Phorum is an open source web-based and platform-independent software that provides webmasters and web designers with a straightforward way to install a full-featured message board into an existing website. The application is written in the PHP server-side programming language and uses the powerful MySQL database server to store entries.

It has been described by many users as a little different from similar products, especially because it is extremely lightweight. Another key feature of this software is its built-in module and hook system that not only it’s very flexible, but it allows webmasters to build their own Phorum modules that can be used to modify message data before it is stored, as well as to use external authentication.

You will be able to add custom information about messages and users. Thanks to its smart design, Phorum allows web designers to transform it in anything they want, in order to match the existing design of their websites.

The software uses standard HTML written templates that can be understanded and modified even by novice web designers. Not to mention that the Phorum developers embedded useful text commands in them.

New templates can be created with ease using the existing ones as a starting point. All you need is a little bit of HTML knowledge, PHP 5.2 or greater, as well as MySQL 5.0.15 or later. Unfortunately, as of Phorum 5.0, versions lower than PHP 4.2.x and MySQL 4.1.x are no longer supported.

Phorum is a versatile and extremely flexible message board software that can serve anyone's needs. Whether you want to use it to deploy a single forum with thousands of posts each day, or you just want to make a personal message board for your community, Phorum is here to help you.