# Install lighttpd with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, scoop, zypper Small memory footprint, flexible web-server. Version 1.4.84 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-18. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:lighttpd ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install lighttpd ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install lighttpd ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: www/lighttpd/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add lighttpd ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: lighttpd from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install lighttpd ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: lighttpd from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install lighttpd ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: lighttpd from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#lighttpd ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/li/lighttpd/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S lighttpd ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: lighttpd from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install lighttpd ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: lighttpd from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ### Windows - Scoop (92%): ```sh scoop install extras/lighttpd ``` Evidence: Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/lighttpd.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Extras/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:lighttpd - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.4.84 - **Source summary:** Small memory footprint, flexible web-server - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** BSD-3-Clause - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-18T08:01:21Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - lighttpd (cli) - lighttpd-angel (cli) - lighttpd (alias) - lighttpd-angel (alias) ## Dependencies - openldap - openssl@3 - pcre2 ## Build dependencies - autoconf - automake - libtool - pkgconf ## Uses from macOS - bzip2 - libxcrypt ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Service: declared - Caveats: Docroot is: $HOMEBREW_PREFIX/var/www The default port has been set in $HOMEBREW_PREFIX/etc/lighttpd/lighttpd.conf to 8080 so that lighttpd can run without sudo. - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 1.4.84 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-18 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://www.lighttpd.net/ - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage lighttpd, pronounced "lighty", is a lightweight open-source HTTP server designed for high-performance environments with low memory and CPU use. It became part of the early-2000s wave of event-driven web servers that challenged process-heavy Apache deployments for static content, FastCGI, and constrained systems. ### Project history Jan Kneschke's own project story traces lighttpd to February 2003, when he used Dan Kegel's c10k problem as a distraction while finishing a thesis. The prototype was explicitly about handling 10,000 parallel connections on one server after seeing Apache-style deployments exhaust memory with much smaller concurrency. The project evolved into the 1.4 series with modules for FastCGI, CGI, authentication, compression, URL rewriting, proxying, TLS, and other common web-server jobs. Its official site continued to emphasize secure, fast, compliant, flexible service and lower resource use than other popular web servers. ### Adoption history lighttpd spread through Unix package managers because it was small, permissively licensed, and useful wherever Apache was too heavy or a reverse proxy/static-file server was enough. Its FastCGI support made it a practical companion for PHP, Ruby, Python, Perl, and other application stacks before nginx became the default lightweight-web-server answer for many administrators. ### How it is used Administrators generally run lighttpd as a daemon with a central lighttpd.conf file and optional included configuration fragments. It is used for static sites, embedded-device admin interfaces, FastCGI applications, reverse proxying, and small services where predictable resource usage matters. ### Why package nerds care lighttpd is package-nerd significant because it preserves a distinct branch of web-server history: event-driven C infrastructure from the c10k era, a compact module system, and long-lived distro packaging across Linux, BSD, macOS, and Windows-adjacent ecosystems. It is also a reminder that "small web server" was a competitive category before nginx and Caddy dominated newer conversations. ### Timeline - 2003-02: Jan Kneschke began the proof-of-concept that became lighttpd while thinking about the c10k problem. - 2004: lighttpd licensing and copyright notices identify Jan Kneschke and incremental as early rightsholders. - 2000s: lighttpd became a common package-manager web server for FastCGI and low-resource deployments. - 2026: The official site still described active 1.4.x releases and a focus on secure, fast, compliant, flexible service. ### Related projects - lighttpd is historically compared with Apache httpd, nginx, thttpd, and other event-driven or lightweight HTTP daemons. Its FastCGI usage ties it to PHP-FPM-style application serving, and its module set overlaps with reverse proxies used in modern web stacks. ### Sources - - - - - ## Security Notes broad file, network, media, or database tool signal. formula declares a Homebrew service. - **Geiger risk:** orange / medium - broad file, network, media, or database tool signal - formula declares a Homebrew service ## Configuration and credential file locations These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval. ## Configuration files - Unix: /etc/lighttpd/lighttpd.conf, /etc/lighttpd/conf.d/*.conf ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** lighttpd - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - lighttpd - 1.4.79-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: lighttpd from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | fast webserver with minimal memory footprint | https://www.lighttpd.net/ - Debian apt - lighttpd-doc - 1.4.79-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: lighttpd-doc from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | documentation for lighttpd | https://www.lighttpd.net/ - Debian apt - lighttpd-mod-authn-gssapi - 1.4.79-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: lighttpd-mod-authn-gssapi from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | GSSAPI