Why LibreSpeed?
Ookla and Fast.com test your speed to their servers. LibreSpeed tests speed to your server:
- LAN speed testing — Measure actual network throughput between offices.
- VPN throughput — Verify WireGuard/OpenVPN performance.
- ISP verification — Test from inside your network.
- Customer-facing — Provide speed tests for tenants/guests.
- No third-party data — Results stay on your server.
- Historical tracking — Store results in a database.
Prerequisites
- Docker on any machine.
- Minimal resources (static + PHP).
Deploy with Docker
docker run -d \
--name speedtest \
--restart=always \
-p 80:80 \
-e MODE=standalone \
adolfintel/speedtest
Access at http://your-server.
What It Measures
| Metric | What It Tests | Typical LAN | Typical Internet |
|---|
| Download | Server → Client throughput | 800-940 Mbps (1G) | 50-500 Mbps |
| Upload | Client → Server throughput | 800-940 Mbps (1G) | 10-100 Mbps |
| Ping | Round-trip latency | <1 ms | 10-50 ms |
| Jitter | Latency variation | <0.5 ms | 2-10 ms |
Use Cases
| Scenario | Server Location | What You’re Testing |
|---|
| Office LAN | Same building | Switch/cable quality, 1G/10G |
| Inter-office WAN | Remote office | WAN link throughput |
| VPN tunnel | Behind VPN | WireGuard/OpenVPN overhead |
| ISP speed | VPS (cloud) | Real internet bandwidth |
| Wi-Fi quality | Same LAN | Wireless vs wired difference |
| Tenant service | Building network | Customer-facing speed tool |
LibreSpeed vs Alternatives
| Feature | LibreSpeed | Ookla | Fast.com | iPerf |
|---|
| Self-hosted | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Web UI | Yes | Yes | Yes | CLI only |
| Privacy | Full | Limited | Netflix | Full |
| Jitter | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Results history | Optional DB | Account | No | No |
| Best for | Internal networks | ISP testing | Quick check | Precise benchmarks |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Solution |
|---|
| Speed lower than expected | Test wired, not Wi-Fi; check server NIC speed and CPU during test |
| Test stuck at 0% | Ensure the server port is accessible; check reverse proxy isn’t buffering |
| Results inconsistent | Run 3-5 tests and average; close other bandwidth-heavy apps |
| Want persistent results | Set TELEMETRY=true and configure PostgreSQL/MySQL/SQLite |
Summary
- Self-hosted Ookla alternative — no data to third parties.
- LAN, WAN, VPN, ISP testing from one tool.
- Typical LAN values guide in-post for quick diagnosis.
- Historical tracking with optional database telemetry.
Related Articles