Frequently Asked Questions

A BBS (Bulletin Board System) is an online community that you connect to via SSH — a secure terminal protocol built into every modern computer. Think of it as a private, text-based internet community from the early days of online culture, rebuilt on modern infrastructure.

Users type a single command in their terminal and land in a full community with message boards, private mail, live chat, games, and file sharing. No web browser, no algorithm, no ads.

The same reason people still read physical books or buy vinyl records — the experience is fundamentally different and often better for focused community building.

A BBS has no algorithm pushing outrage content, no ads, no notifications designed to hijack your attention, and no corporate entity that can shut down or change the rules overnight. It's your community, running on your terms, accessible with a single command.

The retro aesthetic is a bonus — it's genuinely fun, and it filters for exactly the kind of curious, technically-minded users that make for great community members.

Ownership. Your BBS belongs to you. Discord and Reddit can ban your community, change their rules, or shut down any time. SysopHQ gives you a community that can't be taken away by a platform decision.

No algorithm. Content appears in the order it was posted. No engagement optimization, no viral mechanics, no recommended content from strangers.

Access model. SSH is a proven, secure protocol. Users don't need to create an account on a third-party platform — they connect directly to your BBS with a single terminal command.

Aesthetic. It's genuinely fun and novel. The retro terminal experience is a differentiator that attracts a certain kind of curious, technical community member.

No. SysopHQ is fully managed — we provision, configure, secure, and maintain your BBS instance. You interact with your BBS through the admin console inside the terminal, not through config files or command lines.

If you can use a web browser to sign up and a terminal to connect, you have everything you need.

Just a terminal. SSH is built into every modern operating system:

Windows 10+ — open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and type the connect command.
macOS — open Terminal (Applications → Utilities) and connect.
Linux — any terminal emulator works out of the box.

No apps to install, no accounts on external platforms, no browser plugins. One command: ssh -p 2222 YourHandle@your-bbs.sysophq.io

From sign-up to a live BBS: a few minutes. Your instance is provisioned automatically after payment. You'll receive a connection address and can log in as the Sysop immediately.

Customizing your BBS name, welcome message, and opening the boards for users takes another 5–10 minutes through the admin console.

Yes — connect to the SysopHQ demo BBS with ssh -p 2222 guest@sysophq.io to explore the interface before committing. The demo runs the full software so you can see exactly what your users will experience.

If you're already running a Clone BBS instance yourself, we can import your database directly. Contact us before signing up and we'll walk through the migration process with you.

For communities moving from Discord, Reddit, or other platforms: the BBS starts fresh, but the transition is simple — just share your new SSH address with your members.

A node is one simultaneous SSH connection — essentially, one user online at the same time. If your plan has 10 nodes, up to 10 people can be logged into your BBS at the same moment.

This is different from total registered users. You can have hundreds of registered members on a 10-node plan — the limit only applies to how many are connected simultaneously.

Yes, anytime. Upgrades take effect immediately — node slots increase right away. Downgrades take effect at the end of your current billing period so you never lose capacity you've already paid for.

You keep access until the end of your paid period. Before your BBS is shut down we'll send you a full database export so you have a complete copy of all your data — users, posts, messages, everything.

If you want to reactivate later, your data can be restored from that export.

If something goes wrong on our end and your BBS is unavailable for a significant period we'll make it right — either with a credit or a prorated refund. Contact us and we'll sort it out.

All major credit and debit cards, processed securely by Stripe — Additional payment methods including Apple Pay and Google Pay may be available depending on your location at checkout.

We NEVER see or store your card details. All payment information is entered directly on Stripe's secure servers and is never transmitted to or stored by SysopHQ.

No, There's no free hosted plan currently — running infrastructure has real costs. However, you can connect to the demo BBS anytime to experience the full product before buying.

All plans use a proven, industry-standard relational database engine. Entry-level plans use a lightweight embedded database suited for smaller communities. Higher-tier plans use a full client-server database built for high concurrency and larger workloads.

All databases are kept patched and up to date automatically — you never have to manage this yourself.

Yes, on Community and Sysop Pro plans. Point your domain's DNS to your BBS instance and your users can connect with ssh -p 2222 handle@yourdomain.com. We handle the TLS certificate.

Hobbyist plan instances use a your-bbs.sysophq.io subdomain.

There is no hard limit on registered users on any plan. The node limit only controls how many people can be online simultaneously. A 10-node BBS can have thousands of registered members — they just take turns connecting.

New connection attempts are politely refused until a node frees up — existing users are not affected. The BBS displays a "node limit reached, please try again shortly" message to the connecting user.

If you're regularly hitting your limit it's a sign your community has grown enough to upgrade — which is a good problem to have.

Yes. Upload .ans files created in tools like PabloDraw, Moebius, or REXPaint to replace the default screens with custom artwork. The welcome screen and main menu header can both be customized this way.

No coding required — drop the file in the right place and it loads automatically. See the ANSI art section in the docs for details.

Sysop Pro — 99.9% uptime SLA (roughly 8.7 hours of downtime per year max).
Community and Hobbyist — best effort, typically matching the same reliability without a formal SLA.

Maintenance windows are announced in advance and scheduled during low-traffic hours.