authentication module for lighttpd | https://www.lighttpd.net/ - Debian apt - lighttpd-mod-authn-pam - 1.4.79-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: lighttpd-mod-authn-pam from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | PAM authentication module for lighttpd | https://www.lighttpd.net/ - Debian apt - lighttpd-mod-authn-sasl - 1.4.79-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: lighttpd-mod-authn-sasl from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | SASL authentication module for lighttpd | https://www.lighttpd.net/ - Debian apt - lighttpd-mod-deflate - 1.4.79-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: lighttpd-mod-deflate from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | HTTP response compression module for lighttpd | https://www.lighttpd.net/ - Debian apt - lighttpd-mod-gnutls - 1.4.79-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: lighttpd-mod-gnutls from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | TLS support using GnuTLS module for lighttpd | https://www.lighttpd.net/ - Debian apt - lighttpd-mod-maxminddb - 1.4.79-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: lighttpd-mod-maxminddb from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | GeoIP2 info module for lighttpd | https://www.lighttpd.net/ - Debian apt - lighttpd-mod-mbedtls - 1.4.79-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: lighttpd-mod-mbedtls from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | TLS support using mbedTLS module for lighttpd | https://www.lighttpd.net/ - Debian apt - lighttpd-mod-nss - 1.4.79-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: lighttpd-mod-nss from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | TLS support using NSS crypto module for lighttpd | https://www.lighttpd.net/ - Debian apt - lighttpd-mod-openssl - 1.4.79-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: lighttpd-mod-openssl from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | TLS support using OpenSSL module for lighttpd | https://www.lighttpd.net/ - Debian apt - lighttpd-mod-vhostdb-pgsql - 1.4.79-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: lighttpd-mod-vhostdb-pgsql from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | PostgreSQL-based virtual host configuration module for lighttpd | https://www.lighttpd.net/ - Debian apt - lighttpd-mod-webdav - 1.4.79-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: lighttpd-mod-webdav from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | WebDAV module for lighttpd | https://www.lighttpd.net/ - Debian apt - lighttpd-mod-wolfssl - 1.4.79-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: lighttpd-mod-wolfssl from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | TLS support using wolfSSL module for lighttpd | https://www.lighttpd.net/ - Debian apt - lighttpd-modules-dbi - 1.4.79-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: lighttpd-modules-dbi from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | DBI-based modules for lighttpd | https://www.lighttpd.net/ - Debian apt - lighttpd-modules-ldap - 1.4.79-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: lighttpd-modules-ldap from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | LDAP-based modules for lighttpd | https://www.lighttpd.net/ ## Related links - [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Has protected-tool coverage, approval-gate, or non-low Geiger security signals. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Web development packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/web-dev-tools/) - Matched web development metadata. - [openldap](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/openldap/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [openssl@3](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/openssl-3/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [pcre2](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pcre2/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [autoconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/autoconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [automake](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/automake/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [libtool](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libtool/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [pkgconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pkgconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [caddy](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/caddy/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, http-server, networking, web-server. - [mighttpd2](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mighttpd2/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, http-server, networking, web-server. - [mongoose](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mongoose/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, networking, web-server. - [webfs](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/webfs/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, http-server, networking, web-server. - [algernon](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/algernon/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, networking, web-server. - [darkhttpd](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/darkhttpd/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, http-server, networking, web-server. - [fcgi](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fcgi/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, networking, web-server. - [fcgiwrap](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fcgiwrap/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, networking, web-server. - [spawn-fcgi](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/spawn-fcgi/) - Local metadata places this package in an adjacent workflow. Shared terms: cli, networking, server, web, web-server. - [httpd](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/httpd/) - Local metadata places this package in an adjacent workflow. Shared terms: cli, http, networking, openssl, openssl-3. - [nginx](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/nginx/) - Local metadata places this package in an adjacent workflow. Shared terms: cli, http, networking, openssl, openssl-3. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/lighttpd.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/lighttpd.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated configuration and credential file locations - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph