BinktermPHP Configuration Reference

June 18, 2026 · View on GitHub

This document covers all configuration files and environment variables for BinktermPHP.

Most settings can be changed through the Admin web interface without editing files directly. Direct file editing is only necessary for initial setup, advanced options not yet exposed in the UI, or scripted/automated deployments.

After changing any configuration file, restart BBS services:

bash scripts/restart_daemons.sh

Configuration Files Overview
.env — Environment Variables
config/binkp.json — Core BBS Settings
config/nodelists.json — Nodelist Sources
config/bbs.json — BBS Feature Settings
Other Config Files
Network Ports Reference
Server Sizing & Tuning
Welcome & Text Files

Configuration Files Overview

File	Purpose	Edited via
`.env`	Database, SMTP, daemon ports, feature flags	Text editor (initial setup)
`config/binkp.json`	System identity, uplinks, binkp daemon, security, crashmail	Admin UI → BinkP Config
Database `networks` table	FTN network metadata and network-level message policy flags	Admin UI → Networks
`config/bbs.json`	BBS features (credits, file areas, registration, etc.)	Admin UI → BBS Settings
`config/nodelists.json`	Nodelist download sources	Admin UI → Nodelists
`config/matterbridge.json`	Matterbridge API bridge settings for local chat	Admin UI → Chat Rooms
`config/mrc.json`	MRC chat relay server	Admin UI or text editor
`config/webdoors.json`	WebDoor game configuration	Admin UI → WebDoors
`config/dosdoors.json`	DOS door game configuration	Admin UI → DOS Doors
`config/nativedoors.json`	Native door configuration	Admin UI → Native Doors
`config/themes.json`	Theme/appearance settings	Admin UI → Appearance
`config/taglines.txt`	Pool of taglines appended to messages	Text editor
`config/weather.json`	Weather report API settings	Admin UI or text editor

Examples for most files are provided as config/*.example — copy and edit as needed.

.env — Environment Variables

The .env file is the primary low-level configuration file. Copy .env.example to .env and fill in values before running setup.

.env.example is the authoritative list of all supported environment variables, each with its default value and a brief comment. The sections below highlight the most important options, but consult .env.example directly for the complete set.

Database

DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=5432
DB_NAME=binktest
DB_USER=binktest
DB_PASS=yourpassword
DB_DRIVER=pgsql
DB_SSL=false

# Optional SSL (uncomment if your PostgreSQL requires it)
#DB_SSL_CA=/path/to/ca-cert.pem
#DB_SSL_CERT=/path/to/client-cert.pem
#DB_SSL_KEY=/path/to/client-key.pem

Site URL

SITE_URL=https://yourbbs.example.com

Used when generating share links, password-reset emails, and any absolute URL the server builds. Must be the public-facing URL including scheme. When behind a reverse proxy, set this explicitly — the server cannot reliably detect HTTPS from $_SERVER.

BBS Directory Geocoding

# Enabled by default
# BBS_DIRECTORY_GEOCODING_ENABLED=true
# BBS_DIRECTORY_GEOCODER_URL=https://nominatim.openstreetmap.org/search
# BBS_DIRECTORY_GEOCODER_USER_AGENT=
# BBS_DIRECTORY_GEOCODER_EMAIL=

These settings control the best-effort geocoding used to place BBS Directory entries on the public map. Coordinates are looked up from the entry's location field when a directory entry is created, updated, or upserted. If geocoding fails, the entry still saves normally and simply will not appear on the map until coordinates are available.

SMTP Email

SMTP_HOST=smtp.example.com
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_SECURITY=tls          # tls, ssl, or empty
SMTP_USER=your@email.com
SMTP_PASS=yourpassword
SMTP_FROM_EMAIL=noreply@yourbbs.example.com
SMTP_FROM_NAME=MyBBS
SMTP_ENABLED=true
#SMTP_NOVERIFYCERT=true    # Uncomment to skip TLS cert verification

Used for new-user welcome emails, password resets, and sysop notifications.

