diff --git a/hledger-web/Hledger/Web/Options.hs b/hledger-web/Hledger/Web/Options.hs
index 4de0ffe67..a827ec8c3 100644
--- a/hledger-web/Hledger/Web/Options.hs
+++ b/hledger-web/Hledger/Web/Options.hs
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
 module Hledger.Web.Options
 where
 import Data.Maybe
-import Data.Text (unpack)
 import System.Console.CmdArgs
 import System.Console.CmdArgs.Explicit
 
@@ -17,8 +16,7 @@ import Hledger.Web.Settings
 progname = Hledger.Cli.progname ++ "-web"
 progversion = progversionstr progname
 
-defbaseurl = unpack defapproot
-defbaseurl' = (reverse $ drop 4 $ reverse defbaseurl) ++ "PORT"
+defbaseurl' = (reverse $ drop 4 $ reverse $ defbaseurl defport) ++ "PORT"
 
 webflags = [
   flagReq ["base-url"]  (\s opts -> Right $ setopt "base-url" s opts) "URL" ("set the base url (default: "++defbaseurl'++")")
@@ -55,9 +53,10 @@ defwebopts = WebOpts
 toWebOpts :: RawOpts -> IO WebOpts
 toWebOpts rawopts = do
   cliopts <- toCliOpts rawopts
+  let p = fromMaybe defport $ maybeintopt "port" rawopts
   return defwebopts {
-              base_url_ = fromMaybe defbaseurl $ maybestringopt "base-url" rawopts
-             ,port_ = fromMaybe defport $ maybeintopt "port" rawopts
+              port_ = p
+             ,base_url_ = fromMaybe (defbaseurl p) $ maybestringopt "base-url" rawopts
              ,cliopts_   = cliopts
              }
 
diff --git a/hledger-web/Hledger/Web/Settings.hs b/hledger-web/Hledger/Web/Settings.hs
index 7d0948f29..2f5a26982 100644
--- a/hledger-web/Hledger/Web/Settings.hs
+++ b/hledger-web/Hledger/Web/Settings.hs
@@ -18,9 +18,8 @@ module Hledger.Web.Settings
     , AppEnvironment(..)
     , AppConfig(..)
 
-    , defhost
     , defport
-    , defapproot
+    , defbaseurl
     , hledgerorgurl
     , manualurl
     , datadir
@@ -51,11 +50,8 @@ manualurl         = hledgerorgurl++"/MANUAL.html"
 defport :: Int
 defport = 5000
 
-defhost :: String
-defhost = "localhost"
-
-defapproot :: Text
-defapproot = pack $ printf "http://%s:%d" defhost defport
+defbaseurl :: Int -> String
+defbaseurl port = printf "http://localhost:%d" port
 
 
 data AppEnvironment = Test