dosbox-automation vs DOSBox-X

dosbox-automation is a free DOSBox Staging fork for automating the launch, control, and inspection of DOS applications and games. Its HTTP REST API uses bearer-token authentication and includes Swagger UI, while a sandboxed Lua engine can drive execution and input with frame-accurate timing. It can record and replay keyboard and mouse input, capture frames and video, read text in text modes, and inspect memory and CPU registers. TOML recipes can automate installations, including disk swaps, through the API and Lua engine. The project includes DOSBox Staging functionality, added fixes and hardening, and a FluidR3 General MIDI soundfont enabled by default. Official builds are available for Windows and Linux; the Linux build is statically linked and targets x86_64. There are no official macOS builds, and compiling from source is described as untested. The webserver is disabled by default. When enabled, it binds to localhost by default, requires a bearer token, restricts mounted paths, and runs Lua without filesystem or process access. Windows 9x is not supported.

DOSBox-X is a free, open-source DOS emulator for running DOS applications and games on Linux, macOS and Windows. It also supports DOS-based Windows guests, including Windows 3.x and Windows 9x/Me. The project emphasizes general emulation and accurate hardware behavior, with DOS/V services and emulation for NEC PC-98, AX and J-3100 systems. A graphical configuration tool and many virtual-machine options let users adjust the emulated environment. DOSBox-X provides up to 100 save slots, with automatic saving for selected programs or at user-defined intervals. Its emulated NE2000 adapter supports guest networking through PCAP and Slirp backends. Printing can use parallel ports and real or emulated printers, with PostScript or PNG output. Launching host applications from the emulator is disabled by default for security and can be enabled through configuration or a command-line option. The project describes use for DOS software, historical preservation, testing and continued DOS development; emulating Pentium 4-or-higher CPUs and post-2000 PC hardware are listed as non-goals.