Admin Daemon

ADMIN_DAEMON_SECRET=change_me_to_a_random_string

# Unix socket (Linux — recommended for production)
ADMIN_DAEMON_SOCKET=unix:///path/to/binkterm/data/run/admin_daemon.sock
ADMIN_DAEMON_SOCKET_PERMS=0660

# TCP socket (Windows, or if Unix socket is not available)
# ADMIN_DAEMON_SOCKET=tcp://127.0.0.1:9065

The admin daemon provides an internal API between the web interface and system services. Keep the Unix socket behind appropriate file permissions; the TCP socket should be bound to 127.0.0.1 only.

ADMIN_DAEMON_SCHEDULE_ENABLED=true
ADMIN_DAEMON_SCHEDULE_INTERVAL=60    # seconds between scheduler ticks

Telnet Daemon

# TELNET_BIND_HOST=0.0.0.0
# TELNET_PORT=2323

# TLS is enabled by default on port 8023.  Set false to disable.
# TELNET_TLS=true
# TELNET_TLS_PORT=8023
# TELNET_TLS_CERT=/etc/ssl/certs/your-cert.pem
# TELNET_TLS_KEY=/etc/ssl/private/your-key.pem

# ZMODEM file transfers over the telnet BBS
# TERMINAL_FILE_TRANSFERS=true
# TELNET_SZ_BIN=/usr/bin/sz   # override path to sz binary (lrzsz)
# TELNET_RZ_BIN=/usr/bin/rz   # override path to rz binary (lrzsz)
# TELNET_ZMODEM_DEBUG=false   # log to data/logs/zmodem.log

SSH Daemon

# SSH_PORT=2022
# SSH_BIND_HOST=0.0.0.0

See docs/SSHServer.md for full SSH daemon setup including key generation.

Gemini Capsule Daemon

# GEMINI_BIND_HOST=0.0.0.0
# GEMINI_PORT=1965
# GEMINI_CERT_PATH=/etc/letsencrypt/live/yourdomain.com/fullchain.pem
# GEMINI_KEY_PATH=/etc/letsencrypt/live/yourdomain.com/privkey.pem

See docs/GeminiCapsule.md for Gemini capsule hosting setup.

MCP Server

# MCP_SERVER_URL=https://yourbbs.example.com:3740  # Required to enable AI settings tab and key management
# MCP_SERVER_PORT=3740                              # Port the MCP server listens on (MCP_PORT also accepted)
# MCP_BIND_HOST=127.0.0.1                          # Bind to localhost when using a reverse proxy
# MCP_TRUSTED_PROXIES=127.0.0.1,::1,::ffff:127.0.0.1  # Proxy IPs whose X-Forwarded-For header is trusted

MCP_SERVER_URL must be set for users to see the AI settings tab and manage their bearer keys. It is the public-facing base URL of the MCP server (no trailing slash), e.g. https://yourbbs.example.com:3740 for the default direct listener, or https://mcp.yourbbs.example.com when using a reverse proxy or dedicated subdomain. See docs/MCPServer.md for full setup instructions.

Web Terminal (WebDoor)

TERMINAL_ENABLED=false             # Set true to enable the Terminal WebDoor
TERMINAL_HOST=your.ssh.server.com
TERMINAL_PORT=22
TERMINAL_TYPE=ssh                  # ssh or telnet
TERMINAL_PROXY_HOST=your.proxy.server.com
TERMINAL_PROXY_PORT=443
TERMINAL_TITLE=Terminal Gateway    # Label shown in the WebDoor

Requires a WebSocket-to-SSH proxy such as Terminal Gateway. Users must be authenticated in the web interface to access the terminal.

DOS Doors

DOSDOOR_WS_PORT=6001
DOSDOOR_WS_BIND_HOST=127.0.0.1
# DOSDOOR_WS_URL=wss://bbs.example.com:6001   # explicit client URL
DOSDOOR_MAX_SESSIONS=10
DOSDOOR_DISCONNECT_TIMEOUT=0        # 0 = close door immediately on disconnect
DOSDOOR_CARRIER_LOSS_TIMEOUT=5000   # ms to wait before force-kill

# DOSBOX_EXECUTABLE=/usr/bin/dosbox-x
# DOOR_EMULATOR=dosbox              # dosbox or dosemu
# DOSDOOR_CONFIG=dosbox-bridge-production.conf
# DOSDOOR_DEBUG_KEEP_FILES=false

See docs/DOSBox_Headless_Mode.md and docs/DOSDoors.md.

