Alternative Web Servers

Two alternative web servers are currently available on DreamHost PS other than Apache: Lighttpd and Nginx. This article lists some of the ways in which these web servers differ from Apache.

PHP
PHP scripts will run on all three web servers - but only as FastCGI. (CGI and mod_php are not available on other web servers.) However, some environment variables may be set slightly differently depending on the web server, causing some scripts to behave incorrectly.

Additionally, Lighttpd and Nginx start all PHP worker processes at startup — one for each user on the PS with PHP scripts. If you have many users on your PS, this may consume a significant quantity of RAM.

If you do not need PHP for any of the web sites on your PS, you may disable it at. This will save you a significant chunk of memory (20–30 MB per user).