NodeBB
Forum software built for the modern web.
- Social & Forums
- JavaScript
- GPL-3.0
- Docker
- Actively maintained
GitHub stats
- GitHub stars
- 15,231
- Forks
- 3,002
- Open issues
- 79
- Commits, last 12 months
- 3,349
- Last commit
- Oct 5, 2026
- Latest release
- v4.16.2Oct 5, 2026
- Created
- Apr 22, 2013
Data from the GitHub API, refreshed daily.
About NodeBB
Forum software built for the modern web. NodeBB is open source under the GPL-3.0 license and written mainly in JavaScript, so you can read the code, run it on your own hardware and keep full control of your data.
The project has 15,231 stars and 3,002 forks on GitHub, with 3,349 commits over the last year. It ships a Docker image, which makes it a good fit for a small VPS or a home server running Docker Compose.
Topics
- nodebb
- javascript
- redis
- forum
- node
- mongodb
- websockets
- socket-io
- community
- nodejs
Open-source alternative to
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What is NodeBB?
NodeBB is a free, open-source app you can host on your own server, listed in our Social & Forums category. Forum software built for the modern web. The source code lives at github.com/NodeBB/NodeBB, where it has 15,231 stars.
Is NodeBB free and open source?
Yes. NodeBB is open-source software released under the GPL-3.0 license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan.
Can I run NodeBB with Docker?
Yes. NodeBB provides a Docker image, so you can run it on any Linux server with Docker and Docker Compose installed. The project README lists the image name and the environment variables to set.
What are the best alternatives to NodeBB?
Popular open-source alternatives to NodeBB include Mastodon, Discourse and Flarum. NodeBB itself is a self-hosted alternative to Reddit.
Is NodeBB actively maintained?
The most recent commit to NodeBB was on Oct 5, 2026 with 3,349 commits in the past twelve months. The latest release is v4.16.2, published Oct 5, 2026. Check the open issues on GitHub to gauge how quickly maintainers respond.