Running Classic ASP on Linux in 2026

Yes, it is 2026, and Classic ASP is still very much alive.

While many consider it a relic of the past, the reality is that many companies still rely on it for internal systems, legacy enterprise tools, and even public-facing pages. For a long time, the biggest drawback was the platform lock-in: if you wanted to run ASP, you were tied to Windows and IIS.

But things have changed. VBScript is a remarkably straightforward language that deserves to be preserved, and for those who prefer it, modern implementations even allow you to mix in JavaScript.

I’ve been working on a solution to bring this stack into the modern era of infrastructure. It’s called AxonASP.

Why AxonASP?
Written in GoLang, AxonASP is a cross-platform server that allows you to run Classic ASP on Linux, macOS, and Windows. This means you can finally containerize your legacy applications using Docker or deploy them on ultra-lightweight Linux instances.

How lightweight? A simple AWS T2.nano virtual machine with just 512 MB of RAM is more than enough to serve your website. You can maintain your legacy systems (or build new ones) directly from a Linux environment with minimal overhead.

Installation Guide
You can find the project and the latest releases on GitHub: github.com/guimaraeslucas/axonasp.

To get started on Linux, you can download the package specific to your distribution using wget. Replace the extension according to your needs (.rpm, .deb, or .apk):

# For Alpine (APK)
wget https://github.com/guimaraeslucas/axonasp/releases/download/v1.2.2/axonasp_1.2.2_x86_64.apk

# For Debian/Ubuntu (DEB)
wget https://github.com/guimaraeslucas/axonasp/releases/download/v1.2.2/axonasp_1.2.2_x86_64.deb

# For RHEL/Fedora/Amazon Linux (RPM)
wget https://github.com/guimaraeslucas/axonasp/releases/download/v1.2.2/axonasp_1.2.2_x86_64.rpm

Since Amazon Linux is the standard for AWS environments, here is how you install it using dnf:

sudo dnf install ./axonasp_1.2.2_x86_64.rpm

Running the Server
After installation, the server files are located in /opt/axonasp. To do a quick test, navigate to the directory and run the HTTP binary:

cd /opt/axonasp
./axonasp-http

By default, the server will look for your files in the opt/axonasp/www/ folder. You can tweak the behavior, ports, and logic by editing the configuration file at config/axonasp.toml. Your site will be live at localhost:8801.

Production Deployment (Nginx Reverse Proxy)
To expose your application to the public web with proper security and SSL, you should use a reverse proxy like Nginx. Here is example configuration:

upstream axonasp_backend {
    server localhost:8801 max_fails=3 fail_timeout=30s;
}

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name myapp.example.com;
    return 301 https://$server_name$request_uri;
}

server {
    listen 443 ssl http2;
    server_name myapp.example.com;

    ssl_certificate /etc/ssl/certs/myapp.crt;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/ssl/private/myapp.key;
    ssl_protocols TLSv1.2 TLSv1.3;
    ssl_ciphers HIGH:!aNULL:!MD5;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://axonasp_backend;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        proxy_buffering off;
        proxy_request_buffering off;
    }
}

Running as a Daemon
In a production Linux environment, you don't want to run the binary manually. AxonASP comes with a helper to handle the systemd installation automatically:

sudo ./axonasp-service install
sudo ./axonasp-service start

This will register AxonASP as a service, ensuring it starts automatically on boot.

Classic ASP doesn't have to be stuck in 1998. With the right tools, it's a viable, lightweight, and incredibly fast option for 2026.