PubTerm (Native Door)

# PUBTERM_HOST=127.0.0.1
# PUBTERM_PORT=2323
# PUBTERM_TELNET_BIN=/usr/bin/telnet
# PUBTERM_PLINK_BIN=C:\Program Files\PuTTY\plink.exe   # Windows

Appearance

# STYLESHEET=/css/dark.css    # default stylesheet for all users
# FAVICONSVG=/robot_favicon.svg
# FAVICONPNG=/robot_favicon.png
# FAVICONICO=/robot_favicon.ico

Miscellaneous

# Virus scanning (ClamAV) — auto-detected if not set
# CLAMDSCAN=/usr/bin/clamdscan

# Slow-request profiling
PERF_LOG_ENABLED=false
PERF_LOG_SLOW_MS=500

# Echomail sort field (received = date_received, written = date_written)
# ECHOMAIL_ORDER_DATE=received

# Stale unprocessed inbound files are moved to data/inbound/unprocessed/ by default
# Files are only moved/deleted after they have been untouched for 24 hours
# Set this to true to delete stale unprocessed files instead of quarantining them
# BINKP_DELETE_UNPROCESSED_FILES=false

# Archive extractors for Fidonet bundles (JSON array)
# ARCMAIL_EXTRACTORS=["7z x -y -o{dest} {archive}","unzip -o {archive} -d {dest}"]

# i18n missing-key logging (development/QA)
# I18N_LOG_MISSING_KEYS=false
# I18N_MISSING_KEYS_LOG_FILE=data/logs/i18n_missing_keys.log

# File area rule action log
FILEAREA_RULE_ACTION_LOG=data/logs/filearea_rules.log

# ⚠️  DEVELOPMENT MODE — NEVER enable on a production system.
# Activates destructive diagnostic functions that can disrupt normal operation,
# including the ability to purge per-user QWK state (conference pointers,
# download log, message index, and deduplication hashes) via the web UI.
# Any feature gated on IS_DEV is intentionally undocumented elsewhere because
# it must not be accessible on a live system.
# IS_DEV=true

config/binkp.json — Core BBS Settings

config/binkp.json defines your system's FTN identity, the binkp daemon, uplinks, and related services. See config/binkp.json.example for an annotated reference.

Network-level message policy settings are not stored in config/binkp.json. Manage each network's display name, outgoing default charset, missing-CHRS fallback charset, markup setting, inline media setting, and posting-name policy from Admin → Networks. Uplink entries keep only connection, routing, polling, and authentication details and reference a network through their domain value.

After editing this file, restart services.

Minimal example:

{
    "system": {
        "name": "My BBS",
        "address": "1:123/456.0",
        "sysop": "Sysop Name",
        "location": "Anytown, USA",
        "hostname": "bbs.example.com",
        "timezone": "America/New_York"
    },
    "binkp": {
        "port": 24554,
        "timeout": 300,
        "max_connections": 10,
        "bind_address": "0.0.0.0",
        "inbound_path": "data/inbound",
        "outbound_path": "data/outbound",
        "outbound_queue_timer_minutes": 30,
        "preserve_processed_packets": false,
        "preserve_sent_packets": false
    },
    "uplinks": [ ... ],
    "security": { ... },
    "crashmail": { ... }
}

System Settings

Field	Required	Description
`name`	Yes	Your system's display name
`address`	Yes	Your primary FTN address (`zone:net/node.point`)
`sysop`	Yes	Sysop's real name — must match the real name on the sysop user account so netmail addressed to "sysop" delivers correctly
`location`	No	Geographic location shown in system info
`hostname`	Yes	Your internet hostname or IP address
`website`	No	Website URL — included in FidoNet message origin lines when set
`timezone`	Yes	System timezone (PHP timezone list)

When website is configured, origin lines include it:

* Origin: My BBS <https://mybbs.example.com> (1:234/567)

Binkp Settings

Field	Default	Description
`port`	24554	TCP port for the binkp daemon
`timeout`	300	Connection timeout in seconds
`max_connections`	10	Maximum simultaneous inbound connections
`bind_address`	`0.0.0.0`	IP address to bind to (`0.0.0.0` = all interfaces)
`inbound_path`	`data/inbound`	Directory for incoming packets
`outbound_path`	`data/outbound`	Directory for outgoing packets
`outbound_queue_timer_minutes`	30	After an immediate outbound delivery attempt, wait this many minutes before retrying while the queue remains non-empty
`preserve_processed_packets`	false	When true, moves processed packets to `data/inbound/keep/<Mon-DD-YYYY>/` instead of deleting them
`preserve_sent_packets`	false	When true, moves successfully sent outbound packets to `data/outbound/keep/<Mon-DD-YYYY>/` instead of deleting them

Uplink Configuration

Each entry in the uplinks array defines one hub/uplink connection.