All passwords are hashed and encrypted! Even if someone obtained your database, the passwords cannot be recovered.

We never store, log, or transmit passwords in plaintext at any point in the system.

Yes. SSH encrypts all traffic between your users' computers and the BBS server. Everything — keystrokes, messages, file transfers — is encrypted in transit using modern SSH ciphers. There is no unencrypted fallback.

Multiple layers of automated protection are in place at the connection, authentication, and session level. We don't publish the specifics so as not to give bad actors a roadmap — but repeated failed attempts will result in automatic blocks, and all suspicious activity is logged.

If you believe your BBS is under active attack, contact us immediately and we'll assist.

Your data belongs to you, full stop. We are custodians of it, not owners.

You can request a complete database export and can be delivered between 24-48 hours. Contact Us for more information.

Everything is managed from within the BBS itself. Log in as the Sysop and press [A] at the main menu to open the Admin Console. From there you can manage users, moderate content, approve file uploads, view the audit log, change BBS settings, and control which features are available and to whom — all without leaving the terminal.

No web dashboard, no separate admin panel to learn. The BBS is the admin interface.

Yes. Every BBS module (Message Boards, File Library, Private Mail, Games, Chat, etc.) has an independent minimum access level setting. You can set each one to open to all visitors, registered members only, or staff only.

Manage these from [2] Module Settings & Access Levels in the Admin Console. Changes take effect immediately.

Sections a user can't access appear greyed out on their main menu with a lock indicator, so they know the feature exists but requires a higher access level.

Yes. Registration can be turned off from your BBS configuration file. Once closed, new visitors will see a "registration closed" notice when they try to sign up, with instructions to contact the sysop.

Existing users are not affected and can still log in normally.

Yes. From the Admin Console, open any user's profile and press [L] Set Role to assign a new role from a numbered picker showing all available roles.

Built-in roles: Visitor (read-only), Standard Member, and Administrator (can moderate content and manage users). The Sysop role is reserved for the BBS owner.

Custom roles: Use [R] Role Manager from the Admin Console to create your own role labels — for example "Moderator", "Elder", or "Staff". Each custom role is backed by a built-in permission level so you control what access it actually grants.

Custom role names appear throughout the BBS in place of the built-in label — menus, who's online, user lists.

Caution: Only grant elevated roles to users you trust. All role changes are written to the audit log.

Yes to both. From the Admin Console you can ban a user account (preventing login) and optionally block their IP address at the same time. Bans take effect immediately — the user is disconnected if they're currently online.

IP bans affect all accounts connecting from that address, not just the banned account.

Yes — two ways. For an immediate alert to everyone currently online, use [7] Broadcast Message from the Admin Console — it delivers a message to every connected node instantly. For persistent announcements that every user sees at login, set the MOTD (Message of the Day) in your BBS settings — it tracks per-user who has seen it so repeat visitors aren't spammed.

Support is available through three channels:

• Documentation — the Docs page covers every BBS feature, menu option, and config setting with step-by-step guidance.
• This FAQ — search above or browse by category for quick answers to common questions.
• Direct email — email us for anything not covered here. A human replies, no support ticket system.

We aim to respond within 24 hours on weekdays. Sysop Pro subscribers get priority handling and typically hear back within a few hours during business hours.

For urgent issues (BBS down, connectivity problems), flag your email subject with [URGENT] and it goes to the top of the queue.

Full documentation is at sysophq.io/docs. It covers everything from first login to advanced sysop configuration — connecting, registration, all BBS modules, the admin console, ANSI theming, and security settings.

The docs are kept up to date with every software release.

Yes — the Changelog page lists every release in reverse chronological order with categorized notes (added, fixed, changed, security). Security entries use intentionally vague language to avoid disclosing vulnerability details publicly.

Updates to your hosted BBS are applied automatically during maintenance windows.

Email SysopHQ management with a description of the issue or feature request. Bug reports are prioritized and addressed in the next patch release.

You are. As the Sysop, you are fully responsible for your BBS community — the content posted, the conduct of your users, and the rules you set and enforce. SysopHQ provides the software and hosting infrastructure; we are not a moderator, publisher, or participant in your community.

SysopHQ is not liable for any user behavior, content, disputes, or legal issues that arise on your BBS instance. By subscribing, you agree to take full ownership of your community and operate it in compliance with all applicable laws.

Yes. If you use a custom domain with your BBS, you are solely responsible for registering it, maintaining it, and ensuring its use does not infringe on trademarks or violate any applicable laws. SysopHQ only assists with pointing your domain to your BBS instance — we have no involvement in domain ownership or disputes.

Domain registration, renewal, and any associated costs are entirely your responsibility.

At minimum, your BBS must not be used to host or distribute illegal content of any kind, conduct harassment campaigns, facilitate fraud, or engage in any activity that violates local, state, national, or international law.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate any instance found to be in violation without prior notice. Sysops are expected to actively moderate their communities and remove prohibited content promptly.

As the Sysop you are the operator of record for your community. SysopHQ is not responsible for the actions of your users. If illegal activity occurs on your BBS, you are expected to address it immediately — ban the user, remove the content, and cooperate with any lawful investigation.

We strongly recommend having clear, posted rules for your BBS and enforcing them consistently. The Admin Console gives you the tools to ban users and remove content.