Testing Your Installation

Once you’ve completed your chosen installation method, it’s time to test!

Note that if you’ve used the Docker installation method, you’ve already done this.

./main.js

If everything went OK:

ENiGMA½ Copyright (c) 2014-2026, Bryan Ashby                     ______
_____________________   _____  ____________________    __________\_   /
\__   ____/\_ ____   \ /____/ /   _____ __         \  /   ______/ // /___jp!
 //   __|___//   |    \//   |//   |    \//  |  |    \//        \ /___   /_____
/____       _____|      __________       ___|__|      ____|     \   /  _____  \
---- \______\ -- |______\ ------ /______/ ---- |______\ - |______\ /__/ // ___/
                                                                       /__   _\
 <*>   ENiGMA½  // HTTPS://GITHUB.COM/NUSKOOLER/ENIGMA-BBS   <*>         /__/

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

System started!

Grab your favourite telnet client, connect to localhost:8888 and test out your installation.

To shut down the server, press Ctrl-C.

Points of Interest

The default port for Telnet is 8888 and 8889 for SSH.
- Note that on *nix systems port such as telnet/23 are privileged (e.g. require root). See this Stack Overflow article for some tips on using these ports on your system if desired.
The first user you create when logging in will be automatically be added to the sysops group.

Terminal Clients

ENiGMA½ has been tested with many terminals. Any of the following will connect happily; the first three are the usual recommendations for day-to-day BBSing.

Client	Platforms	Notes
IcyTERM	Linux, macOS, Windows	Modern, actively developed, good CP437 and font support
SyncTERM	Linux, macOS, Windows	The long-standing reference client; the fonts ENiGMA½ requests are SyncTERM-style
VTX	Browser	Pairs with the WebSocket login server. Try Xibalba over VTX
NetRunner	Windows	See Troubleshooting SSH if connecting over SSH
EtherTerm	Linux, macOS, Windows
MagiTerm	Windows
fTelnet	Browser	Telnet only

Next Steps

With the board running and a client connected, move on to creating your configuration — your board name, servers, message areas and file areas all live there.

If you plan to leave the board running permanently, read Production Installation before you expose it.