The established free forum platform.
INSTALLING
Available in Softaculous, or manually from the official site. Needs a database and a supported PHP version.
Delete the install directory afterwards. phpBB restricts functionality until you do, deliberately.
FIRST CONFIGURATION
- Board settings: name, description, default language and timezone
- Registration: require email verification at minimum
- Anti-spam: enable a captcha before opening registration
- Permissions: review what guests and new members can do
THE SPAM PROBLEM
An open forum attracts spam registrations within days. Without controls it becomes unusable.
Enable email verification, a captcha, and consider approving first posts.
RESOURCES
An active forum generates many database queries per page view. Enable phpBB's own caching.
A busy forum is one of the more demanding things to run on shared hosting.
EXTENSIONS AND STYLES
Install from the official customisation database. The nulled software warning applies here too.
MODERATION
The real cost is human attention. A forum nobody moderates fills with spam and argument.
