NodeBB is forum software for communities: categories, topics, replies, and user profiles, with a modern, real-time feel. New posts and notifications appear instantly through WebSockets, without refreshing the page.

Features

• Real-time discussions and notifications
• Mobile-friendly responsive design
• Plugins for features and integrations, and themes based on Bootstrap 5
• SSO plugins for logging in with existing accounts
• Groups, moderation tools, and privileges
• Internationalisation
• A REST API
• Recent versions add ActivityPub federation, letting the forum interact with the fediverse

Deployment

NodeBB runs on Node.js with a choice of database: MongoDB, Redis, or PostgreSQL. Install it directly with its setup wizard, or use Docker. It is usually run behind nginx as a reverse proxy, which must pass WebSocket connections through for real-time features.

A hosted version is offered by the NodeBB team, and a live demo is available at try.nodebb.org.

NodeBB or Discourse?

Discourse is the most popular modern forum platform, with a large feature set and opinionated design, but it is heavier and officially supports only its own Docker-based install. NodeBB is lighter and more flexible to deploy, with a plugin model that makes it easy to customise. Flarum is another lightweight option, written in PHP.

License

GNU General Public License v3.0.

Links

• Repository
• Website