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Welcome to ForkBB

ForkBB is a free and open source forum software that provides a modern, secure platform for building online communities. Based on FluxBB_by_Visman, ForkBB combines simplicity with powerful features to deliver a robust forum experience.

Installation

Get started with ForkBB installation on Apache or Nginx

Configuration

Configure database, security, and core settings

Architecture

Learn about ForkBB’s MVC architecture and design patterns

Extensions

Extend ForkBB with custom plugins and features

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What is ForkBB?

ForkBB is a PHP-based forum application designed with modern web development practices. It features a clean MVC architecture, dependency injection container, and a flexible routing system that makes it both developer-friendly and easy to customize. The project is actively maintained and released under the MIT license, giving you complete freedom to use, modify, and distribute the software for any purpose.

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Key features

Modern architecture

Built on MVC principles with dependency injection for clean, maintainable code

Multi-database support

Works with MySQL 5.5.3+, PostgreSQL 10+, and SQLite 3.25+

Private messaging

Built-in PM system for member-to-member communication

OAuth authentication

Support for GitHub, Google, and Yandex OAuth providers

BBCode parser

Flexible BBCode system with custom tag support

Full-text search

Powerful search across topics, posts, and forums

Moderation tools

Comprehensive moderation features with reporting system

Extension system

Extend functionality with plugins and custom extensions

User groups & permissions

Fine-grained permission control with group management

Friendly URLs

SEO-friendly URL routing with customizable patterns

Security headers

Built-in CSP, X-Frame-Options, and other security headers

Template system

Flexible templating with support for multiple themes

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Why choose ForkBB?

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Developer-friendly

ForkBB follows modern PHP development practices with PSR standards, namespace support, and a clean dependency injection container. The codebase is well-organized and easy to understand, making customization straightforward.

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Secure by default

Security is built into ForkBB’s core with features like:
  • Content Security Policy headers
  • CSRF protection
  • HMAC-based security tokens
  • SQL injection prevention through PDO
  • XSS protection

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Flexible and extensible

The extension system allows you to add new features without modifying core files. Hook into events, add custom routes, or create new models to extend functionality.

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Performance-optimized

ForkBB includes file-based caching, optimized database queries, and support for CDN integration to ensure your forum runs smoothly even with high traffic.

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Requirements

Before installing ForkBB, ensure your server meets these requirements:
  • PHP 8.0 or higher
  • Required PHP extensions:
    • pdo - Database connectivity
    • intl - Internationalization
    • json - JSON processing
    • mbstring - Multi-byte string handling
    • fileinfo - File type detection
  • Recommended PHP extensions:
    • imagick or gd - For image upload and avatar processing
    • openssl - For SMTP with SSL/TLS
    • curl - For OAuth authentication
  • Database:
    • MySQL 5.5.3+ (with mysqlnd driver)
    • PostgreSQL 10+
    • SQLite 3.25+

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Get started

1

Install ForkBB

Follow the installation guide to set up ForkBB on your server
2

Configure your forum

Set up database, cookies, and security settings in the configuration file
3

Learn the architecture

Understand ForkBB’s structure by reading the architecture documentation
4

Customize and extend

Build custom features using the extension system

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Community and support

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Next steps

Ready to get started? Head over to the installation guide to begin setting up your ForkBB forum.