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ruohki 4464774c7a content: create demo vault with splash art and feature showcase pages

8 files: index.md with wiki-links, features overview, navigation guide,
markdown showcase (all constructs), about page, changelog, and two
guides (sysop handbook, writing content) in a subdirectory. Includes
ANSI art splash.txt for the index page header.

2026-03-01 11:58:01 +01:00

1.7 KiB

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description

description
Running BBS-MD as a public SSH service

SysOp Handbook

So you want to run a BBS. Welcome to the club.

Setting Up SSH Access

The classic BBS experience: users connect via SSH and land directly in BBS-MD.

1. Create a BBS User

# Create user with bbs-md as their login shell
sudo useradd -m -s /usr/local/bin/bbs-md bbsguest

# Set up their vault
sudo mkdir -p /home/bbsguest/vault
sudo cp -r /path/to/your/vault/* /home/bbsguest/vault/

# Set a password (or use SSH keys)
sudo passwd bbsguest

2. Configure bbs.toml

Place bbs.toml next to the binary or in the user's home directory:

vault_path = "/home/bbsguest/vault"
theme = "default"

3. Test the Connection

ssh bbsguest@your-server.com

The user lands directly on the index page. No shell prompt, no confusion. Just content.

Security Considerations

BBS-MD runs as a login shell — there is no escape to bash
The q key is disabled in login shell mode
Only double Ctrl+C can exit (returns to SSH disconnect)
Path traversal is guarded — ../../etc/passwd won't resolve
Only .md files inside the vault are accessible

Content Management

Your vault is just a directory of markdown files. You can:

Edit files over SFTP or SCP
Use rsync to sync from a local copy
Mount a Git repository and pull updates
Write a cron job to generate content

BBS-MD watches for changes. Your updates appear live.

The best BBS is the one that's always fresh.

Monitoring

Watch the process with standard Unix tools:

# Check if bbs-md is running for connected users
ps aux | grep bbs-md

# Watch vault changes in real time
inotifywait -m /home/bbsguest/vault/

Back to index or see the Features.

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