3.2 KiB
tilde.club
This repo documents how to build and run a shared Unix machine like tilde.club. It also keeps the older site utilities at their existing paths.
Members get a shell account, space for their own pages, and tools for writing, programming, chatting, and making whatever interests them. You do not need to know all of Unix before joining. Helping people learn is part of running the place.
Build your own
Start with Build a tilde-style machine. It follows a Fedora/nginx setup from a new host through account creation, publishing, limits, backups, and launch checks.
The current system record describes what was confirmed on tilde.club on October 22, 2026. The example configs are separate starting points for a new host. Applying this repo patch does not install them or change a running server.
| Topic | Guide |
|---|---|
| Base installation | Build a tilde-style machine |
| Accounts and onboarding | Account creation and first login |
| Login and recovery | SSH keys and MFA |
| Home defaults | Skeleton and permissions |
| Publishing | nginx, PHP-FPM, and CGI |
| Postfix, Dovecot 2.4, submission, and filtering | |
| Other publishing | Gopher, Gemini, and finger |
| Chat | IRC operations and connection details |
| News | INN and local newsgroups |
| Daily operation | Quotas, resource limits, firewall, and maintenance |
| Recovery | Borg/borgmatic backups and restore |
| Usage records | Login and process accounting |
| Website and apps | Sources, signups, wiki, and community tools |
The older server.org path remains as a pointer. The API notes, recent-page utility notes, and connection-list notes explain the retained programs and their limitations. They are not an unattended installer.
About tilde.club
Tilde.club started in September 2014. Paul Ford wrote about how it began. The website and user wiki cover joining and using the server. This repo covers operating one.
Preguntas frecuentes en español.
Contributing
Corrections, tested configs, and missing instructions are welcome. Include the OS and software versions you used, what you changed, and how you checked the result. Documentation fixes are useful contributions too.
Use example domains and accounts. Leave passwords, private keys, MFA secrets, and members' personal information out of commits and issue attachments. Keep production-specific settings distinct from advice for a new installation.
Existing utilities are licensed under the terms retained in LICENSE and their source notices. This update preserves those files and attributions.