---
title: Switching your site's backend
description: Change the web engine (container type) running a site — standard PHP/FPM or the premium LiteSpeed/OpenLiteSpeed tier.
sidebar:
  order: 6
---

import { Steps, Aside } from '@astrojs/starlight/components';
import SignIn from '~/content/partials/signing-in.mdx';
import Support from '~/content/partials/support-link.mdx';

Every WHP site runs inside a container. The **container type** determines the web engine that serves your site's files and runs your PHP code. Most sites use a standard PHP or PHP-FPM container, which handles the vast majority of WordPress and PHP workloads well. If you've enabled the **Optimized Webserver** add-on, you also have access to LiteSpeed/OpenLiteSpeed (OLS) container types — a premium engine known for its built-in full-page cache (LSCache) and lower memory usage under traffic.

Switching backends is a one-step change in the Sites editor, but it does briefly restart your container, so plan for a few seconds of downtime.

## Before you start

- You need **admin access** to your WHP account.
- If you want to switch **onto** a LiteSpeed backend, your account must have the [Optimized Webserver add-on](/whp/add-ons/optimized-webserver/) enabled. If it isn't, those container types won't appear in the dropdown.
- About 2 minutes, plus a brief site restart.

## Sign in to WHP

<SignIn />

## Steps

<Steps>

1. In the sidebar, click **Sites**.

2. Find the site you want to change and click **Edit** (the pencil icon next to it).

3. In the **Edit Site** form, locate the **Container Type** (or **PHP Version / Backend**) dropdown.

4. Select the backend you want:
   - **PHP** or **PHP-FPM** options — standard shared webserver tier, suitable for most WordPress and PHP sites.
   - **LiteSpeed PHP** options (e.g. *LiteSpeed PHP 8.x*) — premium OLS tier. These only appear if the Optimized Webserver add-on is active on your account.

5. Click **Save**. WHP recreates the container with the new engine. Expect a brief moment of downtime (typically a few seconds) while the container restarts.

</Steps>

<Aside type="note">
  After switching backends, any server-side page cache starts cold. For LiteSpeed sites this means LSCache has nothing cached yet — your first few page loads will be slightly slower while the cache warms up. This is normal and resolves on its own within minutes.
</Aside>

## Switching onto the premium LiteSpeed backend

The LiteSpeed/OpenLiteSpeed container types are part of the **Optimized Webserver** add-on. If you open the Container Type dropdown and don't see any LiteSpeed options, the add-on isn't enabled on your account yet.

To enable it:

1. Visit the [Optimized Webserver add-on page](/whp/add-ons/optimized-webserver/) for details and pricing.
2. Enable it from your [client portal](https://secure.anhonesthost.com/clientarea.php).
3. Once active, the LiteSpeed PHP options will appear in the Container Type dropdown when editing any site.

## Before cancelling the Optimized Webserver add-on

<Aside type="caution">
  You must move **all** of your sites off the LiteSpeed backend before you can cancel or disable the Optimized Webserver add-on. The system will block the cancellation and show an error listing every site that still needs to be moved.
</Aside>

To prepare for cancellation, switch each affected site back to a standard PHP or PHP-FPM container type:

<Steps>

1. In the sidebar, click **Sites**.

2. For each site currently on a LiteSpeed container type, click **Edit**.

3. Change the **Container Type** to a standard **PHP** or **PHP-FPM** option.

4. Click **Save** and wait for the container to restart before moving to the next site.

5. Repeat until no sites are on a LiteSpeed backend.

</Steps>

Once all sites are on standard backends, you can cancel or disable the add-on from your [client portal](https://secure.anhonesthost.com/clientarea.php) without errors.

## Troubleshooting

**LiteSpeed options don't appear in the dropdown.** The Optimized Webserver add-on is not enabled on your account. See [Optimized Webserver](/whp/add-ons/optimized-webserver/) to add it.

**Site doesn't come back up after switching.** Wait 30 seconds and reload — the container may still be starting. If the site is still down after a minute, contact support.

**Cancelling the add-on shows an error listing sites.** Switch each listed site to a standard PHP/PHP-FPM backend first (see the steps above), then retry the cancellation.

**LiteSpeed cache not serving cached pages after the switch.** This is expected — the cache starts empty after every container recreation. It warms up automatically as visitors load pages.

## Related

- [Create a site](/whp/how-to/create-a-site/)
- [Optimized Webserver add-on](/whp/add-ons/optimized-webserver/)
- [Resource upgrades](/whp/add-ons/resource-upgrades/)

## Still stuck?

<Support />
