ANetBBS
Status: stable (v1.1.68, November 2026)
A modern multi-node BBS for the classic FidoNet world. Web, telnet, SSH,
rlogin, FTP, and PETSCII (C64/128) front-ends; FidoNet binkp + DOVE-Net
QWK echomail; inter-BBS instant messaging via MSP (RFC 1312); a built-in
collaborative wiki and RSS reader; door-game support including stock
Synchronet .js doors (LORD ships pre-installed and plays out of the box).
Install — pick your path
All four paths land on the same BBS; pick whichever fits your box.
Quick install (Linux)
You'll want a domain pointed at this box if you want the web admin and
public web pages working with HTTPS — modern browsers refuse plain-HTTP
logins, so the wizard's production mode pulls a Let's Encrypt cert.
Telnet, SSH, rlogin, BinkP, MRC, and MSP work fine without a domain;
pick test mode at the prompt if you're behind NAT or just kicking
the tires (web admin runs on http://localhost:8080).
tar xzf ANetBBS-v1.1.68.tar.gz
cd ANetBBS-v1.1.68
sudo bash install.sh
The wizard asks for BBS name, sysop, ports, services, and SSL/nginx
preferences, then sets up the venv, systemd units, ufw rules, and (if
enabled) a Let's Encrypt cert. A random admin password is generated and
written to data/admin_password.txt — log in to the web admin and
change it on first use.
For details on individual services and post-install configuration see
docs/INSTALL.md.
Updating and uninstalling
To upgrade an existing install in place, download the new release tarball
and run update.sh from inside it (backs up .env/database/systemd units
first, then syncs files and restarts services):
tar xzf ANetBBS-v1.1.68.tar.gz
cd ANetBBS-v1.1.68
sudo bash update.sh
install.sh itself also takes a few flags:
sudo bash install.sh --uninstall # Stops/disables services, then (after one
# y/N confirmation) deletes the ENTIRE
# install directory -- including data/ (DB,
# uploads, echomail) -- with no separate
# prompt or backup for that. Back up
# data/ first if you want to keep it.
sudo bash install.sh --defaults # Non-interactive install, all defaults
sudo bash install.sh --force # Re-run install, overwriting an existing
# .env and database (normally preserved)
Quick install (Docker)
Prefer containers? Two options — a single-container quick start, or a
proper multi-container docker-compose deployment (recommended for
anything beyond kicking the tires). Pre-built multi-arch images
(amd64 + arm64, works on a Raspberry Pi) are published to GHCR on
every release — no local build needed:
cp .env.docker.example .env # fill in SECRET_KEY, BBS_NAME, etc.
cp docker/compose/mrc-bridge-config.json.example mrc-bridge-config.json
docker compose -f docker/compose/docker-compose.yml up -d
.env already points at ghcr.io/anetonline/anetbbs:latest by
default — pin a specific version instead with ANETBBS_IMAGE_TAG=v1.1.68
(or whatever release you want). Testing a local change instead of a
published image? docker build -f docker/Dockerfile -t anetbbs:local .,
then set ANETBBS_IMAGE=anetbbs / ANETBBS_IMAGE_TAG=local in .env.
New to Docker? docs/22-containers.md has a
full hand-held walkthrough (including the single-container option,
what each command actually does, and troubleshooting).
Features
Messaging
- Local boards with categories, sticky/lock, threading, quote-reply,
search, voting, ANSI banners, last-read tracking, moderators
- FidoNet netmail (binkp) — full kludge support (MSGID, REPLY, INTL,
CHRS, FMPT/TOPT, PID, TZUTC), per-user AKAs, drafts, soft-delete
- FidoNet echomail with AreaFix robot (in/out), bad-area sysop review
- Hub mode — act as a BinkP echomail hub for downstream nodes; per-node
echo area subscriptions, outbound hold queue, SEEN-BY aware fan-out tosser.
Also a QWK hub: HTTP download/upload endpoints, per-node conference
subscriptions with high-water mark tracking. Admin → Echomail → Hub.
- ANotherNetwork (Zone 1200) — ANetBBS's own echomail network, seeded on
every fresh install. 26 message areas across 9 categories (General,
Technology, BBS Scene, Retro, Hobby, Trading, Data, SysOp, Test) plus 9
TIC file-echo areas (nodelists, infopacks, BBS software, doors, ebooks,
Linux, retro, ANSI art). Join via BinkP (
1200:1/1) or QWK/FTP (hub ID:
ANET). Hub: bbs.a-net.fyi. Apply for a node number.
Public nodelist at /admin/echomail/hub/nodelist.
- DOVE-Net QWK — fetch + REP packet upload, CONTROL.DAT-driven area
auto-create, conf# mapping, manual quick-add for known confs
- Private messages between local users
- Inter-BBS Instant Messaging (MSP / RFC 1312) — TCP/18, with the
Synchronet
sbbsimsg.lst directory mirrored daily and a SYSTAT
(UDP/11) Active-User responder
- CP437 + ANSI rendering in every message body (proper box-draw,
16-color SGR → HTML spans)
This is the beginning of the README. Read the rest at the original. Read the full README ↗