Field	Required	Description
`me`	Yes	Your FTN address as presented to this uplink
`address`	Yes	The uplink's FTN address
`hostname`	Yes	Uplink hostname or IP address
`port`	Yes	Uplink port (typically 24554)
`password`	Yes	Authentication password (shared secret)
`pkt_password`	No	Packet-level password (if different from session password)
`tic_password`	No	TIC file password for file echoes
`domain`	Yes	Network domain (e.g., `"fidonet"`, `"fsxnet"`, `"agoranet"`)
`networks`	Yes	Address patterns routed through this uplink (see below)
`poll_schedule`	No	Cron expression for automated polling, e.g. `"0 /4 * *"`
`send_domain_in_addr`	No	Include `@domain` suffix in the ADR address sent to this uplink
`enabled`	No	Whether uplink is active (default: `true`)
`default`	No	Whether this is the default uplink for unrouted messages
`compression`	No	Enable compression (not yet implemented)
`crypt`	No	Enable encryption (not yet implemented)
`binkp_zone`	No	DNS zone for crashmail fallback routing (e.g. `"binkp.net"`)

Network Patterns — networks uses wildcard patterns:

"1:*/*"   → all Zone 1 (FidoNet)
"21:*/*"  → all Zone 21 (FSXNet)
"46:*/*"  → all Zone 46 (AgoraNet)

Network domain — domain must match a configured network in Admin → Networks. Multiple uplinks may use the same domain, for example a primary and backup FidoNet hub. They share the network row's markup, inline media, outgoing default charset, missing-CHRS fallback charset, and posting-name policy settings.

Multiple networks example:

"uplinks": [
    {
        "me": "1:123/456.0",
        "address": "1:1/23",
        "domain": "fidonet",
        "networks": ["1:*/*", "2:*/*", "3:*/*", "4:*/*"],
        "hostname": "hub.fidonet.example.com",
        "port": 24554,
        "password": "fido_secret",
        "poll_schedule": "*/15 * * * *",
        "default": true,
        "enabled": true
    },
    {
        "me": "21:1/999",
        "address": "21:1/100",
        "domain": "fsxnet",
        "networks": ["21:*/*"],
        "hostname": "hub.fsxnet.example.com",
        "port": 24554,
        "password": "fsx_secret",
        "poll_schedule": "*/30 * * * *",
        "enabled": true
    }
]

Security Settings

The security section controls insecure (passwordless) inbound binkp sessions.

Field	Default	Description
`allow_insecure_inbound`	`false`	Allow incoming connections without password authentication
`insecure_inbound_receive_only`	`true`	Insecure sessions can only deliver mail, not pick up
`require_allowlist_for_insecure`	`false`	Only allow insecure sessions from nodes in the Admin allowlist
`max_insecure_sessions_per_hour`	`10`	Rate limit for insecure sessions per remote address
`allow_plaintext_fallback`	`true`	Allow plaintext fallback when CRAM-MD5 is available

Insecure sessions are typically used for receiving mail from nodes that don't have your password configured. The allowlist (Admin → Insecure Nodes) gives fine-grained control.

Crashmail Settings

The crashmail section controls immediate direct delivery of netmail, bypassing normal hub routing.

Field	Default	Description
`enabled`	`false`	Enable crashmail direct delivery
`max_attempts`	`3`	Maximum delivery attempts before marking failed
`retry_interval_minutes`	`15`	Minutes between retry attempts
`use_nodelist_for_routing`	`true`	Look up destination in nodelist for hostname/port
`fallback_port`	`24554`	Default port if not found in nodelist
`allow_insecure_crash_delivery`	`false`	Allow crashmail delivery without password

DNS Fallback (binkp_zone): When a destination node cannot be found in the nodelist, crashmail can fall back to DNS. Set binkp_zone on the matching uplink to enable it:

{
    "me": "1:123/456.0",
    "binkp_zone": "binkp.net"
}

The hostname is derived from the FTN address using the standard convention:

f{node}.n{net}.z{zone}.{binkp_zone}

Examples:
  1:123/456  →  f456.n123.z1.binkp.net
  2:250/10   →  f10.n250.z2.binkp.net

Compatible with DNS-based registries such as binkp.net.

config/nodelists.json — Nodelist Sources

Defines sources for automatic nodelist downloads. See config/nodelists.json.example for reference.

