Command Code

Command

Parameters

Description

ARTICLE

Retrieve Article

Message ID or server article number.

Tells the server to send the client a particular Usenet article. The article to be retrieved may be specified either using its absolute, universal message ID, or its locally-assigned article number.

When the command is issued with an article number, this causes the server's internal message pointer to be set to the specified article. If the message pointer is already set to a particular article, the ARTICLE command can be issued without an article number and the current message will be retrieved.

HEAD

Retrieve Article Headers

Message ID or server article number.

Same as the ARTICLE command, but retrieves only the article's headers.

BODY

Retrieve Article Body

Message ID or server article number.

Same as the ARTICLE command, but returns only the body of the article.

STAT

Retrieve Article Statistics

Server article number

Conceptually the same as the ARTICLE command, but does not return any message text, only the message ID of the article. This command is usually used for the purpose of setting the server's internal message pointer, so STAT is normally invoked only with an article number (and not a message ID).

GROUP

Select Newsgroup

Newsgroup name

Tells the server the name of the newsgroup that the client wants to access. Assuming the group specified exists, the server returns to the client the numbers of the first and last articles currently in the group, along with an estimate of the number of messages in the group. The server's internal article pointer is also set to the first message in the group.

HELP

Get Help Information

None

Prompts the server to send the client help information, which usually takes the form of a list of valid commands that the server supports.

IHAVE

Offer Article To Server

Message ID

Used by the client in an NNTP session to tell the server that it has a new article that the server may want. The server will check the message ID provided and respond to the client indicating whether or not it wants the client to send the article.

LAST

Go To Last Message

None

Tells the server to set its current article pointer to the last message in the newsgroup.

LIST

List Newsgroups

None

Asks the server to send a list of the newsgroups that it supports, along with the first and last article number in each group. The command as described in RFC 977 is simple, supporting no parameters and causing the full list of newsgroups to be sent to the client. NNTP command extensions significantly expand the syntax of this command.

NEWGROUPS

List New Newsgroups

Date and time, and optional distribution specification

Prompts the server to send a list of new newsgroups created since the date and time specified. The client may also restrict the command to return only new newsgroups within a particular regional distribution.

NEWNEWS

List New News Articles

Date and time, and optional distribution specification

Requests a list from the server of all new articles that have arrived since a particular date and time. Like the NEWGROUPS command, this may be restricted in distribution. The server responds with a list of message IDs of new articles.

NEXT

Go To Next Message

None

Advances the server's current article pointer to the next message in the newsgroup.

POST

Post Article

None

Tells the server that the client would like to post a new article. The server responds with either a positive or negative acknowledgment. Assuming that posting is allowed, the client then sends the full text of the message to the server, which stores it and begins the process of propagating it to other servers.

QUIT

End Session

None

Terminates the NNTP session. To be “polite”, the client should issue this command prior to closing the TCP connection.

SLAVE

Set Slave Status

None

This command is intended for use in special configurations where one NNTP server acts as a subsidiary to others. It is not often used in practice.