bwxBASIC

bwxBASIC is a modern, web-based implementation of the classic BASIC programming language. Inspired by Applesoft BASIC, it enhances the traditional experience with structured graphics commands, a modern full-screen code editor, and a vibrant 256-color palette.

It runs entirely in the browser, providing a seamless environment for writing, running, and sharing classic BASIC programs without needing emulators or external dependencies.

bwxBASIC is officially served at: bwxbasic.org

Features

• Modern Editor: Built-in syntax highlighting (via CodeJar) and reliable auto-indentation.
• Rich Graphics: 256-color extended palette and structural drawing commands (Rectangles, Ellipses, Triangles).
• File Management: Save, load, download, and upload .bas files locally or to/from your OS.
• Client-Side Execution: Code is transpiled efficiently into JavaScript on the fly and executed securely entirely within the browser sandbox.

Local Development (Running Locally)

Because bwxBASIC uses modern JavaScript ES Modules (import/export), you cannot simply double-click the bwxBASIC.html file to open it in a browser directly from your file system (due to CORS security restrictions on file:// protocols). You must serve it over HTTP.

Option 1: Python (Quickest)

If you have Python installed, you can spin up a quick local web server in the project directory:

# Python 3
python3 -m http.server 8000

# Python 2
python -m SimpleHTTPServer 8000

Then open your browser to: http://localhost:8000/bwxBASIC.html

Option 2: Node.js (http-server)

If you prefer Node.js, you can use http-server:

npx http-server -p 8000

Then open your browser to: http://localhost:8000/bwxBASIC.html

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Command-Line Execution (Node.js)

bwxBASIC includes headless runner scripts allowing you to execute .bas scripts directly from your terminal using Node.js. These are located in the tests/ directory.

run_code.js

Executes a BASIC script and prints the output to the terminal, exiting immediately when finished. Useful for testing or scripting.

node tests/run_code.js path/to/script.bas

run_repl.js

Executes a BASIC script and then purposefully drops you into an interactive REPL loop, allowing you to run commands like VARS and PRINT against the engine state. Type EXIT or QUIT to end the session.

node tests/run_repl.js path/to/script.bas

run_regression.js

Runs the built-in test suite (demo/regression.bas) to ensure the language features and transpiler are working correctly.

node tests/run_regression.js

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Production Deployment

bwxBASIC requires no backend logic, databases, or build steps. It is a pure static site (HTML, CSS, JS). Deploying it is as simple as serving the static files.

Nginx Configuration

To serve bwxBASIC using Nginx, point the root directive to your project directory.

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name bwxbasic.org www.bwxbasic.org;

    root /path/to/BWXbasic2026;
    index bwxBASIC.html;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /bwxBASIC.html;
    }

    # Optional: Cache static assets
    location ~* \.(js|css|png|jpg|jpeg|gif|ico|bas)$ {
        expires 30d;
        add_header Cache-Control "public, no-transform";
    }
}

Apache Configuration

To serve bwxBASIC using Apache, ensure the DocumentRoot points to your project folder. You may also want an .htaccess file if you plan on rewriting URLs later, but for the base setup, only virtual host configuration is required:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName bwxbasic.org
    ServerAlias www.bwxbasic.org
    DocumentRoot /path/to/BWXbasic2026

    <Directory /path/to/BWXbasic2026>
        Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
        
        # Ensure bwxBASIC.html is loaded by default if someone hits the root
        DirectoryIndex bwxBASIC.html
    </Directory>
</VirtualHost>