Applies to: All plans (Self-Managed and Managed).
Every Maxinodes hosting account runs on LiteSpeed Web Server (LSWS) with a built-in server-level cache. LiteSpeed serves your pages faster than a standard web server, and when you pair it with the LiteSpeed Cache plugin (LSCache) on WordPress, repeat visits are served almost instantly. This article explains what each piece does and what you should switch on.
What LiteSpeed is
LiteSpeed is the web server software that delivers your website to visitors. It is a high-performance replacement for older web servers, and it is the engine behind every site we host. You do not install or configure LiteSpeed yourself — it is already running on the node.
Two things worth knowing:
- LiteSpeed reads standard .htaccess rules, so redirects, rewrites and access rules work as you would expect.
- LiteSpeed includes its own server-level cache that stores ready-made copies of your pages, so they can be sent to visitors without rebuilding them from scratch every time.
What LSCache (the LiteSpeed Cache plugin) is
LSCache is the caching layer. On a WordPress site, the free LiteSpeed Cache plugin talks directly to the server's cache so that fully built pages are stored and reused. The result is fewer PHP and database calls per visit, lower resource usage, and faster page loads.
The plugin also handles common front-end speed jobs — page caching, and optional optimisation of CSS, JavaScript and images — all from one place inside WordPress.
Why caching matters for your account
Your account runs inside a CloudLinux container with set CPU, memory and process limits (see Understanding CloudLinux resource limits (LVE)). Caching means most visits are served from a stored copy instead of running PHP and MySQL every time. That keeps you comfortably inside your limits, helps avoid the 508 "Resource Limit Reached" message under load, and makes the site feel faster.
What to enable
| If you run... | Do this |
|---|---|
| WordPress | Install the LiteSpeed Cache plugin from the WordPress plugins screen and activate it. Enabling page caching is enough to get most of the benefit. See How to speed up WordPress with LiteSpeed Cache. |
| A non-WordPress site | You still benefit from LiteSpeed serving your site. If your application has a LiteSpeed-aware caching option, enable it; otherwise rely on the server defaults. |
A couple of extra wins that work alongside caching:
- Run a modern PHP version (for example PHP 8.x), set per-domain in cPanel -> Software -> MultiPHP Manager. See How to choose the right PHP version for performance.
- Keep plugins lean — fewer, well-built plugins mean less work per request and a more effective cache.
Good to know
- You do not pay extra for caching. LiteSpeed and LSCache are included on every plan, Self-Managed and Managed.
- The LiteSpeed Cache plugin is free and is the recommended cache for WordPress on our servers. Other WordPress cache plugins can clash with LSCache, so use one cache plugin at a time.
- Clear the cache after big changes. If you update your theme or content and still see the old version, purge the cache from the LiteSpeed Cache plugin menu in WordPress.
- Caching is not a fix for a struggling site. If you regularly hit your resource limits, you may also need to optimise queries, reduce heavy plugins, or move to a larger plan — see When should I upgrade my plan?.
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