Developers

Build on RootBadger

RootBadger is built on open protocols. Point any newsreader at it over NNTP, or build your own app against the HTTP API. No gatekeeping, no surprise pricing.

Our promise to developers

The API and the NNTP gateway stay open and free. We will not price out or shut down third-party clients. NNTP is a public standard we couldn't lock down even if we wanted to — that's the point. Build something, and know the rug won't be pulled out from under it.

1. NNTP — use any newsreader

RootBadger speaks RFC 3977 NNTP. slrn, tin, Pan, Thunderbird, Forte Agent, MesNews and friends work today — nothing to build.

Server	news.rootbadger.com
Port 563	NNTPS (TLS) — recommended
Port 8563	NNTPS (TLS, alternate)
Port 119	plaintext NNTP
Login	your RootBadger username + password

Groups appear as newsgroups (rb.alt.*, rb.comp.*, and so on). Reading and posting both require a verified account. See Help for a client-by-client walkthrough.

2. HTTP API

A JSON API for building native and web clients. Base URL:

https://www.rootbadger.com/api/v1

Authentication

Send a personal access token as a bearer header. Create one in Account & security → API tokens, choose read-only or read & write, and paste it into your client. Never share your password with a third-party app.

curl https://www.rootbadger.com/api/v1/app/home \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer rbm_your_token_here" \
  -H "Accept: application/json"

Read endpoints (GET)

GET /app/home                     home feed
GET /app/subscriptions            your groups
GET /app/groups/{path}            group detail
GET /app/groups/{path}/threads    threads in a group
GET /app/threads/{post}           a full thread
GET /app/search?q=...             search
GET /app/users/{user}             a user profile
GET /app/notifications            your notifications
GET /auth/me                      the signed-in account

Write endpoints (need a read & write token)

POST   /app/groups/{path}/posts       start a thread
PUT    /app/posts/{post}              edit a post (grace window)
POST   /app/groups/{path}/subscribe   subscribe
POST   /app/posts/{post}/bookmark     bookmark
POST   /app/threads/{post}/watch      watch a thread
POST   /app/users/{user}/follow       follow a user

Rate limits & versioning

The API is versioned under /api/v1. Requests are rate-limited (currently 300/minute per client); handle 429 responses gracefully. Read-only tokens are rejected on write endpoints with 403.

Questions or building something?

Post in rb.comp.rootbadger — we read it. If you ship a client, tell us and we'll list it.