synql.xyz

Who we are
synql is a small crew of Unix tinkerers handing out shell accounts so anyone can explore a real multi-user system.

Why this exists
Lower the cost of entry for learning Unix, networking, and programming.
Provide a playground where mistakes are fine and shared knowledge grows.
Revive the collaborative vibe of the 1990s public-access hosts.

Education Access

Our mission is first and foremost educational: giving curious people, especially students and hobbyists who can’t afford the tools to experiment. Each account includes compilers, editors, and a place to publish work, all at no cost.

What we do

Every account comes with a slice of disk, a login on our FreeBSD machine, and room for experiments. On top of the shell we are building community-run extras:

Personal sites - anything in ~/public_html appears at https://yourname.users.synql.xyz.
Email in - messages to yourname@users.synql.xyz drop into your system mailbox (forwarding optional).
Matrix chat - a homeserver for real-time discussion and bridging to our Discord server.
Minecraft - a small survival server for wind-down sessions.

Quick facts

OS: FreeBSD on ZFS
Login: SSH
Resources: intentionally modest-ideal for learning, not for production

Common questions

Can I sign up now?: Not yet. We're still hardening the host. Please check back later!
Is email outbound?: Currently inbound only.
Are files public by default?: No. Only ~/public_html is web-visible; the rest of your home stays private.
Who pays for this?: Our founder mostly covers the server bill out-of-pocket.
What if I crash the box?: Every account runs inside a jail, so the worst you can do is usually break your own environment. If anything bigger slips through (which hopefully not), we roll back from snapshots and share the lesson.

Last updated: 3 Aug 2025