Week One Down, NodeBB Install and Setup

When I started down the path of setting up these two communities, I knew how I wanted to go through in the install and setting up process. That is by using Cloudron, a platform that you can easily install on your own VPS or even dedicated server that takes care of the installation process of whatever open source software you would like. The process of getting Cloudron setup was just three commands you enter within the terminal window of your server. Of course you would also need to have a domain available for use.

I've used both Discourse and NodeBB in the past on previous experiments, but I thought of a way in which I could go through the motions of creating these communities while also documenting my experience with it. Thankfully with both of these forum systems being essentially a one click install, the process of the install is quick and easy. Again, you have to have a domain set-up and ready to go for use on each forum community. Of course you really don't need to have an open domain, with Cloudron you could use a subdomain of the original domain you used for the Cloudron install. It just makes things much easier to keep track of and help separate one community from the other.

NodeBB Setup

Getting NodeBB up and running was easy using the one click install method of Cloudron. I found that this is probably the best option for those who are interested in getting started with this forum software, while not having to worry too much with admin work of getting everything setup.

The work done with NodeBB has been steadily getting better with each version, the overall feel and appearance of the software is built to be minimal without having a ton of flashy overlays. Being a way in which the experience of your members to see new or even latest posts and threads is probably a great way in getting your members to interact with each other quickly.

The basis of using NodeBB, or even Discourse, was the ability to have the forum gain access into the Fediverse. NodeBB has the ActivityPub option built into the core function of the forum software. As an admin you can easily activate this option with the flick of a switch. This was probably my main reason in getting these forums setup. I really love the integration with the Fediverse and having your threads shared out to the world without having to go through the process manually.

NodeBB Plugins

One of the downfalls to using NodeBB as your forum software of choice is the plugin marketplace. This isn't to say that there are none to choose from, but its the number of old, out of date plugins that remain available for admins to see. You could be looking for a plugin that brings in some capability of X, while you search for one there could be a few number of plugins that are available. The issue comes down to that those plugins are no longer being maintained. These plugins where made many years ago and unfortunately no one has come up to take over from the original author and bring them up to date with the latest version of NodeBB.

This is a sticking point as well in that there is a lower number of plugin developers to bring those older plugins up to date or even to create new ones that would fill a void from the core of NodeBB. One of the plugins that I feel is probably an essential option, is for embeds of links from places like YouTube and social networks. In my own person opinion that this should be a core feature of the forum software. There are others , but another plugin that is a potential core feature is the S3 upload . This is to offload uploaded pictures and files that members would normally add into their threads and posts be upload to a object storage bucket elsewhere. Keeping your server costs down without having to continuously add storage to your server.

The number of NodeBB installs are potentially tiny in comparison to other software like Discourse, Invision Community, or even Xenforo in so that the plugin developers are counted on a single sheet of paper. I should've prefaced this in that I don't believe this is a major con against NodeBB, but it is something you would need to take note of when looking around at the different forum software available.

Closing

With giving both of the forum software systems a fair shoot over the next 30 days, I've been enjoying my experience in using them. In NodeBB's camp I throughly enjoy the ActivityPub integration and am finding that the experience is great in getting posts and threads out to the wider world, but it also helps bring in interaction from people who aren't even part of the forum itself.

I only wish in that the plug in side of NodeBB was more streamlined and offered more options that one could find on other systems. This is just down to NodeBB's lower install base and even lower admin base as well. I'm not going to knock NodeBB because of this, but I would just need to work around the constrains of this. Most of the time I really don't need that many plugins as relaying on too many can give myself a lock in of needing one plugin in order to having a growing community.

Moving on towards customizing the forum is my next to-do for the next week. NodeBB offers a great starting potential that I feel more admins should at least give a try before settling on one platform.