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NNTP
Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP) facilitates the distribution, retrieval, and posting of Usenet articles, which function similarly to online forum messages across a distributed network of news servers. Primarily designed for reading and managing discussion groups, NNTP streamlines communication by enabling fast article transfers, centralized indexing, and efficient management of a vast amount of newsgroup content..
Overview:
Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP) operates over TCP port 119 and is the standard protocol used for reading and posting Usenet articles, also known as newsgroup postings. NNTP was standardized in RFC 977 and later updated by RFC 3977, facilitating the transfer and synchronization of articles between clients and servers, as well as between peer servers.
Functionality:
NNTP allows clients to connect to a Usenet server to browse newsgroups, download articles, or post new articles. Clients typically authenticate then issue commands such as GROUP for selecting newsgroups, ARTICLE to fetch posts, or POST to submit content. It supports bulk article transfer between servers, known as peering, through streaming commands, which optimize and automate article distribution across the network.
Protocol Details:
Operating solely over TCP, NNTP establishes persistent connections that enable interactive reading and dynamic retrieval of articles. Sessions use a simple text-based command-response format, akin to SMTP or POP3, which facilitates both automated server processes and manual debugging. While it supports authentication (e.g., via AUTHINFO USER/PASS), traditional NNTP lacks built-in encryption, relying on plaintext communication unless paired with external security layers such as TLS over port 563 (NNTPS).