{
    "sources": [
        {
            "name": "FidoNet",
            "domain": "fidonet",
            "url": "https://example.com/NODELIST.Z|DAY|",
            "enabled": true
        },
        {
            "name": "FSXNet",
            "domain": "fsxnet",
            "url": "https://bbs.nz/fsxnet/FSXNET.ZIP",
            "enabled": true
        }
    ]
}

Field	Required	Description
`name`	Yes	Display name for this nodelist source
`domain`	Yes	Network domain identifier (must match an uplink `domain`)
`url`	Yes	Download URL; supports date macros (see below)
`enabled`	No	Whether this source is active (default: `true`)

URL Date Macros:

Macro	Description	Example
`\|DAY\|`	Day of year (1–366)	`23`
`\|YEAR\|`	4-digit year	`2026`
`\|YY\|`	2-digit year	`26`
`\|MONTH\|`	2-digit month	`01`
`\|DATE\|`	2-digit day of month	`22`

config/bbs.json — BBS Feature Settings

config/bbs.json controls BBS-specific features: credits system, file areas, user registration, telnet/SSH settings, and more. The recommended way to edit this is through Admin → BBS Settings in the web interface.

A documented example is provided in config/bbs.json.example.

Other Config Files

File	Purpose	Reference
`config/mrc.json`	MRC multi-relay chat server connection	docs/MRC_Chat.md
`config/webdoors.json`	WebDoor game settings and enable/disable	docs/WebDoors.md
`config/dosdoors.json`	DOS door game drop files and node settings	docs/DOSDoors.md
`config/nativedoors.json`	Native Linux/Windows door programs	docs/NativeDoors.md
`config/themes.json`	Appearance system shell assignments	docs/CUSTOMIZING.md
`config/weather.json`	Weather report API key and defaults	docs/Weather.md
`config/lovlynet.json`	LovlyNet network registration	docs/LovlyNet.md
`config/taglines.txt`	One tagline per line; randomly appended to messages	—
`config/filearea_rules.json`	Automated file area processing rules	docs/FileAreas.md

Network Ports Reference

Service	Default Port	Protocol	Direction	Configured In
Web interface (via Apache/Caddy/Nginx)	`80`, `443`	HTTP/HTTPS	Inbound	Web server / reverse proxy
BinkP daemon	`24554`	TCP	In + Out	`config/binkp.json` → `binkp.port`
Telnet daemon (plain)	`2323`	TCP	Inbound	`.env` `TELNET_PORT`
Telnet daemon (TLS)	`8023`	TCP/TLS	Inbound	`.env` `TELNET_TLS_PORT`
SSH daemon	`2022`	SSH-2/TCP	Inbound	`.env` `SSH_PORT`
Gemini capsule daemon	`1965`	Gemini/TLS	Inbound	`.env` `GEMINI_PORT`
Realtime WebSocket daemon	`6010`	WebSocket/TCP	Inbound or proxied	`.env` `BINKSTREAM_WS_PORT`
DOS door WebSocket bridge	`6001`	WebSocket	Inbound	`.env` `DOSDOOR_WS_PORT`
DOSBox bridge session range	`5000–5100`	TCP	Internal	Between bridge and emulator
Admin daemon (TCP fallback)	`9065`	TCP	localhost	`.env` `ADMIN_DAEMON_SOCKET`
PostgreSQL	`5432`	TCP	Internal	`.env` `DB_PORT`
MRC relay (remote)	`5000` / `5001`	TCP / TLS	Outbound	`config/mrc.json`

Tips:

Expose only the services you actually run.
Bind internal services (admin daemon, DOSBox bridge, PostgreSQL) to 127.0.0.1.
Publish user-facing services through a reverse proxy (Caddy, Nginx, Apache) with TLS.

