Networking

Some DOS games offer multiplayer gaming based on ipx, modem, or direct connection. Using a browser, it's not possible to directly connect two clients. BUT, using js-dos cloud, you can emulate direct connection.

Here is tutorial video how to use networking with js-dos:

By default, users are able to enjoy these games using the Netherlands server, which is provided by js-dos.

Deploy own ipx backend

As mentioned, js-dos provides the Netherlands server for free, but it works well only for Europe region. To improve player experience you can deploy your own instance of ipx backend.

The Server

The server code is licensed under GPL-2 and you can find it here. This server works as a relay, connecting multiple js-dos clients together. You need to deploy it on a publicly available server.

Download the server binary
chmod +x server to make it executable
Run it as follows:
./server -c cert.pem -k privkey.pem
Argument
Description
./server
server binary
-c cert.pem
path to SSL certificate
-k privekey.pem
path to private key file

Argument	Description
./server	server binary
-c cert.pem	path to SSL certificate
-k privekey.pem	path to private key file

Configuring js-dos player

When the server is started, you can use it with js-dos player. For example, if your server is available on host myipx.com, js-dos configuration will be:

    const params = new URLSearchParams(location.search);
// ...
    Dos(el, {
          ipxBackend: params.get("ipxBackend"),
          room: params.get("room"),
          ipx: [{
              name: "myipx",
              host: "wss://myipx.com",
            }, {
              name: "dos.zone",
              host: "wss://netherlands.dos.zone",
            }
          ],
    });

The first element in the ipx array will be used as the default ipx server.

Last modified: 21 апреля 2025