NodeBB

Self-hosted forum software on Node.js with live updates over web sockets, a REST API, themes and a plugin system for added features.

15.2k stars, 3k forks JavaScript On GitHub since April 2013

Visit website View on GitHub How to run it

NodeBB at a glance

Open sourceYes, GPL-3.0No paid parts in the repository
Health80 of 100Actively developed
Self-hostingDockerOne-click in YunoHost, Proxmox VE Helper-Scripts and 1 more
InterfaceEnglish onlyNo translation files found
Issue repliesWithin ~1 hourMedian first reply; 54% of recent issues answered

What is NodeBB?

NodeBB keeps the classic bulletin board layout of nested categories, local user accounts and private messages, but pushes new posts and notifications to readers instantly through web sockets. It runs on Node.js and stores data in Redis, MongoDB or PostgreSQL. A small common core covers basic forum needs, and third-party plugins add extra features and integrations. Read and write REST APIs let other systems talk to the board. The default Harmony theme is built on Bootstrap 5, and templates can be extended and restyled with SCSS or CSS.

Good fit if

  • You want to leave a hosted community service and run a categorized forum on your own server.
  • Your team already works with Node.js and wants to write plugins or themes in a familiar stack.
  • Members expect replies and alerts to appear without reloading the page.

Look elsewhere if

  • You want discussion threads combined with built-in chat and a larger plugin catalog: Discourse.
  • You need a board that runs on plain PHP hosting under a permissive license: Flarum.
  • You want communities that federate across many servers: Lemmy.

Before you adopt it

NodeBB uses the GPL-3.0 license, and the repository contains no paid parts; the company offers sublicenses for closed environments and sells premium hosting. Pull requests require a signed CLA from each contributor. Development is active, with six authors in the last 90 days, though one of them wrote about two thirds of recent commits. Setup goes through a command-line installer rather than npm start and needs Node.js 22 or newer plus MongoDB 5+ or Redis 7.2+; a Docker option is also available. The README stresses locking down Redis, which listens on all interfaces by default.

Drafted with AI from the project's README and repository data, then checked against that data on 7 November 2026. Report a correction

How to run NodeBB yourself

One-click install

Not listed in Umbrel, TrueNAS, Unraid, CasaOS and Runtipi. Checked against each panel’s app catalog on 12 November 2026.

Ways to install

Docker files
Dockerfile or compose file in the repository
Docker image
ghcr.io/nodebb/nodebb: x86-64, ARM64
Compose file
docker-compose.yml: 4 services (mongodb, redis, postgres)
Setup effort
3 of 5, judged from the compose file
Kubernetes
No Helm chart in the repository
Desktop and mobile
No app builds in GitHub releases
Interface languages
English only

Install instructions: nodebb.org or the README on GitHub. Docker images and packages are checked weekly.

NodeBB health: is it still maintained?

80 of 100, actively developed

Release rhythmEvery ~5 daysLatest: v4.16.7, 31 October 2026
Issue repliesWithin ~1 hourMedian first reply; 54% of recent issues answered
Bus factorMedium riskThe most active of 5 authors wrote 66% of recent commits
  • Activity
    647 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 11 November 2026.
    30 / 30
  • Contributors
    5 people wrote the latest 100 commits; the most active wrote 66% of them.
    10 / 20
  • Releases
    15+ releases in the last 12 months; the latest, v4.16.7, on 31 October 2026.
    19 / 20
  • Replies to issues
    Maintainers answered 54% of recent issues, with a median first reply after 1 hour.
    16 / 20
  • Security practices
    OpenSSF Scorecard 5.4 of 10.
    5 / 10

Read from GitHub on 12 November 2026. How the score works

NodeBB security

Security advisories are the vulnerabilities the maintainers disclosed on GitHub, with the versions that fix them; many advisories can mean careful disclosure as much as weak code. OpenSSF Scorecard checks how a project is developed and released: reviews, protected branches, pinned dependencies, signed releases. It does not audit the code itself.

Security advisories9 published8 critical, 1 high; all list a fixed version
OpenSSF Scorecard5.4 of 10How the project is built and released
Security policyYesExplains how to report a vulnerability

Latest advisories

All 9 advisories on GitHub

What each Scorecard check found

  • Binary files10 / 10No compiled binaries checked into the repository
  • Dangerous workflows10 / 10No risky patterns in GitHub Actions
  • License file10 / 10A license file is present
  • Maintained10 / 10Steady commits and issue activity in the last 90 days
  • Packaging10 / 10Releases are published as packages from CI
  • Security policy10 / 10Explains how to report a vulnerability
  • Best-practices badge0 / 10No OpenSSF Best Practices badge
  • Code review0 / 10Changes are merged without review
  • Fuzzing0 / 10No fuzz testing found
  • Pinned dependencies0 / 10Dependencies are not pinned to fixed versions
  • Static analysis0 / 10No static analysis found
  • Token permissions0 / 10CI tokens have broad write rights

Advisories read from GitHub on 12 November 2026. From the OpenSSF Scorecard of 9 November 2026; checks that do not apply to NodeBB are left out.

NodeBB license: is it open source?

NodeBB uses GPL-3.0, an open-source license approved by the OSI. Contributors sign a contributor license agreement, which lets the owner relicense their work later.

  1. April 2013First published on GitHub.
  2. TodayGPL-3.0. A contributor license agreement is required.

NodeBB for developers

Written in

  • JavaScript 88%
  • Go Template 11%
  • SCSS <1%
  • Shell <1%
  • HTML <1%
  • Other <1%

Getting involved

Contributing guideYesCONTRIBUTING.mdOpen issues81On GitHub
Authors, 90 days5Of the latest 100 commits

Language shares are GitHub’s count of the code in the repository.

Alternatives to NodeBB

  • DiscourseA platform for community discussion. Free, open, simple. 73 health · GPL-2.0 · 48.1k stars
  • AnswerA Q&A platform software for teams at any scales. Whether it's a community forum, help center, or knowledge… 68 health · Apache-2.0 · 15.7k stars
  • FlarumSimple forum software for building great communities. 41 health · MIT · 16.4k stars
  • Issoa Disqus alternative 52 health · MIT · 5.3k stars
  • MastodonYour self-hosted, globally interconnected microblogging community 88 health · AGPL-3.0 · 50.6k stars

All 18 projects in Social networks & forums

Questions about NodeBB

Is NodeBB open source?

Yes. NodeBB is published under GPL-3.0, an OSI-approved open-source license.

Is NodeBB still maintained?

Its health score is 80 of 100 (actively developed). It had 647 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 11 November 2026, and its latest release came out on 31 October 2026.

How do I run NodeBB?

You can run it with the Docker image ghcr.io/nodebb/nodebb and in one click from YunoHost, Proxmox VE Helper-Scripts and Coolify. The README on GitHub has the exact steps.

What is NodeBB written in?

NodeBB is written mainly in JavaScript (88% of the code), with Go Template (11%), by GitHub’s count of the repository.

What are the alternatives to NodeBB?

Close alternatives in the Social networks & forums category include Discourse, Answer, Flarum.