Apache: enabling gzip compression for JSON

Apache's mod_deflate does not compress application/json by default, so API responses (including the i18n catalog) are sent uncompressed. Add the following to your VirtualHost or .htaccess:

<IfModule mod_deflate.c>
    AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/json
    AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html text/css application/javascript text/plain image/svg+xml
    AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE font/ttf font/opentype application/x-font-ttf application/x-font-otf
    # Note: woff and woff2 are already compressed internally — do not add them here
</IfModule>

Enable the module if not already active:

a2enmod deflate
systemctl reload apache2

Caddy: enabling compression for JSON and HTML

Caddy does not enable response compression unless you add an encode directive. To compress normal pages and API responses, while avoiding compression on the SSE stream endpoint, add:

@compressible {
    not path /api/stream
}
encode @compressible zstd gzip

Place this near the top of your site block, after root.

This will compress endpoints such as:

/api/messages/echomail
/api/messages/netmail
/api/i18n/catalog
regular HTML, CSS, and JavaScript responses

Avoid compressing /api/stream, because SSE can be negatively affected by buffering or delayed flush behavior when compression is in play.

Server Sizing & Tuning

This section helps you right-size your server and tune Apache, PHP-FPM, and PostgreSQL for the number of concurrent users you expect.

How SSE Affects php-fpm Worker Count

BinktermPHP uses BinkStream for browser realtime delivery. In SSE mode, the SharedWorker calls /api/stream, which holds a php-fpm worker open for SSE_WINDOW_SECONDS, delivering events as they arrive. A keepalive comment is sent every 15 seconds to prevent proxy timeouts. When the window expires the connection is cleanly closed and the SharedWorker reconnects immediately. The practical effect is that every online user occupies one php-fpm worker continuously while SSE is the active transport. In WebSocket mode, the standalone PHP BinkStream daemon handles the realtime connection instead.

This makes pm.max_children the most important tuning knob on the system. If all workers are occupied by SSE connections, regular page loads and API calls will queue — or fail entirely.

Rule of thumb: pm.max_children ≥ (concurrent users × 1.1) + 5

The dominant cost is one worker per online user held for the SSE window. The 10% overhead covers concurrent HTTP requests (page loads, API calls) — at typical usage patterns only a small fraction of users are mid-request at any given instant.

The extra 0.5× headroom covers simultaneous HTTP requests (page loads, API calls) that arrive while SSE workers are held.

Real-World Baseline (3 concurrent users)

Measured RSS with 3 active users, all optional services running (Gemini, MRC, SSH, telnet, multiplexer):

Service	Processes	RSS (MB)
Apache (apache2)	13	201.4
Caddy (reverse proxy)	1	49.6
php-fpm	5	164.5
PostgreSQL	12	451.0
admin_daemon	1	19.1
binkp_server	1	30.0
binkp_scheduler	1	19.9
mrc_daemon	1	19.6
gemini_daemon	1	13.6
telnetd	1	15.0
ssh_daemon	3	51.7
multiplexing-server	1	63.4
Total		1,099 MB

Key per-unit costs derived from the above:

php-fpm worker: ~33 MB each
Apache worker: ~15 MB each
PostgreSQL backend: ~12–15 MB per connection
System service baseline (daemons + proxy, no users): ~350–400 MB

Capacity Planning by User Count

These figures assume all optional services are running. Deduct ~130 MB if you omit MRC, Gemini, and the multiplexer.

Concurrent users	php-fpm workers	RAM (minimum)	RAM (recommended)	vCPU
1–5	11	1 GB	1.5 GB	1
5–20	27	2 GB	3 GB	2
20–50	60	4 GB	5 GB	2–4
50–150	170	10 GB	13 GB	4–8
150–300	335	20 GB	26 GB	8–16

DOSBox-X doors add ~60–100 MB RAM per active session (see DOSDoors.md). At a typical 1% concurrency rate, the additional footprint is modest — roughly one instance per 100 online users — but plan for it if your BBS is games-heavy. A deployment with 100 concurrent users running a popular door at 5% concurrency would need an extra ~400 MB on top of the figures above.

