---
name: "passwd.nntp"
section: "5"
platform: "linux"
package: "inn"
version: "2.7.4-4"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/passwd.nntp"
---

# passwd.nntp(5)

Passwords for connecting to remote NNTP servers

## NAME

passwd.nntp - Passwords for connecting to remote NNTP servers

## DESCRIPTION

The file *pathetc*/passwd.nntp contains host / name / password triplets for use when authenticating client programs to NNTP servers. This file is normally interpreted by `"NNTPsendpassword()"` in [libinn(3)](/libinn/3.md). Blank lines and lines beginning with a number sign (`"#"`) are ignored. All other lines should consist of three or four fields separated by colons:

```
    host:name:password
    host:name:password:style
```

The first field is the name of a host, and is matched in a case-insensitive manner.  (No detailed matching, such as comparing IP addresses, is done.)

The second field is a user name, and the third is a password.  If either the username or password is empty, then that portion of the authentication will not occur.  (For example, a server may require only a username, in which case the password is not necessary.  Note that a username is mandatory with AUTHINFO USER/PASS.)

The optional fourth field specifies the type of authentication to use. At present, the only recognized "authentication style" is `"authinfo"`; this is also the default.  It means that AUTHINFO USER/PASS commands are used to authenticate to the remote host.  (These NNTP commands are described in RFC 4643.)

For example:

```
    mit.edu:bbn:mypasswd
    uunet.uu.net:bbn:yoyoma:authinfo
```

This file should not be world-readable.

**actsync**, **getlist**, **inews**, **innxbatch**, **innxmit**, **nnrpd**, **nntpget** and **rnews** make use of *passd.nntp* when needing to connect to a remote server.

## HISTORY

Written by Rich $alz \<rsalz@uunet.uu.net\> for InterNetNews.

## SEE ALSO

[inn.conf(5)](/inn.conf/5.md), [innd(8)](/innd/8.md), [libinn(3)](/libinn/3.md).