Nightboard '83

Nightboard '83 is a static web client for Mastodon-compatible servers, written with GoToSocial in mind. It is a set of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files with no build step and no backend of its own. The interface is German, in an 1980s CRT / neon style, and can be installed as a Progressive Web App.

Offline is the core idea: last timelines and media stay cached, compose and reply go to an outbox that flushes when the connection returns, drafts stay local, and the connection status next to the hostname is honest (verbunden / carrier lost / nicht verbunden). These offline pieces are core, not an add-on.

The client talks to the instance you configure (or type in at login) using OAuth 2.0 with PKCE. After you authorize, the instance redirects back to Nightboard. A paste-the-code fallback remains for stubborn servers.

Homepage: https://nightboard83.de · App: https://blackneon.net/Nightboard83

Nightboard '83 appears under the BlackNeon label (marketing / About only — not a publisher). Copyright remains with Ralf Wissing; see LICENSE.

Features

• Four independently scrollable columns: Home, Local, Federated (public timeline), and Notifications
• Collapse columns to header icons; restore by clicking the icon
• Search for accounts, hashtags, and posts
• Offline cache (last timelines and media) via PouchDB / IndexedDB
• Outbox: compose or reply while offline, send automatically when the connection returns
• Drafts stored locally; a drafts icon appears in the header when any exist
• Connection status next to the instance hostname (verbunden / carrier lost / nicht verbunden)
• PWA with chrome 3D NB '83 icons
• Threads with replies, boosts, favourites, and a reply composer
• Profiles: follow / unfollow, mute, block
• Compose posts with optional content warning, visibility, and image or video attachments
• Configurable polling for new posts

Requirements

• A web server that can serve static files (any origin is fine)
• A Mastodon-compatible instance with OAuth and the client API (GoToSocial is the primary target)
• A current browser (Chromium, Firefox, Safari). file:// will not work: the app loads config.json, registers a service worker, and uses IndexedDB

For PWA install and a reliable service worker, serve the files over HTTPS (or http://localhost).

Installation

Copy the project directory onto the server as-is. There is nothing to compile.

Quick local preview

From the project root:

python3 -m http.server 8000

Open http://127.0.0.1:8000/.

Production

Point any static host (nginx, Caddy, Apache, Git forge pages, object storage with a website mode) at this directory. Example nginx snippet:

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name nightboard.example;

    root /var/www/nightboard83;
    index index.html;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.html;
    }

    # Keep config.json from being cached forever by the browser
    location = /config.json {
        add_header Cache-Control "no-store";
    }
}

The app checks for a new service worker on startup, when the tab becomes visible, and about every ten minutes. HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are fetched network-first (cache only if offline). If a new version is found, a SYS.UPDATE overlay runs a short install sequence, then the PWA reloads. If a compose or reply draft is open, the overlay pauses and dismisses so you can finish writing; the update resumes once the buffer is empty.

Configuration

Edit config.json in the program directory. The file is fetched at startup (cache: no-store) and is not baked into the service worker precache, so changing it does not require a rebuild.

{
  "instance": "fediverse2.blackneon.net",
  "poll_minutes": 2
}

Key	Type	Default	Description
instance	string	(empty)	Hostname or URL used to prefill the instance field on the login screen. https:// is added if you omit the scheme. Trailing slashes are stripped. Aliases: url, host.
poll_minutes	number	2	How often to look for new posts while you are logged in and no detail window is open. Allowed range: 0.25–1440 minutes (15 seconds to 24 hours). Aliases: pollMinutes, polling_minutes, poll.

The login form can still point at a different instance. The last successful instance is stored in localStorage (nightboard83.instance) and wins over config.json on later visits. Changing the instance on login registers a new OAuth app on that server.

Polling is paused while a thread, profile, compose, media, drafts, or outbox dialog is open, and while the tab is hidden.

First login

1. Open the app and, if needed, set the instance hostname.
2. Click Autorisieren. The instance’s OAuth consent page opens in the same window.
3. Approve access. You are redirected back to Nightboard and signed in.

Scopes requested: read write follow. If redirect login fails, use Fallback: Code einfügen.

Tokens and the registered app credentials stay in localStorage on that browser. Logout only drops the token and profile cache, not drafts or the outbox.

Progressive Web App

manifest.webmanifest and sw.js enable install-to-homescreen. Icons are a chrome 3D NB '83 wordmark over a synthwave grid. The maskable 512×512 asset keeps extra padding so Android adaptive shapes do not crop the lettering. Favicon is 32×32; iOS uses the 180×180 apple-touch icon.

Install from the browser’s install prompt (Chrome: the install icon in the address bar, or the menu). On iOS Safari: Share → Add to Home Screen.

Local data

All of this lives in the browser, not on your instance:

• Session: localStorage keys prefixed nightboard83.
• Timeline cache, media blobs, outbox, drafts: IndexedDB databases nightboard83-cache, nightboard83-media, nightboard83-outbox, nightboard83-drafts (PouchDB)

Clearing site data logs you out and deletes drafts and queued posts.

Tests

From the project root:

node test/run.mjs

Covers instance parsing, ID comparison, outbox flush decisions, and (if Chromium is available) HTML sanitizing.

License

• Application code: GNU Affero GPL v3 or later, Copyright 2026 Ralf Wissing — see LICENSE
• Fonts in fonts/ (Press Start 2P, VT323, Caveat): SIL Open Font License 1.1 — see fonts/OFL.txt
• PouchDB (js/pouchdb.min.js): Apache License 2.0