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How to: Run a DOS-based Web Server (seriously)
Apache and Nginx, eat your heart out.
Bryan Lunduke
December 20, 2023
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Apache and Nginx are great Web Servers. Linux and FreeBSD are fantastic systems for running them on. But… what if… we wanted to do something a little more... off the beaten path?

What if -- hear me out -- we ran a Web Server… on DOS?

Yeah. DOS.

It's doable. Truly it is.

And, while DOS may not be the high-up-time, massively scalable Web Server platform of the future… it's still a heck of a lot of fun to set up. Plus, it only takes a few minutes. At which point you can say to the world: “Hey! I ran a DOS Web Server!”

Which is a far more enjoyable thing to say than perhaps it should be.

We're going to use FreeDOS as the base operating system here. FreeDOS is a Free and Open Source, MS-DOS compatible operating system that is still (even nowadays) under active development.

But, never fear, it's still DOS.

Note: Some of this will also work in MS-DOS, but FreeDOS makes the process much easier.

Step 1) Install FreeDOS

  • Go to freedos.org and download the full .ISO for FreeDOS.
  • Then install FreeDOS.

If you have difficulty here, the FreeDOS team has put together step-by-step instructions (with videos, screenshots, the works). Luckily this should be a simple process for anyone who's installed an Operating System before.

For the purposes of this tutorial, I recommend installing FreeDOS in a virtual machine (QEMU or VirtualBox recommended) – that will simply make the networking component much easier. That said, all of this works great even on bare metal… provided you have supported networking hardware.

If you are installing in a virtual machine, set up a VM with 32 MB of RAM and a 500 MB hard drive. This should be plenty. Because… it's DOS.

Step 2) Install DOS Networking Software

Here's where some of the magic of FreeDOS makes things incredibly easy.

Reboot your DOS machine (or virtual machine) and make sure the FreeDOS installer .ISO is mounted (or the USB/CD is in the drive if you are using DOS on a physical PC).

Run the FreeDOS package manager application by typing:

FDIMPLES.EXE

(On a standard FreeDOS install FDIMPLES.EXE will be in the system path, so you can be in any directory when you run it. Otherwise it is, by default, stored in C:\FDOS\BIN.)

From the “Networking” section, select the following packages:

  • FDNET

  • MTCP

  • WGET

Then chose “OK” to install the packages. At this point you'll want to reboot to load everything properly.

Step 3) Install a Web Server

There are, believe it or not, multiple options for running a Web Server under DOS. Seriously. Not a joke.

In this tutorial I'll show you how to install two of them. Because… why not? You can install either. Or both. Follow your heart.

First, let's install Sioux – which is the more feature-packed of the two we look at here. Run these commands one at a time.

md sioux

cd sioux
wget http://www.georgpotthast.de/sioux/sioux.zip
unzip sioux.zip

Now let's install WebServ. Which, believe it or not, was written in BASIC. That's right. Follow this tutorial and you'll have run a Web Server. Programmed in BASIC. In DOS. (Kemeny & Kurtz would be proud.)

cd \
md webserv
cd webserv
wget http://rubbermallet.org/software/download/websv09b.zip
unzip websv09b.zip

Step 4) Run the Web Server

Note: Both Sioux and WebServ require ntcpdrv.exe to be run first. Luckily, ntcpdrv.exe is included with both and super easy to use. Just be sure to replace the IP, Netmask, and Gateway parameters (in the commands below) with the actual numbers for your DOS machine (you can find them when you first boot DOS).

To run Sioux:

cd \
cd sioux
ntcpdrv -ip=10.0.0.2 -netmask=255.255.255.0 -gateway=10.0.0.1
sioux.exe

To run WebServ:

cd \
cd webserv
ntcpdrv -ip=10.0.0.2 -netmask=255.255.255.0 -gateway=10.0.0.1
webserv.exe

All done!

That's it! You now have your very own DOS-based Web Server!

In order to test it out simply load up any web browser you like and point it at the IP address for your DOS installation (same IP that you see at boot time and that you used with NTCPDRV.EXE above).

Wham-o! You've done it! You've run your own DOS Web Server!

This is what the default page shipped with WebServ looks like (possibly the best default webserver page in existence):

Note: If you have trouble connecting to the IP address of a DOS virtual machine (such as inside VirtualBox) you may need to change your network settings for that particular VM to be bridged instead of NAT. That way the DOS VM is accessible from the host machine.
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Looking for the Podcast RSS feed or other links? Check here:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4619051/lunduke-journal-link-central-tm

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Looking for the Podcast RSS feed or other links?
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4619051/lunduke-journal-link-central-tm

Give the gift of The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4898317/give-the-gift-of-the-lunduke-journal

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Be sure to subscribe here at Lunduke.Locals.com to get all shows & articles (including interviews with other amazing nerds).

"Andreas Kling creator of Serenity OS & Ladybird Web Browser" - Lunduke’s Big Tech Show - September 13th, 2023 - Ep 044
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Bryan Lunduke@Lunduke
May 30, 2025
50% off The Lunduke Journal (including Lifetime Subscriptions) for one more day!

To all of you amazing nerds who have signed up for a new Lunduke Journal subscription today, thank you! You make The Lunduke Journal possible!

If you haven’t snagged yours yet, the “50% off everything, even the Lifetime Subscriptions” deal is available today and tomorrow (through Saturday, May 31st).

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All the details on how to grab each type of subscription is right here. There’s also an audio podcast and video of me rambling about it.

Once again, thank you for all of the support. It truly does make a difference.

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Bryan Lunduke@Lunduke
May 29, 2025
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About 3 weeks back we had a deal where every new subscription to The Lunduke Journal was 50% off. Monthly, Yearly, Lifetime… all of it.

