Forums & communities

phpBB, SMF, MyBB and the rest compared in plain English: what each is good at, what they need from your hosting, and how to pick.

Install phpBB, SMF, MyBB or another forum in a couple of clicks with Softaculous, then make the first settings every new forum needs.

The routine jobs that keep a self-hosted forum healthy: stopping spam registrations, making sure emails arrive, applying updates and keeping backups.

Install Simple Machines Forum 2.1 in a couple of minutes with Softaculous, or by hand, then make the first five settings every new SMF forum needs.

Plan and create categories and boards in Simple Machines Forum, with a starter structure that works for most new communities and room to grow.

Set up Simple Machines Forum email so activation, password reset and notification emails reach members' inboxes: mail settings, the sender address, SPF/DKIM and the mail queue.

How to install a theme on Simple Machines Forum 2.1 from the admin area, make it the forum default, and fix the usual problems.

Add features to Simple Machines Forum with the Package Manager: where to find packages, how to install and uninstall them, and how to avoid breaking your forum.

Add board moderators and global moderators in Simple Machines Forum, choose good moderators, and give them the right tools without handing over admin access.

Understand SMF membergroups, board access and permission profiles, make private boards, and set sensible permissions for guests and new members.

Stop bot registrations and spam posts on Simple Machines Forum with registration settings, verification questions, CAPTCHA, post moderation and bans, before you invite anyone.

Back up a Simple Machines Forum properly: the files and the database, how often, where to keep the copies, and how to restore them.

Move Simple Machines Forum between hosts, folders or domains without losing posts: copy the files, move the database, update Settings.php, and check everything works.

Help search engines find your Simple Machines Forum: guest access, board structure, titles and descriptions, HTTPS, speed and the habits that bring new members from Google.