Flarum

Flarum is a modern, PHP-based discussion forum platform designed to be fast, simple to run, and easy to extend. It provides a clean single-page interface for end users and a modular architecture for admins to customize functionality via extensions.

Key Features

• Single-page application (SPA) forum UI with fast navigation and real-time-feeling interactions
• Extension system for adding features (SSO, integrations, custom content, moderation tools, theming)
• Built-in notifications and user mentions for community engagement
• Role- and permission-based access control for categories/tags and moderation actions
• Tag-based organization (in core) to structure discussions beyond classic subforums
• Responsive design optimized for desktop and mobile browsers
• REST API for integrations and custom frontends
• Admin dashboard for managing extensions, appearance, permissions, and settings

Use Cases

• Support and feedback communities for products/projects
• Private team or organization discussion space with granular permissions
• Public hobby or interest forums with customizable features and theming

Limitations and Considerations

• Many advanced capabilities (e.g., richer moderation workflows, SSO providers, deep analytics) typically require installing third-party extensions
• Major version upgrades may require extension compatibility updates, so extension-heavy installs should plan upgrade windows

Flarum is well-suited for communities that want a modern forum experience with a flexible extension ecosystem. Its core remains lightweight while enabling sophisticated setups through add-ons and API-driven integrations.