ForumKitt is a complete, self-hosted community forum platform for launching your own discussion board. Categories, threads, Q&A with accepted answers, polls, private messaging, and a full moderation suite — plus a built-in gamification engine with XP, levels, and badges to keep members coming back. Built with Laravel and Blade, with a browser-based installer and no monthly fees.

Version: 1.0
Updated: July 24, 2026
For the latest updates and new features, see the changelog

Live Demo: https://forumkitt.kittapps.com/

Community & Discussions

• Categories & Forums: unlimited structure with per-forum icons, colors, and ordering.
• Thread Types: discussion, question, poll, and announcement.
• Questions & Answers: mark the reply that solved it as the accepted answer.
• Polls: single or multiple choice with live results and optional closing date.
• Rich Editor: formatted posts with images, lists, quotes, and code blocks.
• Reactions: configurable emoji reactions on any post.
• Tags: topic tags with colors and dedicated tag pages.
• Bookmarks & Subscriptions: save threads and follow them for replies.
• Search: full search across threads, posts, and members.
• Access Control: per-forum minimum level to view or post.

Members & Gamification

• XP & Points: configurable point rules per action with optional daily caps.
• Levels: automatic level progression driven by XP.
• Badges: auto-awarded on criteria, with a featured badge on profiles.
• Leaderboard: public ranking of top members.
• Member Profiles: avatar, bio, signature, stats, and recent activity.
• Member Directory: browse and search the whole community.

Messaging & Notifications

• Private Messaging: one-to-one and group conversations with unread counts.
• Notifications: in-app and email alerts for replies, mentions, and badges.
• Per-User Preferences: members choose what they receive and where.
• Realtime Updates: live badges over Server-Sent Events or WebSockets.
• Weekly Digest: optional roundup email to opted-in members.
• Email Templates: every transactional email editable with placeholders.

Moderation & Safety

• Approval Queue: hold new members' first posts for review.
• Reports: members flag posts, threads, and users for staff review.
• Bans: temporary or permanent, with a reason shown at login.
• IP Bans: block problem addresses outright.
• Word Filters: automatically replace or block matched terms.
• Warnings: issue formal warnings to members.
• Audit Log: every staff action recorded with actor, target, and IP.
• Anti-Spam: flood control, link restrictions by XP, and timing-based bot checks.

Admin Panel

• Dashboard: members, threads, posts, and activity at a glance.
• Structure: manage categories and forums.
• Content: manage threads, posts, and tags with bulk actions.
• Users & Roles: accounts plus granular role permissions.
• Gamification: point rules, levels, and badges.
• Announcements: site-wide dismissible notices.
• Settings: ten grouped tabs covering every site option.

Design & Branding

• Multiple Themes: Bold, Classic, and Atlas theme styles.
• Dark Mode: light, dark, or follow-system, with a visitor switcher.
• Primary Color: pick your brand color with a live color picker.
• Logo & Favicon: upload light and dark logos plus a favicon.
• Email Branding: your logo appears in outgoing emails.
• Custom CSS: inject your own styles on every page.

Accounts & Security

• Registration Control: open or closed sign-ups.
• Email Verification: optionally required before posting.
• Two-Factor Authentication: emailed one-time codes.
• Session Management: members view and revoke active sessions.
• Login Throttling: rate limiting against brute force.

SEO & Setup

• Install Wizard: browser-based setup in under five minutes.
• Sitemap & RSS: auto-generated and kept up to date.
• Meta & Open Graph: configurable title templates and social cards.
• Slug Redirects: old links keep working when a thread title changes.
• Maintenance Mode: take the site down while staff keep browsing.

• PHP 8.3 or newer with the common Laravel extensions (PDO, OpenSSL, Mbstring, cURL, etc.)
• MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, or SQLite database
• Works on shared hosting, VPS, or any Laravel-compatible hosting (Apache or Nginx)
• SMTP email account for sending emails
• Cron job for scheduled tasks (leaderboard, badges, sitemap, digest)
• Queue worker for background email delivery

documentation