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Phorum

Lightweight, mature PHP message board software

Forums & Community ★ 67 stars Medium setup PHP-3.01

Phorum is one of the oldest PHP-based forum applications, designed to be fast and lightweight. It supports modules, custom templates, and email integration for discussions.

Official siteSource code

Key features

  • Lightweight and fast
  • Module and template system
  • Email-to-forum integration
  • Long-established codebase

Pros & cons

Strengths

  • Released under the PHP-3.01 license
  • Written in PHP
  • Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM

Trade-offs

  • Development largely dormant
  • Dated interface

Phorum replaces

Self-hosted phpBB alternatives

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