NNTPD(8)

💌 NAME 💌

okay bestie, meet nntpd — this is the Cyrus IMAP documentation for it, and it's literally the NNTP server process ✨

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🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

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

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🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

So nntpd is an NNTP server, periodt. It takes commands on its standard input and claps back on its standard output. And here's the thing — it MUST be invoked by master(8) with those descriptors already attached to a remote client connection. Like, that's not optional, that's the whole vibe. 👑

nntpd pulls its configuration options out of the imapd.conf(5) file, unless you say otherwise with -C. Let's break down the settings it cares about:

• the optional newsprefix setting — this one gives you a prefix that gets prepended to newsgroup names, so they become the matching IMAP mailbox names 🎀
• the optional newspostuser setting — this is the special userid used when building the To: header address for following up to articles when you're reading via IMAP
• the optional newspeer setting — the fully qualified hostname of the upstream news server where articles get fed
• the optional allownewnews setting — this is what enables the NNTP NEWNEWS command

⚠️ NOTE: if your server has a large volume of articles, the NEWNEWS command can be expensive. Like, your wallet doesn't hurt but your server might. 😭

Oh and here's a fun one 🫶 — if the directory <configdirectory>/log/user exists, then nntpd will create protocol telemetry logs for sessions authenticating as user. Those telemetry logs live in the log/user directory, and the filename is the nntpd process-id. cute, organized, we love to see it 💅

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✨ OPTIONS ✨

• -C config-file — use this specific configuration file config-file instead of the default imapd.conf(5). main character energy, you pick the file 💖
• -U uses — the max number of times the process should be used for new connections before it shuts down. the default is 250. it's giving "we had a good run bestie" 🥲
• -T timeout — how many seconds the process will wait for a new connection before shutting down. heads up: a value of 0 (zero) will disable the timeout. the default is 60. ⏳
• -D — run the external debugger specified in debug_command. 🔍
• -H — tells nntpd to expect a HAProxy protocol header from the sender. 👋
• -s — serve NNTP over SSL (https). all the data going to and from nntpd is encrypted using the Secure Sockets Layer. locked down, secured, no peeking 🔐
• -r — only allow NNTP reader commands. permitted clients will only be allowed to read/post articles. reader era only 📖
• -f — only allow NNTP feeder commands. permitted clients will only be allowed to feed articles — and nope, no reading. feeder era only 🌾
• -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. 🛡️

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🎀 FILES 🎀

• /etc/imapd.conf

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💜 SEE ALSO 💜

• imapd.conf(5)
• master(8)

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👑 AUTHOR 👑

The Cyrus Team, Nic Bernstein (Onlight) — absolute icons, no cap 🫶

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🌈 COPYRIGHT 🌈

1993–2026, The Cyrus Team

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okay that's the whole page, bestie!! you're now fully caught up on nntpd(8) from the Cyrus IMAP docs 💅✨ and just so you know where this came from — it's version 3.12.4, dated Sep 09, 2026, brought to you by the Cyrus IMAP girlies. slay, go read your news 🦋🍓💖