{"id":743,"date":"2017-01-19T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-01-19T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.hostinger.io\/hostinger-tutorials\/uncategorized\/how-to-install-phpbb\/"},"modified":"2025-12-22T15:08:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T15:08:21","slug":"how-to-install-phpbb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/tutorials\/how-to-install-phpbb","title":{"rendered":"PhpBB tutorial: how to install it and start using it to make an online forum"},"content":{"rendered":"

For bloggers and content creators, setting up an online forum is a great way to establish a strong community. Even if you are not a developer, you can easily set up one using a tool like phpBB.<\/p>

In this phpBB tutorial, we will explain the software’s prerequisites and how to install it. You will also learn about the tool’s basic configurations so you can start your online forum effortlessly.<\/p>

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What is phpBB<\/h2>

phpBB<\/a> is an open-source forum software that lets you create a bulletin board website where registered users can post threads and messages.<\/p>

This software is free and beginner-friendly. It comes with various extensions<\/a> that easily add new functionalities to your forums without coding. The pre-made templates also simplify phpBB customization.<\/p>

Prerequisites<\/h2>

To install phpBB, you need a virtual private server<\/a> (VPS) running a newer version of a Linux operating system, like Ubuntu 22.04<\/strong>.<\/p>

Since phpBB is relatively lightweight, a basic VPS plan should be sufficient. Also, ensure your hosting provider offers root access to avoid permission issues when setting up the software.<\/p>

Based on the requirements, Hostinger VPS hosting is a great choice. Starting at $6.49\/month<\/strong>, our phpBB forum VPS plans<\/a> provide features that help simplify the software configuration process and Kodee, a VPS AI assistant<\/a> that can manage various aspects of your system.<\/p>

phpBB also requires a web stack consisting of a database, the latest version of PHP, and a web server. At Hostinger, you can install them without commands using the VPS Operating System templates<\/a>. We’ll explain how to do so later.<\/p>

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In addition, ensure you have a domain name pointing to your VPS IP address<\/a>. If you don’t have one, we recommend purchasing it from Hostinger.<\/p>

Installing phpBB<\/h2>

Here are the steps for installing phpBB on Hostinger’s VPS. Before proceeding, we recommend downloading our cheat sheet below since the process involves various Linux commands<\/a>.<\/p>

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1. Install the operating system and web stacks<\/h3>

Before installing phpBB, set up the required web stack. You can configure different software, but we will use Ubuntu, MySQL, Apache, and PHP. Here’s how to do so on Hostinger’s virtual private server:<\/p>

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  1. Open hPanel<\/strong><\/a> and click VPS<\/strong> from the top menu.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. From the list, click Manage<\/strong> on your VPS.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Navigate to the sidebar →<\/strong> Settings <\/strong>→ OS & Panel<\/strong> → Operating System<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Click the Application tab and select Ubuntu 22.04 with LAMP Stack (Apache, MySQL, PHP)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Hit Change OS<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
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