NNTPD(8)

📦
version 3.12.3 · 5 versions
, in ubuntu stonking

💖 NNTPD(8) — Cyrus IMAP 💖

okay bestie, this is the manual page for nntpd from Cyrus IMAP, and we're gonna get you fluent in it, no cap. 🦋

✨ NAME ✨

nntpd — Cyrus IMAP documentation

NNTP server process 👑

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

nntpd [ -C config-file ] [ -U uses ] [ -T timeout ] [ -D ]
    [ -H ] [ -s ] [ -r ] [ -f ] [ -p ssf ]

like... that's it. that's the whole summoning ritual. 💅

💜 DESCRIPTION 💜

so nntpd is an NNTP server, periodt. it takes commands on its standard input and it responds on its standard output. that's the whole relationship. 💖

and it MUST be invoked by master(8) with those descriptors attached to a remote client connection. like, this is not a "run it yourself and see what happens" situation, bestie. master(8) is the one holding the aux cord here. 🙈

nntpd reads its configuration options out of the imapd.conf(5) file unless you say otherwise with -C. and ooooh the settings, let's go:

  • the optional newsprefix setting specifies a prefix to be prepended to newsgroup names, to make the corresponding IMAP mailbox names ✨
  • the optional newspostuser setting specifies the special userid to be used when constructing the To: header address for following up to articles when read via IMAP 📬
  • the optional newspeer setting specifies the fully qualified hostname of the upstream news server to which articles are fed 🌐
  • the optional allownewnews setting enables the NNTP NEWNEWS command 🔥
NOTE: for servers with a large volume of articles, the NEWNEWS command can be expensive. 😭 like she's doing a lot of work, be nice to her.

and okay, one more thing, lowkey important:

if the directory <configdirectory>/log/user exists, then nntpd will create protocol telemetry logs for sessions authenticating as user. those telemetry logs get stored in the log/user directory with a filename of the nntpd process-id. it's giving surveillance but make it documentation. 👀

🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

  • -C config-file — use the specified configuration file config-file rather than the default imapd.conf(5). pick your own adventure, bestie.
  • -U uses — the maximum number of times that the process should be used for new connections before shutting down. the default is 250. she has a limit and she's sticking to it. 💅
  • -T timeout — the number of seconds that the process will wait for a new connection before shutting down. note that a value of 0 (zero) will disable the timeout. the default is 60. so 0 means "wait forever", iconic behaviour honestly.
  • -D — run external debugger specified in debug_command. 🐛
  • -H — tell nntpd to expect a HAProxy protocol header from the sender. hi bestie, show your header first 🫶
  • -s — serve NNTP over SSL (https). all data to and from nntpd is encrypted using the Secure Sockets Layer. 🔒 everything's private, no one's reading your DMs.
  • -r — only allow NNTP reader commands. permitted clients will only be allowed to read/post articles. look, don't touch. 👀
  • -f — only allow NNTP feeder commands. permitted clients will only be allowed to feed articles (no reading). feed only, no snacking. 🍓
  • -p ssf — tell nntpd that an external layer exists. an SSF (security strength factor) of 1 means an integrity protection layer exists. any higher SSF implies some form of privacy protection. so 1 = "they can't mess with it", higher = "they can't even see it" 🌈

🌟 FILES 🌟

  • /etc/imapd.conf

🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

👑 AUTHOR 👑

The Cyrus Team, Nic Bernstein (Onlight)

1993–2026, The Cyrus Team

and that's the whole page, bestie, you ate that 🫶 this was Cyrus IMAP version 3.12.3, dated Jul 15, 2026 — go forth and serve some news, fr fr ✨💅🎀

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