NodeBB Forum Platform

NodeBB is a modern, mobile-first forum software powered by Node.js, designed for the next generation of online communities. Founded in 2013 by Julian Lam and Andrew Galbraith and headquartered in Toronto, Canada, NodeBB combines traditional forum experience with real-time interactivity. Key features: real-time communication via WebSockets for instant updates including new posts, typing indicators, and live notifications without page reloads. Responsive mobile-first design optimized for smartphones, tablets, and desktops. Theme system using Bootswatch themes and custom LESS/CSS for visual customization. Over 150 community plugins for third-party integrations (Discord, Slack, Telegram, GitHub OAuth, SSO). Category and tag system with per-category permissions and posting rules. User reputation and badge system with upvotes, best answer marking, and achievement badges. Global moderation tools including post editing, deletion, locking, pinning, flagging, and IP banning with audit logs. Search via Elasticsearch, RediSearch, or MongoDB full-text search. Private messaging with full chat interface and read receipts. Email digest system with daily or weekly summaries. Real-time notifications for mentions and replies. Internationalization with support for 40+ languages. Analytics and reporting with built-in metrics tracking user growth and engagement. REST API and Write API for programmatic access. Socket.io real-time API for chat bots. NodeBB version 3.x released in 2023 with improved performance. Self-hosted under GPL or managed cloud hosting. Notable users include Ubuntu forums, Cocos2d-x community, and Magento forums.