Files
fips/docs/reference/cli-fips.md
T
Johnathan Corgan 682d7be69a Write the Windows service log to a rolling file
A process started by the service control manager has no standard
handles, and writes to its absent stdout report success, so everything
the daemon logged in service mode was lost. So were config-load
failures, the service's own error report and panic messages, which all
went to stderr.

In service mode the daemon now logs to C:\ProgramData\fips\fips.log.
The file is rolled at 10 MiB with four old files kept, so it takes at
most about 50 MiB. A roll that fails, for example because another
process holds the file, keeps writing to the current file and is not
retried until another 10 MiB have been written. Config-load failures,
the service error and panic messages go to the same file. A foreground
run still logs to the console, and --install-service names the log
file.

The writer is built in rather than taken from a crate, so it is tested
on every platform and adds no dependency.

The Windows ZIP's README and the fips reference now say where the
service log goes, and install-service.ps1 prints the log path.
2026-09-24 23:12:45 +00:00

103 lines
4.4 KiB
Markdown

# `fips`
The FIPS mesh network daemon.
## Synopsis
```text
fips [-c FILE]
```
On Windows the same binary additionally accepts `--install-service`,
`--uninstall-service`, and (used internally by the service control
manager) `--service`.
## Description
`fips` is the FIPS daemon. It loads a YAML configuration, resolves an
identity, brings up the TUN adapter, listens on configured transports,
authenticates peers, maintains the spanning tree, and forwards mesh
traffic. There is one daemon per node.
The daemon stays in the foreground, logging to stderr, until it
receives `SIGINT` or `SIGTERM`. On Windows, the service variant is
controlled through the standard service control manager.
## Options
| Flag | Argument | Description |
| ---- | -------- | ----------- |
| `-c`, `--config` | `FILE` | Use `FILE` as the configuration. Skips the default search paths. |
| `-V` | — | Print the short version, `<version> (rev <git-hash>)`. The `rev` part is omitted when the build could not read a git revision, as in a package built from a git worktree. |
| `--version` | — | Print the long version: short version plus build target triple. |
| `-h`, `--help` | — | Print usage and exit. |
| `--install-service` | — | (Windows only) Install `fips` as a Windows service. Requires Administrator. |
| `--uninstall-service` | — | (Windows only) Uninstall the Windows service. Requires Administrator. |
| `--service` | — | (Windows only, internal) Run as a Windows service. Invoked by the service control manager — not for direct use. |
There are no other CLI flags; all daemon behaviour is governed by the
YAML configuration. See [configuration.md](configuration.md).
## Exit Codes
| Code | Meaning |
| ---- | ------- |
| `0` | Clean shutdown after `SIGINT` / `SIGTERM`. |
| `1` | Failed to load configuration, resolve identity, construct the node, or start the node. The reason is printed to stderr before exit. |
## Environment
| Variable | Description |
| -------- | ----------- |
| `RUST_LOG` | Tracing filter directive. Overrides `node.log_level` from the config. Examples: `info`, `debug`, `fips=trace,fips::node::handlers::mmp=debug`. |
| `XDG_RUNTIME_DIR` | Used to derive the default control-socket path when `/run/fips` does not exist. See [control-socket.md](control-socket.md). |
| `FIPS_CONFIG` | (Windows service mode only) Path to the configuration file when the daemon runs under the service control manager. |
The daemon also clamps the `nostr_relay_pool`, `nostr_sdk`, and `nostr`
log targets to `info` whenever the effective log level is below
`trace`, so that `RUST_LOG=debug` does not flood the journal with raw
relay frames. To see those frames, set the level to `trace`.
## Files
`fips` looks for `fips.yaml` in the following locations, lowest to
highest priority. All present files are merged in priority order; the
highest-priority value wins.
| Priority | Path | Purpose |
| -------- | ---- | ------- |
| 1 | `/usr/local/etc/fips/fips.yaml` (macOS, FreeBSD), `C:\ProgramData\fips\fips.yaml` (Windows), `/etc/fips/fips.yaml` (other Unix) | System-wide defaults |
| 2 | `~/.config/fips/fips.yaml` (`%APPDATA%\fips\fips.yaml` on Windows) | User preferences |
| 3 | `~/.fips.yaml` | Legacy user config |
| 4 | `./fips.yaml` | Deployment-specific overrides |
On macOS and FreeBSD both system directories are probed: `/etc/fips`
first, then `/usr/local/etc/fips`, so the packaged file wins over a
leftover `/etc/fips` copy from an earlier install. Windows likewise
probes `\etc\fips` on the current drive, then `C:\ProgramData\fips`.
Adjacent to the highest-priority config file the daemon reads (or
writes, on first start) the identity files:
| File | Mode | Purpose |
| ---- | ---- | ------- |
| `fips.key` | `0600` | Bech32 nsec for the persistent identity (Unix only; Windows inherits parent ACLs). |
| `fips.pub` | `0644` | Bech32 npub corresponding to `fips.key`. |
When `node.identity.persistent` is `false` (the default), a fresh
keypair is written to these files on every start.
On Windows the service writes its log to `C:\ProgramData\fips\fips.log`,
rolled at 10 MiB with four old files kept; a foreground run logs to the
console.
The control socket path is derived per
[control-socket.md](control-socket.md).
## See also
- [`fipsctl`](cli-fipsctl.md) — control-socket client.
- [`fipstop`](cli-fipstop.md) — live-status TUI.
- [configuration.md](configuration.md) — YAML reference.
- [control-socket.md](control-socket.md) — control-socket protocol.