###### # # ####### ##### ###### # # ####### ###### # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # ###### ####### # # ##### ###### ####### # # ###### # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # ####### ##### # # # ####### # #The BBS is back. And it's yours.█
A modern, real-time, federated BBS with a custom scripting language, dual terminal + web access, and live reactive screens. Built on modern Java, Postgres or H2, and a love for ANSI art.
Phosphor runs on its own server. Not on AWS. Not on Google Cloud. Not on Big Tech infrastructure.
No algorithms deciding what you see. No engagement metrics. No data harvesting.
No ads. No tracking. No "your data is the product."
And with MeshCore LoRa, it federates over radio — no internet needed.
Just a BBS. Run by people who remember when the internet was ours.▊
Features
⚡ Phosphor Language
Customize everything — menus, boards, screens, games, themes — without recompiling or restarting. Write .phos files, save, see changes instantly.
Learn more →🖥️ SSH + Telnet + Web
Connect via SSH (port 2222), telnet (port 2323), or web browser. Same event bus, same data, same users. Real-time sync.
Learn more →🌐 Federation
Multiple BBS nodes sync across the internet. A post on one node appears on another in real-time. Boards, mail, and custom resources all federate.
Learn more →📡 Reactive Everything
Screens update live when data changes. New mail? Inbox updates instantly. No refresh key, no polling, no logout/login. Every screen is a live view.
Learn more →🔧 User Scripts
Regular users write their own event handlers. Mail filters, auto-replies, personal chat macros. Sandboxed to their own session. Classic BBS culture, reborn.
Learn more →🎮 Door Games
Write games in the same language as the BBS. Save/load state, scoreboards, ANSI art per room. Shareable as .phos files.
Learn more →📡 MeshCore LoRa
Federation without internet. Nodes sync over LoRa radio — no ISP, no cell tower, no cloud. Off-grid BBS networking. The ultimate counter-culture feature.
Learn more →Live Stats
Latest Dev Log
- August 12, 2026
Animated Borders: Living Frames in a Terminal UI Toolkit
A border in a terminal UI is usually a static thing. Four corners, four edges, drawn once and forgotten. Box-drawing characters sit there like a …
- August 12, 2026
Designing Reusable Config Screens: From Vertical Labels to Table Layout
Every config screen in Phosphor BBS used to be a snowflake. SystemConfigScreen had its own layout. AiConfigScreen had its own layout. They looked …
- August 12, 2026
The Auto-Approve Dead-End: A BBS Onboarding Bug Story
Here’s a bug that’s easy to introduce and embarrassing to discover: a new user creates an account on your BBS, the system auto-approves …