Open beta Free to self-host, version 1.8.0-beta.1
A forum your community owns.
VoltexaHub is free forum software for communities that are meant to last. Discussions, private messages, polls and precise permissions, on a server you control. Point a domain at it, run the installer, and you're live.
- Free to self-hostAGPL-3.0. No member limits, no paid tiers.
- One-command installDocker, MySQL and automatic HTTPS, set up for you.
- Backups built inNightly backups, one-command restore, updates that roll back.
- Yours to shapeYour name and logo, plus themes and plugins.
For the people who post
Conversations that keep their shape.
Discussions live in forums people can browse, search and come back to, not in a feed that scrolls away. Members pick up exactly where they left off.
- Markdown posts with preview, quotes and attachments
- Unread tracking and watched discussions, with optional email
- Polls, upvotes and reputation that respect forum access
- Search that only shows what each member is allowed to see
- Profiles, avatars and signatures, in light or dark mode
Private conversations, with guard rails.
One-to-one and group messages that update as people reply. Protection against spam is built in rather than bolted on.
- New accounts wait before they can start conversations
- People must accept an invitation before joining a group
- Members can block someone or turn messages off entirely
- Messages can be reported to moderators
For the people who run it
Run a community without reading a manual first.
The admin area is organised around the decisions you actually make: who can see what, who can post where, and what new members agree to.
- Forums and categories you can nest and reorder by drag or keyboard
- Groups and permissions that inherit down the forum tree, plus an inspector that shows exactly what one member can do
- Moderation with reports, a review queue, pinning, locking and an activity log
- Registration rules: reserved names, email-domain lists, versioned community rules and optional Turnstile
- A launch checklist and starter templates for common community shapes
Self-hosting
Your server, looked after.
The installer sets up Docker, MySQL 8.4 and Caddy with automatic HTTPS certificates. After that, one command covers the jobs that usually make self-hosting a chore.
You keep the database, the uploads and the keys. Nothing phones home.
voltexahub doctorChecks HTTPS, the queue worker, the scheduler, disk space, certificate expiry and backup age.voltexahub backupDatabase, uploads and settings in one checksummed archive. Runs every night on its own.voltexahub updateBacks up, pulls the new version and rolls back automatically if it doesn't come up healthy.voltexahub restore FILEBrings everything back, on the same server or a brand-new one.voltexahub support-bundleRedacted diagnostics for a bug report, with no passwords or keys.
Make it look and work like yours.
Your name, your logo
Community name, logos, favicon, homepage text and footer are all set in the admin area. Members see your community, not ours.
Themes
Two bundled themes, child themes, and a component showcase that previews every state in light and dark.
Plugins
Documented hooks for routes, permissions, navigation and the editor, with scaffold commands to get started.
Memberships and donations
Optional Stripe and PayPal plans that unlock groups, for clubs and creators who need them.
Fast on modest hardware
Every page is measured against a budget of 50 database queries and 500 ms, and reply notifications run in the background.
Careful about safety
Permission checks on every read and write, rate limits, security headers and a content security policy.
It's a beta, and we'll say so.
The core forum is complete: everything on this page works today. You may still find bugs, and a few things people ask for aren't built yet.
If something breaks, tell us on the community forum. Beta feedback decides what gets fixed first.
- ShippedForum, messages and adminEverything above, in 1.8.0-beta.1.
- ShippedInstaller and server toolsInstall, backups, restore and safe updates.
- In progressImport from MyBBBeing tested against real MyBB installs.
- PlannedImport from phpBBThe next importer after MyBB.
- PlannedSocial login and arm64 serversSign in with existing accounts; ARM VPS support.
Questions before you install
The things people ask most, answered by the team. Ask your own on the community forum.
Yes. VoltexaHub is licensed under the AGPL-3.0, with no member limits or paid tiers. You pay only for your own server and domain. A managed hosting option may come later for people who would rather not run a server.
What do I need?
A VPS or VM running Debian 12/13 or Ubuntu 22.04/24.04 on amd64, with 2 GB of RAM and 10 GB of disk, and a domain name pointing at it with ports 80 and 443 open. The installer handles the rest.
Can I move my existing forum over?
Not yet. A MyBB importer is in progress and phpBB is next. During the beta, VoltexaHub is best for starting a new community.
What happens if an update goes wrong?
voltexahub update takes a backup first. If the new version doesn't start cleanly it switches back to the previous one, and prints the exact restore command for the backup it just made.
Can it send email?
Yes, through SMTP or Resend, set up in the admin area with a test that confirms a message actually reached an inbox. Until you configure it, verification and reset emails are only written to the log.
Where do I get help?
On the community forum, which runs on VoltexaHub. The documentation covers setup, moderation, themes and plugins.
Start your community this afternoon.
Three commands on a fresh server. The installer asks for your domain and email, then prints your admin login.
On your server
# Debian 12/13 or Ubuntu 22.04/24.04, with your domain pointing here
git clone https://github.com/joogiebear/voltexahub-install
cd voltexahub-install
sudo bash ./install.sh