Community Rules

This forum is intended to be a safe and welcoming place for discussions. These Community Rules supplement our Terms of Use and set out the rules for conduct and interaction within the community. In the event of any conflict, the Terms of Use take precedence. Our Privacy Policy explains how personal data is processed in connection with the use of the forum.

Thank you for being part of our community!

1. General Conduct

1.1. Treat other members with respect and courtesy.
1.2. Discrimination, insults, bullying, or personal attacks are not permitted.
1.3. Provocation and deliberate disruption of discussions (e.g. trolling) will not be tolerated.
1.4. Taunting, taking unnecessary jabs at others, or making subtle disparaging remarks towards other members is not welcome.
1.5. Harassment of any kind will not be tolerated.

2. Contributions and Discussions

2.1. Stay on topic.
2.2. Contributions should be constructive and informative.
2.3. Reply using complete and helpful sentences.
2.4. Avoid multiple or duplicate posts (spam) and excessive repetition of content.
2.5. Use meaningful titles for new threads.
2.6. Select the appropriate main category and subcategory from the available list.
2.7. Additions or corrections should be made directly to the original post where they relate to the same topic.
2.8. Subsequent edits must not be used to deliberately empty or distort existing posts or make discussions difficult to understand. Corrections, additions, and general content maintenance are of course permitted.
2.9. A new reply is appropriate when there are new developments or a follow-up question.
2.10. Before creating a new thread, please use the search function. Duplicate threads will generally be closed or merged.
2.11. Off-topic posts and thread hijacking should be avoided.
2.12. Excessive artificial “bumping” of threads is not permitted. If your post receives no response, please wait for a while or add new information.

3. Prohibited Content

3.1. Content that promotes violence, hatred, racism, sexism, or discrimination is strictly prohibited.
3.2. Political and religious topics are not permitted.
3.3. Unlawful content, including pirated material, unlawful offers, or instructions for criminal activities, is prohibited.
3.4. Pornographic, harmful-to-minors, obscene, or otherwise inappropriate content is not permitted.
3.5. Content that infringes copyright, including unauthorised copies, scans, or reuploads, is prohibited.
3.6. Knowingly misleading or obviously dangerous advice and instructions are not permitted.
3.7. Illegal instructions or information about unlawful methods will be removed.

4. Interaction with Other Members

4.1. No personal attacks or personal disputes.
4.2. A friendly and helpful tone towards all members is required.
4.3. Sarcastic, mocking, or demeaning comments are not welcome, regardless of another member’s level of knowledge.
4.4. The forum is intended for beginners and experienced users alike. Please make your replies clear, understandable, and helpful.
4.5. Private messages are subject to the same rules as public posts.
4.6. Violations can be reported to the forum team using the forum’s reporting function or the available contact options.
4.7. Fake accounts and identity misuse are not permitted. As a general rule, each user may operate only one user account. Reasonable exceptions may be permitted by the Operator.
4.8. Insults or targeted personal attacks, including concealed or “ironic” attacks, may result in sanctions.

5. Copyright and Sources

5.1. Make sure that you have the necessary rights to any content you post.
5.2. Cite sources correctly and include links where appropriate.
5.3. External content (articles, guides, quotations) must include a clear source reference.
5.4. Copyrighted content may only be published where permitted by law, authorised by a licence, or approved by the rights holder.
5.5. Quotations should only be used to an appropriate extent and must be clearly identified as such.
5.6. When replying directly to another post, avoid quoting the entire post and quote only the relevant sections.
5.7. Screenshots of protected documents, software, or paid content must not be published where doing so would infringe the rights of third parties.
5.8. Copying or publishing third-party content without the required permission, licence, or other legal basis is not permitted. Any required source attribution must be provided.
5.9. The same copyright principles apply to AI-generated content.

