BBS Setup

This guide covers initial setup and ongoing administration.

Initialize and configure

  • For Linux/Raspberry Pi: Run sudo ./install.sh
  • The installer handles configuration, password setup, and systemd service

Manual Setup

  • Copy example config: cp config.example.toml config.toml
  • Edit config.toml to set BBS name, sysop, and Meshtastic port
  • Set the sysop password: meshbbs sysop-passwd
  • Topics are automatically seeded on first startup

Managing topics

  • Topics are maintained in data/topics.json
  • Use moderator commands to lock/unlock topics and delete messages

Backups

  • Back up the data/ directory (messages, users, slotmachine)
  • Keep a copy of config.toml

Logs

  • Set logging.file to enable file logging
  • Consider separate security/audit logs via security_file if configured