---
name: "razor-agents"
section: "5"
platform: "linux"
package: "razor"
version: "2.88-2"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/razor-agents"
---

# razor-agents(5)

Collection of files for checking, reporting, and revoking spam

## NAME

Razor-Agents - Collection of files for checking, reporting, and revoking  spam

## DESCRIPTION

Vipul's Razor is a distributed, collaborative, spam detection, reporting, and filtering  network. The primary focus of the system is to identify and remove all email  spam from the internet.  Visit the website at http://razor.sourceforge.net/.

## USAGE

First a razorhome directory should be created where log, conf, and cached server  information will live.  This is done via `"-create"` option to [**razor-admin**(1)](/razor-admin/1.md). See man page for details.

You can immediately check spam using [**razor-check**(1)](/razor-check/1.md).  See man page for details.

To report spam, an identity must be registered.  This is done via `"-register"` option to [**razor-admin**(1)](/razor-admin/1.md).  After that, [**razor-report**(1)](/razor-report/1.md) and [**razor-revoke**(1)](/razor-revoke/1.md) will work flawlessly.

## CONFIGURATION

All Razor-Agents share a configuration file.  The contents of the  configuration file are detailed in the [**razor-agent.conf**(5)](/razor-agent.conf/5.md) manpage.

Config file is computed before razorhome, in the following order:

```
 -conf=/path/file.conf           used if readable, else
 <home>/.razor/razor-agent.conf  used if readable, else
 /etc/razor/razor-agent.conf     used if readable, else
 all defaults are used.
```

To see configuration defaults, do\
   razor-admin -create -conf=/tmp/razor2-defaults.conf

## RAZORHOME

All Razor-Agents also share a razorhome directory, where identity, logging,  and cached information about servers is stored. Razorhome is computed after configuration file, in the following order.

```
 -home=/tmp/razor/                     used if readable, else
 'razorhome' from configuration file   used if readable, else
 <home>/.razor/                        used if readable, else
 <home>/.razor/                        is created.  if that fails,
                                       no razorhome.
 NOTE: If there is no razorhome, razor-report and razor-revoke will
       not work unless you specify  -ident=/path/identity
       razor-check will still work.
```

## FILES

Besides those listed at the end with their own manpages, Razor Agents  also has the following files.

- **razorhome/identity**

  Usually a symlink to identity file containing user+pass. Used by [**razor-report**(1)](/razor-report/1.md) and [**razor-revoke**(1)](/razor-revoke/1.md).

- **razorhome/razor-agent.log**

  Default log file.  To change, edit [**razor-agent.conf**(5)](/razor-agent.conf/5.md).

- **razorhome/servers.\*.lst**

  Cached list of Razor Servers.  If more than one, they are ordered by closest ping time.

- **razorhome/server.\<name\>.lst**

  Cached info for \<name\> server. The `"srl"` key in this file is compared against the server greeting, and if server's is greater, new cache info is retrieved from the server.

## EXAMPLES

- razor-check -d -debuglevel=9 mbox

  Checks spam in mbox.  prints numbers for those found to be spam. -d logs to stdout, -debuglevel=9 is verbose logging

- razor-admin -create -home=/home/chad/.razor -d -s

  Creates razorhome in /home/chad/.razor, log to stdout, does not connect to server (-s simulate).

- razor-report spam -debuglevel=0

  sends spam to server, with no log msgs.

## AUTHORS

Vipul Ved Prakash, \<mail@vipul.net\> and Chad Norwood \<chad@samo.org\>

## SEE ALSO

[**razor-agent.conf**(5)](/razor-agent.conf/5.md), [**razor-check**(1)](/razor-check/1.md), [**razor-admin**(1)](/razor-admin/1.md),  [**razor-report**(1)](/razor-report/1.md), [**razor-revoke**(1)](/razor-revoke/1.md), [**razor-whitelist**(5)](/razor-whitelist/5.md)