel for your server.

Step 3: Set the WebAdmin Password

The installer creates an admin user. Set your own credentials:

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

Then browse to https://your-server-ip:7080. The panel uses a self-signed certificate, so your browser will warn you the first time. That's expected. Log in with the username and password you just set.

Step 4: Install PHP (LSPHP) and Point OpenLiteSpeed at It

OpenLiteSpeed doesn't use Ubuntu's php-fpm packages. It uses LSPHP builds from the same LiteSpeed repository. Install a current version with the MySQL extension:

sudo apt install -y lsphp83 lsphp83-common lsphp83-mysql
apt-cache search lsphp83    # list other extensions (curl, intl, imagick, redis, ...)

Each version installs into its own directory:

Path	Purpose
/usr/local/lsws/lsphp83/bin/lsphp	The LSAPI binary OpenLiteSpeed runs
/usr/local/lsws/lsphp83/bin/php	CLI binary for cron jobs, WP-CLI, Composer
/usr/local/lsws/lsphp83/etc/php/8.3/litespeed/php.ini	php.ini for web requests
/usr/local/lsws/lsphp83/etc/php/8.3/mods-available/	Extension .ini files

Now tell the server to use it. In WebAdmin:

1. Go to Server Configuration → External App and edit the app named lsphp.
2. Set Command to /usr/local/lsws/lsphp83/bin/lsphp (or $SERVER_ROOT/lsphp83/bin/lsphp).
3. Save, then check Server Configuration → Script Handler: the php suffix should use handler type LiteSpeed SAPI and handler name lsphp.
4. Click the Graceful Restart button in the top-right corner.

If you'd like the php command in your shell to use the same version:

sudo ln -sf /usr/local/lsws/lsphp83/bin/php /usr/local/bin/php
php -v

Running multiple PHP versions side by side works the same way: install lsphpXX, create a second external app, and give a virtual host its own script handler. That's the LOMP equivalent of running multiple PHP-FPM versions.

Step 5: Serve on Port 80 and Create a Virtual Host

Move the Listener to Port 80

In WebAdmin, open Listeners, view the Default listener, edit General, change Port from 8088 to 80, save, and do a graceful restart. http://your-server-ip should now show the OpenLiteSpeed welcome page.

Create the Site Directory

OpenLiteSpeed runs PHP as nobody:nogroup by default on Ubuntu:

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/example.com/{html,logs}
sudo chown -R nobody:nogroup /var/www/example.com/html

Add the Virtual Host

Go to Virtual Hosts → Add and fill in:

Field	Value
Virtual Host Name	example.com
Virtual Host Root	/var/www/example.com/
Config File	$SERVER_ROOT/conf/vhosts/$VH_NAME/vhconf.conf
Enable Scripts/ExtApps	Yes
Restrained	Yes

After you save, WebAdmin offers to create the missing config file. Click the link to create it. Then edit the new virtual host:

• General → Document Root: $VH_ROOT/html/
• General → Index Files: index.php, index.html
• Rewrite → Enable Rewrite: Yes, and Auto Load from .htaccess: Yes (needed for WordPress permalinks and Laravel routing)

Map Your Domain to the Virtual Host

Open Listeners → Default → Virtual Host Mappings → Add, pick example.com, and set Domains to example.com, www.example.com. Do a graceful restart.

Behind the scenes these settings are written to plain text files you can back up or put under version control:

File	Contains
/usr/local/lsws/conf/httpd_config.conf	Server-wide settings, listeners, external apps
/usr/local/lsws/conf/vhosts/example.com/vhconf.conf	Per-site document root, rewrites, SSL overrides
/usr/local/lsws/logs/error.log	Server error log
/usr/local/lsws/logs/access.log	Default access log

Step 6: Install and Secure MariaDB

sudo apt install -y mariadb-server
sudo systemctl enable --now mariadb
sudo mariadb-secure-installation   # older releases: mysql_secure_installation

Accept the defaults: keep unix_socket authentication for root, remove anonymous users, disallow remote root login, and remove the test database. With socket auth, sudo mariadb logs you in as root without a password.

Create a database and a dedicated user for your app:

sudo mariadb <<'SQL'
CREATE DATABASE appdb CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
CREATE USER 'appuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'change-this-strong-password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON appdb.* TO 'appuser'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
SQL

The MariaDB Knowledge Base covers authentication plugins and user management in depth.

Step 7: Test PHP and the Database Together

phpinfo() only proves PHP runs. Test the whole chain with a real query:

sudo tee /var/www/example.com/html/health.php > /dev/null <<'EOF'
<?php
try {
    $pdo = new PDO('mysql:host=localhost;dbname=appdb', 'appuser', 'change-this-strong-password');
    $pdo->query('SELECT 1');
    http_response_code(200);
    echo 'OK PHP ' . PHP_VERSION . ' (' . PHP_SAPI . ')';
} catch (Throwable $e) {
    http_response_code(503);
    echo 'DB ERROR';
}
EOF
curl -i http://example.com/health.php

A 200 with OK PHP 8.3.x (litespeed) means OpenLiteSpeed, LSPHP, and MariaDB are all working. Keep this file (with real credentials loaded from config, not hard-coded) as a health endpoint for monitoring.

