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Build Guide

Build a Forum/Community Without WordPress

bbPress hasn't had a meaningful update in years. Build a forum that feels modern, loads fast, and keeps your community engaged.

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The Old Way

The WordPress Approach

Required Plugins

1bbPress (free) — basic forum functionality
2BuddyPress (free) — social networking features
3wpForo ($89-199/year) — full-featured forum
4BuddyBoss ($299-499/year) — premium community platform
5Asgaros Forum (free) — lightweight forum

Limitations

bbPress is barely maintained — last major update was years ago
Forum pages with 50+ replies load 3-5 seconds due to database queries
No real-time updates — users must refresh to see new replies
User profiles and reputation systems require additional plugins
Search across forum topics is nearly unusable at scale
BuddyBoss at $499/year is essentially paying for what should be basic functionality

Typical Cost

$0-500/year in plugins + $30-100/month hosting (forums are database-heavy)

The Modern Way

The Modern Approach

Next.js + Payload CMS + real-time subscriptions (or Discourse)

For a fully custom forum, use Payload CMS with collections for topics, replies, and user profiles, plus real-time updates via WebSockets. For a turnkey solution, self-host Discourse and integrate it with your Next.js site.

Real-time updates — new replies appear without page refresh
Full-text search across all topics and replies
Custom user profiles with reputation and badges
Markdown editor with code syntax highlighting
Moderation tools built into the admin panel

WordPress vs. Modern Stack

WordPress

  • bbPress is barely maintained — last major update was years ago
  • Forum pages with 50+ replies load 3-5 seconds due to database queries
  • No real-time updates — users must refresh to see new replies
  • User profiles and reputation systems require additional plugins
  • $0-500/year in plugins + $30-100/month hosting (forums are database-heavy)

Modern Stack

  • Real-time updates — new replies appear without page refresh
  • Full-text search across all topics and replies
  • Custom user profiles with reputation and badges
  • Markdown editor with code syntax highlighting
  • Moderation tools built into the admin panel

Recommended Tools

Discourse

Turnkey forum platform with real-time, search, and moderation

Free (self-hosted) or $50/month hosted

Payload CMS

Custom forum data model with topics, replies, and user management

Free (self-hosted) or $50/month cloud

Supabase

Database, auth, and real-time subscriptions for live updates

Free up to 500MB, $25/month Pro

Meilisearch

Full-text search across forum topics and replies

Free (self-hosted) or $30/month cloud

Step-by-Step Build Guide

1

Choose your approach: Discourse for turnkey or Payload + Supabase for fully custom

2

Set up user authentication with email verification and profile creation

3

Build the forum structure — categories, topics, and threaded replies with Markdown support

4

Add real-time updates via Supabase Realtime so new replies appear instantly

5

Implement moderation tools — flag/report, content removal, user suspension, and ban management

6

Integrate Meilisearch for full-text search across all forum content

7

Add user reputation system with upvotes, badges, and activity tracking

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I self-host Discourse or build custom?
Self-hosting Discourse is the fastest path to a production forum. Build custom only if you need deep integration with your product (like a support forum tied to user accounts) or a unique UX that Discourse can't provide.
How do I handle spam and moderation?
Discourse has built-in spam detection and trust levels. For custom builds, use Akismet API for spam detection, plus manual moderation queues and user reporting flows.
Can a forum help with SEO?
Absolutely. Forum topics generate unique, keyword-rich pages that rank well for long-tail queries. Discourse is SSR-friendly for search engines. Each question thread becomes an indexable page.

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