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OpenForum Documentation

Welcome to OpenForum - a modern, full-featured forum application built with Next.js 15, featuring real-time discussions, comprehensive admin management, and a beautiful, responsive UI.

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🌟 What is OpenForum?​

OpenForum is a powerful, open-source forum solution designed for modern communities. Whether you're building a developer community, customer support forum, or educational platform, OpenForum provides all the tools you need to create engaging discussions.

✨ Key Features​

🏠 Core Forum Features​

  • Thread Management: Create, edit, pin, lock, and organize discussion threads
  • Categories: Organize discussions with customizable categories (colors & icons)
  • Rich Posting: Rich text posting with editing capabilities and formatting
  • Advanced Search: Search with category, author, and content filtering
  • Voting System: Upvote/downvote posts similar to Reddit
  • Bookmarks: Save threads and posts for later reading
  • Pagination: Efficient browsing of large discussions

👥 User Management​

  • Multiple Authentication: Email/password, Google OAuth, GitHub OAuth
  • Rich Profiles: Bio, signature, website, location, reputation system
  • Role System: Admin, Moderator, User roles with granular permissions
  • Two-Factor Authentication: Enhanced security with 2FA support
  • Email Verification: Secure account verification with OTP

🛡️ Admin Features​

  • Admin Dashboard: Comprehensive overview of forum statistics and activity
  • User Management: Ban users, change roles, view detailed user profiles
  • Category Management: Create, edit, delete, and organize discussion categories
  • Thread Moderation: Pin, lock, hide, or delete threads with moderation tools
  • Reports System: Handle user reports and manage community moderation
  • Analytics: Track forum growth, engagement, and user activity

🎨 Modern UI/UX​

  • Fully Responsive: Perfect experience on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices
  • Dark/Light Mode: Theme switching with system preference detection
  • Modern Components: Built with Radix UI and Tailwind CSS
  • Smooth Animations: Polished interactions and transitions
  • Accessibility: WCAG compliant with full keyboard navigation

⚡ Performance & Technology​

  • Server-Side Rendering: Fast initial page loads with Next.js 15
  • Edge Caching: Optimized for global CDN delivery
  • Database Optimization: Efficient queries with Drizzle ORM
  • Progressive Enhancement: Works without JavaScript
  • TypeScript: Full type safety and excellent developer experience

🛠️ Technology Stack​

Frontend​

  • Next.js 15 - React framework with App Router
  • TypeScript - Type safety and enhanced developer experience
  • Tailwind CSS - Utility-first CSS framework
  • Radix UI - Accessible, unstyled component primitives
  • Lucide Icons - Beautiful, customizable icon library

Backend​

  • Next.js API Routes - Server-side logic and API endpoints
  • Better Auth - Modern authentication library with multiple providers
  • Drizzle ORM - Type-safe database queries and schema management
  • PostgreSQL - Reliable, feature-rich database

Services​

  • Resend - Email delivery service for notifications
  • Vercel - Deployment and hosting platform (recommended)

🚀 Quick Start​

Ready to get started? Choose your path:

🚀 Get Started

🌐 Deploy Now

📁 View Source

📖 Documentation Sections​

For New Users​

For Administrators​

For Developers​

🤝 Community & Support​

📄 License​

OpenForum is released under the MIT License. You're free to use it for personal and commercial projects.

Ready to build your community? 🌟 Get started now and have your forum running in minutes!