And — holy cow! — was that a success. Broke the record for most new subscribers to The Lunduke Journal in a single day. By a mile. Two days in a row.

Never seen anything like it. The amount of support all of you showed for truly independent Tech Journalism was off the charts.

You know what? Let’s try that again. Now through the end of May (which is Saturday, May 31st — the day after tomorrow):

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Choose whichever option feels right for you. All the details and links are below.

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Remember: 50% off is only through Saturday, May 31st. The next day (Sunday, June 1st) the prices all go back to normal.

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And to all of you new Lunduke Journal subscribers (which, wow, there’s a lot of you): Welcome to the last bastion of truly independent, Big-Tech-Free, ad-free, non-Woke Tech Journalism.

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Bryan Lunduke@Lunduke
May 07, 2025
50% off Monthly, Yearly Subscriptions! Lifetime Subs for $100! Let's get everyone subscribing to The Lunduke Journal!

The number of free subscribers to The Lunduke Journal has absolutely exploded — across a bunch of platforms — which is truly amazing. The real Tech News is spreading farther than ever.

In fact, the free subscriber growth is so utterly massive, that if even a tiny fraction of you became a paying subscriber… The Lunduke Journal would become comfortably financially set for a very long time. Able to continue reporting on Big Tech — and corrupt Tech Foundations — well into the future.

All without taking a penny from Big Tech.

With that in mind, let’s do something awesome… something that will make Big Tech really grumpy.

Let’s get as many people subscribing to The Lunduke Journal as possible. Right now. This week. Let’s make this Big-Tech-Free, Non-Woke Tech News publication financially set for a good, long time.

To give everyone a kick-in-the-butt to help make that happen, I’m going to discount absolutely every type of subscription in a crazy way — through Friday, May 9th.

  • %50 off Monthly — Now $3 / Month (was $6 / Month)

  • %50 off Yearly — Now $27 / Year (was $54 / Year)

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That Lifetime Subscription one is crazy.

Seriously. Make a one-time donation of $100, and be subscribed to The Lunduke Journal… for life. (This includes full access to the community Forum.)

If even 1% of the new free subscribers who have joined in the last month take advantage of this… The Lunduke Journal will be fully funded through the end of this year. And then some.

Let’s make it happen. Scroll down. Pick which ever subscription type works best for you. Then high-five yourself for making Big Tech grumpy.

Just be sure to do it by the end of the day on Friday, May 9th. The prices all go back to normal after that.

50% Off Yearly or Monthly Subscription:

50% off a Yearly or Monthly subscription to The Lunduke Journal are available via both Locals and Substack. (This includes full access to the community Forum.)

That means $3 / Month. Or $27 / Year (which works out to $2.25 / Month).

Via Lunduke.Locals.com:

Via Lunduke.Substack.com:

The Famous Lifetime Subscription:

The "World Famous Lunduke Journal Lifetime Subscription" is exactly what it sounds like. Pay once and get full access to The Lunduke Journal. For life.

And now, through Friday, May 9th… you can snag one at a crazy discount. Normally these are $200… but you can grab one for $100. (You can also pay more if you’d like to donate a little extra.)

The Lifetime Subscription can be obtained via Locals, Substack, or using Bitcoin. All three options work great and are super easy. Scroll down and choose your option.

How to get a Lifetime Subscription via Locals:

  1. Go to Lunduke.Locals.com/support.

  2. Select "Give Once".

  3. Enter "100" (or more) into the amount field.

  4. After checking out, Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status. (This usually happens within a few hours.)

How to get a Lifetime Subscription via Substack:

  1. Go to Lunduke.Substack.com/subscribe.

  2. Select the “Lifetime Subscription” option.

  3. After checking out, Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status. (This usually happens within a few hours.)

If you would also like full, Lifetime access to Lunduke.Locals.com (which is included):

  1. Make a free account on Lunduke.Locals.com.

  2. Email “bryan at lunduke.com” with the email address you use on both Substack and Locals (can be different email addresses).

  3. Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status on Locals.

How to get a Lifetime Subscription with Bitcoin:

You can also obtain a Lifetime Subscription via Bitcoin.

bc1qyjakve8fywm8pz2v99v57yhjj0vzr2vjze6fcq

  • Email "bryan at lunduke.com" with the following information: What time you made the transaction, how much was sent (in Bitcoin), and the email address you use (or plan to use) on Locals.com or Substack.com.

50% Off DRM-Free, MP4 Downloads:

Want to be able to download every show The Lunduke Journal releases (and watch them on whatever device you like)? Yeah. You can do that. For 50% off.

Note: This DRM-Free download option does not include access to the Forum. This option is strictly for downloading the episodes.

Make a One Time Donation

Subscription not enough (or not your thing)? Want to toss in a one-time donation to The Lunduke Journal? There’s a few great options!

Via BitCoin:

Send any amount of BTC to the following address:

bc1qyjakve8fywm8pz2v99v57yhjj0vzr2vjze6fcq

  • Email "bryan at lunduke.com" with to let us know it was you! You can choose to keep your donation anonymous if you prefer. (Either way, all BTC donations get included in the matching deal.)

Via Locals:

  1. Go to Lunduke.Locals.com/support.

  2. Click “GIVE ONCE”.

  3. Enter any amount you like.

You Make This Possible

A huge thank you to all of the subscribers who have made The Lunduke Journal possible. Because of you, we have been able to do true Tech Journalism — to tell the stories that no other Tech News outlet has the cajones to touch.

And to all of you new Lunduke Journal subscribers: Welcome to the last bastion of truly independent, Big-Tech-Free, ad-free, non-Woke Tech Journalism.

-Lunduke

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