Servers
Web servers
Each node runs one web server for all its sites. You can change it at any time.
| Web server | Notes |
|---|---|
| Nginx | Fast and light. Nginx does not read .htaccess files — if customers rely on them (rewrite rules, password-protected folders, hotlink rules), use Nginx + Apache or Apache. |
| Apache | Reads .htaccess fully. PHP runs through PHP-FPM. |
| Nginx + Apache | Nginx terminates TLS and serves HTTP/2; every request is passed to Apache on the loopback interface, so all .htaccess rules apply. A good default for shared hosting. |
| OpenLiteSpeed | Free LiteSpeed edition with LSPHP. |
| LiteSpeed Enterprise | Needs your own LiteSpeed license. Shares /usr/local/lsws with OpenLiteSpeed, so only one of the two can be installed. |
Install, update or remove
Open Servers › Nodes › Web Server. Each server shows Install when it is missing and Update, Reinstall and Remove when it is installed. The web server that is serving sites cannot be removed; switch first.
Switch
Choose the new web server in the switch boxes and confirm. NexPanel writes the configuration for every account, starts the new server and stops the old one. If the new server fails to start, the old one is restored.
You can also preview the change from the command line:
nexpanelctl webserver switch nginx-apache -dry-run
nexpanelctl webserver switch nginx-apache
LiteSpeed license expired
When a LiteSpeed Enterprise trial or license ends, LiteSpeed refuses to start and sites stop loading. NexPanel reports Web server down: LiteSpeed on the node overview. Renew the license, or switch the node to another web server — only the web server in use is monitored, so a stopped LiteSpeed is not reported once you have switched away.
Wrong or missing something? Let us know.