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Flarum

Simple, self-hosted forum software for running online discussion communities.

GitHub Download v2.0.0
Stars
16.4k
Forks
1.7k
Licence
MIT
Language
PHP
Last update
27 days ago
Type
App

What it is

Flarum is forum software you install on your own website to host discussions for a community. The README describes it as fast, simple to deploy, and built with PHP, with a JavaScript interface and an extension API for customization. People use it when they want a discussion board that they control.

  • Host a community discussion board attached to an existing website
  • Build custom forum features using the Extension API
  • Run a support or Q&A forum for a product or project

Great for

  • Site owners who want a self-hosted discussion board
  • Community managers who want a clean, modern forum interface
  • PHP developers who want to customize or extend a forum through its extension API

Not ideal for

  • People who want zero server setup, since it must be installed and hosted (the README points to an installation guide)
  • Those looking for a non-PHP stack, since the project is built with PHP
  • Teams needing features the README does not describe; this README gives only a general overview of features
Step-by-step guide: how to use FlarumInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs

How to get it

  1. 1

    See the README

    You'll need: PHP server environment (version not specified in the README)

    Clone the repository

    git clone https://github.com/flarum/flarum.git
  2. 2

    Run it

    • Read the installation guide at https://docs.flarum.org/install
    • Set up a PHP web server environment that meets the guide's requirements
    • Follow the guide to install the Flarum skeleton application
    • Open the site in a browser and complete the setup
  3. 3

    Get the most out of it

    • Use the documentation at https://docs.flarum.org/ for configuration details
    • Browse extensions through the Extension API to add features
    • Ask questions on the community forum at https://discuss.flarum.org/ or Discord

Downloads

Source code (.zip)2.x branch · straight from GitHubRelease v2.0.0Release notes and sourceOfficial website & docsflarum.org

Strengths

  • The README describes it as simple and fast, with no clutter and few dependencies
  • Released under the MIT License, which permits free use and modification
  • Has a documented extension API for customization

Trade-offs

  • Installation requires a PHP server environment, so it is not a one-click setup from this README
  • The README is brief and defers most detail to external documentation
  • This repository is the skeleton application; most development happens in flarum/core

How it compares

ProjectStarsTypeLevelUpdatedBest for
flarum (this)16.4kAppintermediate27 days agoSite owners who want a self-hosted discussion board
bagisto28.3kAppintermediate4 days agoDevelopers building a custom online store on Laravel
laravel-crm24.1kAppintermediate4 days agoSmall and mid-sized businesses that want a self-hosted CRM
BookStack19.1kAppintermediate4 days agoTeams that want an internal knowledge base they can host themselves
unopim11kAppadvanced4 days agoBusinesses with large product catalogues that need central product data
framework35kFrameworkintermediate4 days agoPHP developers building web applications or APIs

Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.