DS Server

Requirements

Topic

DS Server 5.0 is a framework-dependent .NET 10 application: the archive does not bring a .NET runtime, so the server or the container image must have the right runtimes installed before DS Server starts. What else a machine needs depends on the build you install, Core on Linux or Windows, or Classic on Windows, and on how you host it.

If you haven't chosen a build yet, Core and Classic compares them. The tables below list the operating systems, runtimes and Windows components for each.

Operating Systems

CoreClassic
Linux64-bit Linux on x64 processors with the GNU C Library (glibc) 2.34 or later, such as Debian 12 or Ubuntu 22.04 and later. Not ARM64, not Alpine Linux (musl).Not supported
WindowsWindows Server 2019, 2022 and 2025Windows Server 2019, 2022 and 2025
DockerLinux containers, based on mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet:10.0Windows containers, based on a Windows Server Core image

The native libraries of the document engine are in the runtimes folder of each build: the core folder has them for linux-x64 and win-x64, the classic folder for win-x64 and win-x86. The Linux libraries need glibc 2.34 or later and a libstdc++ with GLIBCXX_3.4.29, which older distributions such as Debian 11 don't have; Linux covers ARM64 and musl. For containers, Text Control recommends the official Microsoft .NET images, which contain the runtime. The official DS Server image on Docker Hub is built on mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet:10.0.

.NET Runtimes

The runtimeconfig.json files of DS Server 5.0.2 name the runtimes that the server and its worker processes need:

RuntimeCoreClassic
ASP.NET Core Runtime 10.0 (includes the .NET Runtime 10.0)RequiredRequired
.NET Desktop Runtime 10.0Not neededRequired, for the DocumentProcessing worker process
.NET Desktop Runtime 8.0Not neededRequired, for the Document Editor worker process
  • Core needs only the ASP.NET Core Runtime 10.0. Its Document Editor worker process is built for .NET 8.0 but set to run on the newest installed major version, so it runs on .NET 10.
  • Classic also needs both Windows Desktop runtimes. Its Document Editor worker process, TXTextControl.Web.Server.Process, is built for .NET 8.0 and the Windows Desktop runtime without a roll-forward setting, so it does not start on .NET 10 alone. Microsoft supports .NET 8 until November 10, 2026.
  • Newer patch versions are fine. The server and the other worker processes roll forward to newer .NET versions.

Download the runtimes from Microsoft:

On Windows, install the Hosting Bundle. It contains the .NET Runtime and the ASP.NET Core Runtime and, when IIS is enabled, the ASP.NET Core Module that IIS needs to host DS Server.

Windows Components

Visual C++ Redistributable

Install the Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2022 (x64) on Windows servers. Microsoft's download link is https://aka.ms/vs/17/release/vc_redist.x64.exe.

IIS

IIS is optional. Since version 3.0, DS Server runs on its own with dotnet, as a Windows service or in a container. To host it in IIS, as described in Manual Installation, enable these Windows features:

  • IIS-WebServerRole
  • IIS-WebServer
  • IIS-CommonHttpFeatures
  • IIS-WebSockets

The Document Editor keeps a WebSocket connection to DS Server, so the WebSocket Protocol feature is required. On a new server, enable IIS first and install the Hosting Bundle afterward, so that the Hosting Bundle adds the ASP.NET Core Module to IIS.

Summary by Installation

InstallationWhat the machine needs
Official Docker imageDocker. The image contains the runtime.
Your own Linux imageDocker. The base image mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet:10.0 contains the runtime.
Your own Windows imageDocker with Windows containers. The Dockerfile installs the runtimes.
Core with dotnet on LinuxASP.NET Core Runtime 10.0
Core with dotnet on WindowsHosting Bundle 10.0, Visual C++ Redistributable
Classic on Windows, IIS or Windows serviceHosting Bundle 10.0, .NET Desktop Runtime 10.0 and 8.0, Visual C++ Redistributable; IIS with WebSockets when you host it in IIS

Network Ports

Kestrel, the web server built into ASP.NET Core, serves DS Server on the addresses in hostsettings.json: port 5000 for HTTP and port 5001 for HTTPS by default. Open the port you use in the firewall. The HTTPS address needs a certificate; HTTPS explains how to configure one, and Configuration how to change the ports. In IIS, the bindings of the IIS site set the ports instead.

Next Steps