Question Regarding How To Host A BBS: Either Locally, Or Via A Cloud
VPS
reddit / bbs

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BackToPlebbit69 · 2022-02-06 01:23

Hey there,

So I have a few ideas that I wanted to deploy for my first BBS, but I
have a few questions:

Does everyone here self-host their BBS's from home or do you guys
deploy a BBS instance via a VPS (Digital Ocean, Vultur, etc)

Curious because I'm wondering if I need to create a domain name, or is
it just customary to just use whatever default IP address is given for
the device or VPS instance itself?

Thanks :)

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crashj · 2022-02-06 01:31

Both are options. That's your call to make, if you host on a VPS.

If you want to save money you can also use a DDNS service, or in the
case of Synchronet BBS, there is one provided for you.

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Duckula-MBBS · 2022-02-06 03:00

Either VPS or locally hosted options are fine, as long as the BBS
server is running 24/7.

I would recommend a domain name otherwise it makes it hard for people
to remember the address. Calling thebestbbs.com is a lot easier than
8.34.109.217

If you use your home computer then you will either need a static IP
from your provider or to use DDNS.

Good luck and enjoy!

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BackToPlebbit69 · 2022-02-06 20:00

u/crashj

u/Duckula-MBBS

Thanks for this.

What exactly are 'DDNS' services?

I'm asking as a complete hobbyist who's only pulled off a hobbyist
tech blog site via nginx, etc.

I've never hosted from home so I didn't know the best route for this.

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wetgoldfish43 · 2022-02-06 20:46

A DDNS service will auto update a host name with your home IP as if
you are running from home your public IP will not be static and change
every so often
There are many free services for DDNS

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gnu2tux · 2022-02-06 23:03

VPS's are that cheap these days that you are probably best getting one
of them. I have been using contabo for years and they are one of the
cheapest. What you get is a fixed IP, almost zero downtime and a
decent spec machine that's dedicated to your BBS for your money. Well
worth it if you can afford a few bucks

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Duckula-MBBS · 2022-02-07 00:52

Exactly

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BackToPlebbit69 · 2022-02-07 18:36

u/gnu2tux

Can you link to the one you use, and also please note how much it is
per year?

Is it $60 per year etc?

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gnu2tux · 2022-02-07 20:54

As I say, Contabo.com

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BackToPlebbit69 · 2022-02-08 22:58

Their minimum plan is like $7 per month --> $84 per year.

That ain't cheap.

The better question is: What are the specs needed to run a Synchronet
BBS?

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dmine45 · 2022-02-09 10:06

A number of folks have used Digitial Ocean, Linode, AWS, Google, etc.
for VPS options. But yes, a domain name is very desirable. They're
relatively cheap now, and some are even free. But there's nothing like
hosting your BBS at your home. :)