"Concurrent users" means distinct logged-in users with the BBS open in their browser. Because SSE runs through a SharedWorker, all tabs belonging to the same user on the same browser share one EventSource connection — multiple tabs do not multiply worker usage.

php-fpm Tuning

Edit your php-fpm pool file (typically /etc/php/8.x/fpm/pool.d/www.conf):

; Use dynamic process management
pm = dynamic

; Maximum workers — size this first (see table above)
pm.max_children = 25

; Workers kept alive when idle
pm.min_spare_servers = 3
pm.max_spare_servers = 8

; Workers started on boot
pm.start_servers = 5

; Recycle workers to prevent slow memory growth
pm.max_requests = 500

After changing, reload php-fpm:

systemctl reload php8.x-fpm

BINKSTREAM_TRANSPORT_MODE — currently supported values are auto, sse, and ws.

auto (default): prefer the standalone WebSocket daemon when it appears to be running, otherwise use SSE. If Apache is detected and SSE_WINDOW_SECONDS is not explicitly set, BinktermPHP defaults the SSE window to 2 seconds as an interim mitigation for Apache + php-fpm buffering behavior.
sse: force the standard SSE behavior and default SSE_WINDOW_SECONDS to 60 unless explicitly overridden.
ws: force the standalone PHP WebSocket realtime daemon for inbound events and commands.

# .env
BINKSTREAM_TRANSPORT_MODE=auto

BINKSTREAM_WS_BIND_HOST, BINKSTREAM_WS_PORT, BINKSTREAM_WS_PUBLIC_URL, and BINKSTREAM_WS_PID_FILE — settings for the standalone realtime WebSocket daemon (scripts/realtime_server.php).

BINKSTREAM_WS_BIND_HOST: daemon bind host, typically 127.0.0.1 behind a reverse proxy
BINKSTREAM_WS_PORT: daemon listen port, default 6010
BINKSTREAM_WS_PUBLIC_URL: browser-facing WebSocket URL, typically a proxied path such as /ws
BINKSTREAM_WS_PID_FILE: optional PID file path used by auto mode as a server-side hint that the daemon is running; if omitted, BinktermPHP uses its built-in default PID path

# .env
BINKSTREAM_WS_BIND_HOST=127.0.0.1
BINKSTREAM_WS_PORT=6010
BINKSTREAM_WS_PUBLIC_URL=/ws
BINKSTREAM_WS_PID_FILE=data/run/realtime_server.pid

FTPD_ENABLED, FTPD_BIND_HOST, FTPD_PORT, FTPD_PUBLIC_HOST, FTPD_PASSIVE_PORT_START, and FTPD_PASSIVE_PORT_END — settings for the standalone FTP daemon (scripts/ftp_daemon.php).

FTPD_ENABLED: enable or disable the standalone passive FTP daemon
FTPD_BIND_HOST: FTP control socket bind host, typically 0.0.0.0 for inbound access or 127.0.0.1 when fronted by another layer
FTPD_PORT: FTP control port, default 2121
FTPD_PUBLIC_HOST: optional public IPv4 address or hostname advertised in PASV replies when the daemon sits behind NAT or binds to 0.0.0.0
FTPD_PASSIVE_PORT_START / FTPD_PASSIVE_PORT_END: passive-mode data port range opened by the daemon

The FTP virtual filesystem exposes:

/qwk/download/<BBSID>.QWK for downloading the authenticated user's QWK packet
/qwk/upload/*.REP or /qwk/upload/*.ZIP for uploading REP reply packets
/incoming/<AREA>/... for uploading files into writable file areas using the existing pending-approval workflow
/fileareas/... for browsing and downloading approved files from accessible file areas

Anonymous FTP login is also supported. Anonymous users are restricted to /fileareas/... and only see file areas marked is_public; they cannot access QWK endpoints or upload anything.

See FTPServer.md for daemon startup, systemd/cron examples, NAT setup, and rootless port-21 redirect rules.

# .env
FTPD_ENABLED=false
FTPD_BIND_HOST=0.0.0.0
FTPD_PORT=2121
FTPD_PASSIVE_PORT_START=2122
FTPD_PASSIVE_PORT_END=2149

SSE_WINDOW_SECONDS — how long each SSE connection is held open before the client is told to reconnect. A keepalive comment is sent every 15 seconds inside the window to prevent proxy timeouts. When SSE is the active transport, each active browser session occupies one php-fpm worker for the full duration, so scale pm.max_children accordingly.

