What are the default credentials?

The default admin account is flarum / flarum. Change the password immediately at /admin after the first login.

How much RAM does Flarum need?

Flarum with MariaDB runs comfortably on 512 MB of RAM. 1 GB is recommended for an active forum with dozens of concurrent users.

Yes. Flarum is open-source software under the MIT licence. No per-seat cost, no vendor lock-in. You only pay for your ServOrbit VPS.

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Flarum

Name: Flarum
Availability: InStock

Run your own community forum on your VPS — Flarum, MIT licence, extensible, no ads or third-party tracking.

512 MB (1 GB recommended) RAM 1 vCPU Port 8000 Available

Tech stack

DockerPHP 8.3MariaDB 10.11Nginxs6-overlay

Minimum RAM512 MB (1 GB recommended)

Minimum CPU1 vCPU

Default port8000

Compatible OSChoice of Linux distributions

Flarum is an open-source (MIT) community forum software built in PHP with an Ember.js SPA frontend. Unlike phpBB or Vanilla Forums, the entire interface updates in real time — new posts, likes and notifications appear without page reloads, giving your community a modern experience without the SaaS subscription.

Deployed on a ServOrbit VPS, Flarum runs in two Docker containers: MariaDB 10.11 for data and crazymax/flarum for the PHP application. The first startup automatically installs the database, creates the admin account and anchors your domain URL. Everything is managed from the built-in admin panel.

Flarum's Composer-based extension system gives you hundreds of community packages: polls, badges, SSO (OAuth2, LDAP), private messaging, Markdown extensions, custom pages and much more — installed in one click or one command, no code changes required.

Key features

Real-time updates without page reloads — new posts, notifications and likes appear instantly.

Powerful extension system — install community extensions for polls, badges, SSO, private messaging and more.

Built-in full-text search — find discussions and posts instantly across your entire forum.

Granular permissions — configure public, semi-private or fully private access per user group.

Email notifications and digest emails — keep your community engaged without constant log-ins.

Mobile-optimised single-page app — smooth, fast experience on any device.

Built-in JSON:API — connect Flarum to your existing tools and automations.

When to use this solution?

Developer community forum

Host a support and discussion space for your open-source project, SaaS product or developer tool — on your own domain, with full control over moderation and data.

Customer support community

Let customers help each other, reduce your support ticket volume and build a searchable, evergreen knowledge base of solved problems — all on your own server.

Private team discussion board

Use Flarum as an internal async discussion board for your team — private groups, per-project tags and email digests keep everyone aligned without constant meetings.

Deploy Flarum on your VPS

Guide optimized for ServOrbit Cloud VPS.

Attach a domain before deploying

Flarum locks its public URL (FLARUM_BASE_URL) at first startup. It cannot be changed without recreating the volumes. Attach your domain from your ServOrbit client area before clicking Deploy.

Deploy from the Marketplace

Marketplace → Collaboration → Flarum → Deploy. Two containers start: MariaDB 10.11 and the Flarum application. The full installation takes 60 to 90 seconds.

Change the default password

Go to your domain /admin, log in as flarum / flarum and immediately change the password from Administration → Profile.

Configure your forum

Set the forum title, description and cover image in the admin panel. Enable public registration or restrict it to invitations.

Install extensions

From Administration → Extensions, enable polls, markdown-editor, SSO and other community extensions in one click, or install any Composer package via SSH.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. Flarum locks FLARUM_BASE_URL at first startup — it cannot be changed without recreating the volumes. Attach your domain before deploying.

Yes. Flarum has a rich extension ecosystem. Install from Administration → Extensions or via composer require inside the container over SSH.

Embed the deploy button

Maintaining a project that uses Flarum? This button lets your readers deploy it on a VPS in one click, without reading Docker documentation.

Markdown

[![Deploy Flarum on ServOrbit](https://servorbit.com/brand/deploy/button.svg)](https://servorbit.com/vps-cloud?template=flarum&utm_source=deploy-badge&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=flarum)

HTML

<a href="https://servorbit.com/vps-cloud?template=flarum&utm_source=deploy-badge&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=flarum"><img src="https://servorbit.com/brand/deploy/button.svg" alt="Deploy Flarum on ServOrbit" height="40"></a>

The button points to a VPS order with the template preselected. The image is served from servorbit.com — nothing to host on your side.

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Activate Flarum on your infrastructure.

Dedicated Cloud VPS — IPv4 included, server in Europe, support included. Your data never leaves your server.

Recommended configuration: 512 MB (1 GB recommended) RAM · 1 vCPU

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