Step 8: Add HTTPS with Let's Encrypt

OpenLiteSpeed doesn't have a Certbot plugin like Nginx does, so use webroot mode and point the listener at the certificate files:

sudo apt install -y certbot
sudo certbot certonly --webroot -w /var/www/example.com/html \
  -d example.com -d www.example.com \
  --deploy-hook "/usr/local/lsws/bin/lswsctrl restart"

The --deploy-hook restarts OpenLiteSpeed after every successful renewal so it loads the new certificate. In WebAdmin:

1. Listeners → Add: name SSL, IP ANY, port 443, Secure: Yes.
2. On the new listener's SSL tab, set:
   • Private Key File: /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/privkey.pem
   • Certificate File: /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/fullchain.pem
   • Chained Certificate: Yes
3. Add a Virtual Host Mapping for example.com on the SSL listener, just like in Step 5.
4. Graceful restart and test https://example.com.

Redirect HTTP to HTTPS by adding these rules to the virtual host's Rewrite → Rewrite Rules box:

RewriteCond %{SERVER_PORT} 80
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [R=301,L]

Confirm automatic renewal works with sudo certbot renew --dry-run. Background on how ACME validation works is in the Let's Encrypt docs. If you hit browser errors after this step, our ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR guide covers the same certificate and port mistakes (the commands are for Nginx, but the causes are the same).

OpenLiteSpeed Security Checklist

Item	Why	How
Restrict port 7080	WebAdmin can change everything	UFW rule for your IP only, or an SSH tunnel
Remove the Example vhost	Ships demo scripts	Delete its listener mapping and virtual host
Delete test files	phpinfo() leaks server details	sudo rm /var/www/example.com/html/info.php
Keep packages updated	OLS, LSPHP, and MariaDB all come from apt	sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
Hide PHP version	Less information for scanners	expose_php = Off in the LSPHP php.ini
Add security headers	Clickjacking, MIME sniffing, HSTS	Virtual host → General → Header Operations (same headers as in our security headers guide)

Troubleshooting OpenLiteSpeed and LOMP

Symptom	Cause	Fix
Site works on :8088 but not port 80	Listener still on 8088, or Apache/Nginx holds port 80	Change listener port. Check sudo ss -ltnp | grep ':80 '
Can't reach https://ip:7080	Firewall or cloud security group	Allow 7080 from your IP in UFW and in your provider's firewall
PHP files download instead of running	Script handler missing or wrong	Script Handler: suffix php → lsphp, then graceful restart
503 Service Unavailable on PHP pages	External app command path wrong, or LSPHP version not installed	Check the path exists: ls /usr/local/lsws/lsphp83/bin/lsphp
phpinfo() shows the wrong PHP version	External app still points at the old LSPHP	Update Command, graceful restart
Config change has no effect	No restart after saving	Click Graceful Restart, or run lswsctrl restart
.htaccess rewrite change ignored	OpenLiteSpeed reads .htaccess at startup	Restart the server after editing .htaccess
WordPress permalinks 404	Rewrite disabled for the vhost	Rewrite → Enable Rewrite + Auto Load from .htaccess → Yes
SQLSTATE[HY000] [1045] Access denied	Wrong DB user/password or host	Recreate the user for 'appuser'@'localhost'
could not find driver	lsphp83-mysql missing	sudo apt install lsphp83-mysql, restart
Old certificate after renewal	Server not restarted	Add --deploy-hook (Step 8) or restart manually

Check /usr/local/lsws/logs/error.log and /var/www/example.com/logs/ first. Most problems are spelled out there.

Monitor Your LOMP Stack

OpenLiteSpeed's admin panel shows real-time stats, but only while you're looking at it, and only from inside the server. If LSPHP crashes, MariaDB runs out of disk, or a certificate fails to renew, your visitors find out first.

GreenCrew runs HTTP uptime checks from outside your network and alerts you on Discord, Slack, or Telegram when your site stops responding correctly. It also gives you a public status page to share with users. Point a check at the health.php endpoint from Step 7 so it fails whenever any layer (web server, PHP, or database) fails. Setup is covered in how to get website downtime alerts on Discord, Slack, and Telegram.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is OpenLiteSpeed faster than Nginx?

It depends on the workload, and published benchmarks vary widely. OpenLiteSpeed's main advantages are LSAPI for PHP and the built-in LSCache module, which help most with WordPress. Nginx with PHP-FPM and fastcgi_cache is just as capable when tuned. Choose based on how you want to manage the server and what your app needs.

Can I use MySQL instead of MariaDB in a LOMP stack?

Yes. Install mysql-server instead of mariadb-server. The LSPHP mysql extension works with both. Only the secure-installation command name (mysql_secure_installation) and some authentication defaults differ.

Does OpenLiteSpeed support .htaccess?

Partly. OpenLiteSpeed reads rewrite rules from .htaccess when the virtual host has Auto Load from .htaccess enabled, but it doesn't re-read the file on every request, and other Apache directives are ignored. Restart the server after changing .htaccess. The paid LiteSpeed Enterprise edition has fuller Apache compatibility.

What's the difference between OpenLiteSpeed and LiteSpeed Enterprise?

OpenLiteSpeed is the free, open-source edition configured through WebAdmin and its own config format. LiteSpeed Enterprise is a commercial drop-in replacement for Apache that reads Apache config files and .htaccess directly. It's often bundled with cPanel or Plesk hosting.

Conclusion

Installing a LOMP stack on Ubuntu comes down to a few steps. Add the LiteSpeed repo, install openlitespeed and an lsphp version, point the lsphp external app at that version, move the listener to port 80, map a virtual host, and secure MariaDB with a dedicated app user. Test the whole chain with a real database query, add Let's Encrypt with a restart hook, and lock port 7080 to your own IP. Then let GreenCrew watch your health endpoint, so a stopped LSPHP process or a failed database reaches you as an alert, not as a complaint from a user.