Defaults:

60 seconds normally
2 seconds when BINKSTREAM_TRANSPORT_MODE=auto, Apache is detected, and SSE_WINDOW_SECONDS is not explicitly set

Testing has shown that some Apache + php-fpm (mod_proxy_fcgi) deployments buffer SSE responses instead of flushing events in real time. In those environments, sysops should lower SSE_WINDOW_SECONDS explicitly if the automatic 2-second default is still too sluggish.

# .env
BINKSTREAM_TRANSPORT_MODE=auto
SSE_WINDOW_SECONDS=60

Older REALTIME_* environment variable names are still accepted as compatibility aliases, and SSE_TRANSPORT_MODE is still accepted as the oldest transport-mode alias, but BINKSTREAM_* is the preferred prefix going forward.

Apache MPM Tuning

For Apache + php-fpm (via mod_proxy_fcgi), use mpm_event — it handles idle keepalive connections with threads rather than processes, which is far more efficient than mpm_prefork.

a2dismod mpm_prefork
a2enmod mpm_event proxy_fcgi
systemctl restart apache2

# /etc/apache2/mods-enabled/mpm_event.conf
<IfModule mpm_event_module>
    StartServers          2
    MinSpareThreads      10
    MaxSpareThreads      30
    ThreadsPerChild      25
    MaxRequestWorkers   150   # should be ≥ pm.max_children
    MaxConnectionsPerChild 1000
</IfModule>

MaxRequestWorkers controls how many simultaneous connections Apache will accept. It should be at least as large as pm.max_children so Apache never queues requests that php-fpm has capacity to handle.

PostgreSQL Tuning

PostgreSQL spawns one backend process per connection. Each php-fpm worker can hold an open connection, so max_connections must exceed pm.max_children.

# postgresql.conf

# Must exceed pm.max_children + room for admin/scripts
max_connections = 100        # adjust up for larger deployments

# 25% of total RAM is a standard starting point
shared_buffers = 512MB       # for a 2 GB server

# Effective cache size hint for the query planner (~50–75% of RAM)
effective_cache_size = 1GB

# Background writer — tune for write-heavy loads
wal_buffers = 16MB
checkpoint_completion_target = 0.9

After editing postgresql.conf, reload:

systemctl reload postgresql

PgBouncer is worth considering at 50+ concurrent users. It pools application connections so that 100 php-fpm workers can share 20 actual PostgreSQL backends, reducing per-connection memory significantly.

Quick Sizing Reference

Knob	Formula	Notes
`pm.max_children`	concurrent users × 1.1 + 5	1 SSE worker per user (SharedWorker)
`MaxRequestWorkers`	≥ `pm.max_children`	Keep in sync
`max_connections` (PG)	`pm.max_children` + 10	Add more for scripts
`shared_buffers` (PG)	25% of total RAM	Standard rule of thumb
`BINKSTREAM_TRANSPORT_MODE`	auto	`auto` prefers WS if the daemon appears to be running, otherwise uses SSE; Apache + SSE falls back to a 2 s window unless overridden
`BINKSTREAM_WS_PORT`	6010	Port used by the standalone PHP realtime WebSocket daemon
`BINKSTREAM_WS_PUBLIC_URL`	/ws	Browser-facing WebSocket URL or path
`BINKSTREAM_WS_PID_FILE`	`data/run/realtime_server.pid`	PID file hint used by `auto` transport selection
`FTPD_PORT`	2121	FTP control port exposed by the standalone FTP daemon
`FTPD_PASSIVE_PORT_START`	2122	First port in the FTP passive data range
`FTPD_PASSIVE_PORT_END`	2149	Last port in the FTP passive data range
`SSE_WINDOW_SECONDS`	60	Default SSE window unless Apache + `auto` applies the 2 s implicit fallback

Welcome & Text Files

The recommended way to manage welcome text is through Admin → Appearance, which provides a live editor with Markdown support and instant preview — no file editing or service restart required.

Direct file editing is still supported as a fallback (useful for scripted deployments or when the admin UI is not yet accessible):

File	When shown
`config/terminal_welcome.txt`	Telnet/SSH BBS login screen (replaces default host:port message)
`config/newuser_welcome.txt`	Email sent to newly approved users
`config/welcome.txt`	General welcome message on the main page / login screen

Files are plain text; newlines are preserved as written. When both a file and an Appearance editor value exist, the Appearance editor value takes precedence.