Discourse

Discourse is an open source discussion platform for building community forums that feel real-time like chat but retain the structure and long-term value of threaded discussions. It is designed to be searchable, mobile-friendly, and highly moderatable, with extensive customization and integration options.

Key Features

• Trust levels, flagging, review queue, and granular moderation tools
• Rich post composer with Markdown support, quoting, mentions, and uploads
• Categories, tags, and full-text search for organizing and discovering content
• Real-time updates (live topics/notifications) plus email-in/out style participation
• Single Sign-On and multiple authentication providers via built-in support/plugins
• Admin console for site settings, user management, and analytics dashboards
• Extensible plugin/theme system (Theme Components) for UI and behavior changes
• API and webhooks for automation and external integrations

Use Cases

• Product/company community forums with announcements, Q&A, and support deflection
• Open source project discussion hub replacing mailing lists and fragmented threads
• Private team/customer portals for structured discussions and knowledge capture

Limitations and Considerations

• Heavier operational footprint than simple PHP forums (requires Redis and PostgreSQL)
• Many advanced capabilities depend on correct email deliverability and configuration

Discourse is well-suited for communities that need durable, searchable conversations with strong moderation and governance. Its extensibility, integrations, and modern UX make it a common replacement for legacy forums and mailing-list-based support channels.