6. Code Sharing & Licensing

6.1. Code you have created yourself may be shared provided that no third-party rights prevent this.
6.2. Third-party code may only be shared where this is permitted by a licence, authorised by the rights holder, or permitted by law.
6.3. Large blocks of code should be shared via external platforms such as GitHub Gist, Pastebin, or similar services.
6.4. Always format code using code blocks.

7. Dockerfiles, .env Files & Stacks

7.1. Dockerfiles, docker-compose.yml files, and .env files may be shared provided that no third-party rights prevent this and they do not contain login credentials, personal data, or other sensitive information.
7.2. *.env files should only be shared as examples (*.env.example) without login credentials or other secrets.
7.3. If a Docker configuration originates from a commercial environment, check the applicable licence terms before sharing it.

8. External Links & Downloads

8.1. Links to reputable and relevant sources are permitted.
8.2. Links to unlawfully provided copyrighted content or other unlawful offers, such as cracks or illegal streaming services, are not permitted.
8.3. Direct links to executable files (.exe, .msi, etc.) are prohibited – please use official download pages instead.
8.4. AI-generated content must be identified as such.
8.5. Users are responsible for the content of AI-generated posts in the same way as for their own content.
8.6. Spam, mass linking, or cross-posting across multiple threads is not permitted.

9. Advertising and Commercial Content

9.1. Advertising is only permitted in designated areas or with the express approval of the forum team.
9.2. Unsolicited advertising (spam) is not permitted.
9.3. Affiliate links must be clearly identified as such.
9.4. Self-promotion is also considered advertising and is only permitted where it has been expressly approved or takes place in a designated area.

10. Profiles and User Accounts

10.1. To protect your privacy, we recommend not using your full real name as your username.
10.2. Choose a username that is neither offensive nor provocative.
10.3. As a general rule, each user may operate only one user account. Reasonable exceptions may be permitted by the Operator.
10.4. Do not share your login credentials with others.

11. Moderation and Sanctions

11.1. The moderation team may edit, move, close, or delete posts and threads.
11.2. Sanctions for violations generally follow a graduated process: notice → warning → temporary suspension where appropriate → permanent suspension or exclusion from the community. Depending on the nature and severity of a violation, individual stages may be skipped or immediately necessary measures may be taken.
11.3. Moderation decisions initially remain binding. A review may be requested through the available contact options.
11.4. Unlawful content or content that violates the rules may, following review, be edited, restricted, blocked, or removed.
11.5. Moderation decisions (notices, warnings, suspensions) are not discussed publicly. Please contact the moderation team privately if you have questions.
11.6. Failure to follow moderation instructions may result in a warning or suspension.

12. Privacy and Security

12.1. Be cautious when sharing personal data and, in particular, avoid publishing sensitive or unnecessary information such as private addresses or telephone numbers.
12.2. Publishing third-party personal data without their consent is prohibited.
12.3. Private messages may not be published without the sender’s consent.
12.4. Respect the privacy of other members.
12.5. Do not distribute malicious software, viruses, or phishing links.
12.6. Report security issues to the administrators immediately.
12.7. Further information about the processing of personal data in connection with the use of the forum can be found in our Privacy Policy.

13. Account Deletion, Anonymisation and Published Content

13.1. Users can initiate the deletion of their user account through the account management settings.
13.2. A user account is automatically deleted after 7 days and the deletion request may be cancelled during this period.
13.3. Following final account deletion, the username will be replaced by a neutral identifier using the format “Gast_UserID”. Previously published posts will generally remain available.
13.4. Mentions, quotations, and other technically generated references may remain where legally permitted. If a legally relevant connection to an identifiable person remains in an individual case, a review may be requested.
13.5. Deleting a user account does not automatically result in the deletion of all published posts or threads. Statutory rights to deletion, rectification, or restriction of individual content remain unaffected.
13.6. The user’s private conversations will also be deleted as part of the final account deletion.

14. Changes and Feedback

14.1. These Community Rules may be amended in accordance with the Terms of Use.
14.2. Suggestions or feedback regarding these rules are welcome and can be submitted by email.

See also:

_{Last updated: 20 August 2026}