How to create your own forum

The traditional internet forum, undeniably one of the oldest forms of virtual exchange, continues to be in demand. In many situations, creating a forum is both practical and easy—either for free or at a low cost. We reveal everything you need to know about creating your own forum.

Who runs forums?

The structure of a forum alone does not guarantee success. These platforms become popular and attract users only when the concept resonates with the target audience and fosters the development of an active community. The objectives of forum administrators can differ. There are four main types of forum operators:

• Volunteers without commercial interest: A large portion of forum operators offers the community a free forum solely for engagement. Information exchange is prioritised, and the management and moderation of the forum and individual topics are usually handled by established members of the community.
• Businesses or website operators: Integrated into their online presence, companies use forums to provide customers with a way to connect or get support. On these platforms, users can describe their problems or give feedback and then receive responses from other customers or from moderators responsible for the website.
• Public institutions: Many universities, schools, or government agencies also maintain forums. These can be public platforms primarily designed for information sharing, or internal forums created for student exchange or specific projects.
• Individuals with commercial interest: Some operators link providing a forum with the opportunity to earn money (e.g., through paid premium memberships). They offer the community the necessary platform and structures for management but rarely belong to the community themselves.

How to create a forum

If you want to offer your customers added value through a support or information forum, or if you’re planning to launch a new online forum, you have various options regarding software and hardware setup. These options mainly differ in cost factors and the effort required for setup and management.

Creating a forum independently

If you want to have full control over your forum, choose the appropriate forum software and host it on your own private or rented server. The requirements for this are relatively low, as webspace and computing power do not pose significant challenges due to the minimalist nature of a forum (mostly text, few images, and file downloads).

While a free system like phpBB is the perfect choice for beginners to create a free forum (except for hosting), paid software like vBulletin can certainly be worthwhile for ambitious projects designed for a large number of users.

If you already run a web project based on a content management system and plan to link it with a forum, you have two options:

• You operate the CMS and forum software separately. This generally offers the advantage of allowing you to freely choose which program you use to create your forum.
• You integrate the forum into an existing CMS. For many modern CMS like WordPress or Joomla, there are numerous powerful forum plugins for this purpose, such as bbPress or Kunena.

Hosting a forum with a provider

If you prefer not to handle the setup, maintenance, and hosting of the software yourself, it’s a good idea to look for a suitable forum host. These providers offer forum software along with the necessary web space, often at no cost. You can usually opt for paid add-ons to enhance the forum’s functionality or increase its capacity. With these convenient services, you can focus entirely on creating your forum.

Very few providers offer completely free services without ads. More commonly, hosts include ads or banner ads in the forums, as seen with the free versions of Forumotion and ProBoards.

As these solutions gain popularity, many traditional forum software providers have responded by adding their own hosting options to their offerings. For example, vBulletin now offers a cloud edition. With this option, you can choose from one of three paid vBulletin cloud packages and get a complete vBulletin installation that includes web space, backups, and plan-specific bandwidth. By using an external hosting provider, you can save significant time that would otherwise be spent on installing and maintaining the forum system and server software.

Self-hosting and providers in direct comparison

Not sure how to go about creating your forum? Below, we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of both options with regard to various criteria.

Installation and management

Opting for a forum hosting provider is the more convenient and beginner-friendly option. The software is installed on a ready-to-use server infrastructure and kept up to date, allowing you to focus on configuring your forum.

With your own server, you are responsible for acquiring the necessary hardware resources, as well as installing and updating the web server, forum software, and database. This requires allocating the appropriate work effort.

Flexibility

Hosting your own forum gives you a high degree of freedom. For example, you can freely choose which forum software to use or which web server should be employed.

Hosting providers offer only a small selection of systems, or they may limit themselves to just one, which also applies to the version of the respective program. This can become an issue if you later consider switching the application. Another advantage of self-hosting is the ability to integrate the forum directly into your CMS via a module.

Security

As with any web project, security is crucial when creating a forum. Protective measures against attacks (especially spam) and a solid backup strategy are essential. While many hosts handle this responsibility, you ultimately have less control over it. Therefore, when selecting a suitable provider, you should carefully consider their security measures and ensure their reliability.

If you’re hosting the forum yourself, it’s important not to take security lightly. If you’re not familiar with the necessary security practices, it’s highly recommended to consult an expert.

Data protection

When creating a forum, whether free or paid, data protection is an essential consideration. Users who register typically provide at least their email address, and their IP addresses are often logged in the server log. Additionally, personal information may be stored in the database, which must be adequately protected.

If you’re using a forum host, it’s crucial to verify their data protection practices. For instance, if the server location is in the USA, the local, often more lenient data protection laws will apply. This also applies when hosting forum software independently but renting web space from a provider.

Scalability

When you start with a small forum and minimal resources, but your community and demands steadily grow, you’ll soon face the question of increasing web space, bandwidth, and more. Many forum hosts offer cloud solutions for flexible resource management. This also applies if you need significantly less capacity temporarily or permanently at a later time.

With your own server, you must respond individually to the development of your project and upgrade in a timely manner. Also, downscaling is significantly more difficult since, theoretically, your only option is selling the hardware, which likely results in a financial loss.

Costs

Renting web hosting is now more affordable than it was a few years ago. Forum hosting, which includes software installation and maintenance, is therefore very cost-effective. If you’re willing to forgo your own domain, some providers even allow you to create and maintain a forum for free. However, this often comes with embedded ads and a subdomain. To integrate the forum directly into your own domain, you’ll need to handle the hosting yourself and purchase or rent the necessary resources. With careful planning of both software and hardware, you can save a considerable amount of money.