# <img alt="NodeBB" src="http://i.imgur.com/mYxPPtB.png" /> [](https://travis-ci.org/nodebb/nodebb) [](https://david-dm.org/nodebb/nodebb) [](https://codeclimate.com/github/designcreateplay/NodeBB) **NodeBB Forum Software** is powered by Node.js and built on a Redis database. It utilizes web sockets for instant interactions and real-time notifications. NodeBB is compatible down to IE8 and has many modern features out of the box such as social network integration and streaming discussions. * [Get NodeBB](http://www.nodebb.org/ "NodeBB") * [Demo & Meta Discussion](http://community.nodebb.org) * [NodeBB Blog](http://blog.nodebb.org) * [Documentation](http://docs.nodebb.org) - includes setup instructions for other platforms * [Join us on IRC](https://kiwiirc.com/client/irc.freenode.net/nodebb) - #nodebb on Freenode * [Follow us on Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/NodeBB/ "NodeBB Twitter") * [Like us on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/NodeBB/ "NodeBB Facebook") * [Get Plugins](http://community.nodebb.org/category/7/nodebb-plugins "NodeBB Plugins") * [Get Themes](http://community.nodebb.org/category/10/nodebb-themes "NodeBB Themes") * [Help translate NodeBB](https://www.transifex.com/projects/p/nodebb/) ## Screenshots [<img src="http://i.imgur.com/FLOUuIqb.png" />](http://i.imgur.com/FLOUuIq.png) [<img src="http://i.imgur.com/Ud1LrfIb.png" />](http://i.imgur.com/Ud1LrfI.png) [<img src="http://i.imgur.com/ZC8W39ab.png" />](http://i.imgur.com/ZC8W39a.png) [<img src="http://i.imgur.com/o90kVPib.png" />](http://i.imgur.com/o90kVPi.png) [<img src="http://i.imgur.com/AaRRrU2b.png" />](http://i.imgur.com/AaRRrU2.png) [<img src="http://i.imgur.com/LmHtPhob.png" />](http://i.imgur.com/LmHtPho.png) [<img src="http://i.imgur.com/paiJPJkb.jpg" />](http://i.imgur.com/paiJPJk.jpg) [<img src="http://i.imgur.com/ZfavPHDb.png" />](http://i.imgur.com/ZfavPHD.png) [<img src="http://i.imgur.com/8OLssij.png" />](http://i.imgur.com/8OLssij.png) [<img src="http://i.imgur.com/JKOc0LZ.png"/>](http://i.imgur.com/JKOc0LZ.png) Credit: [Convoe](http://www.convoe.com), [Kano](http://www.kano.me), [Manchester United Forum](http://manutdforums.com/). ## How can I follow along/contribute? * Our feature roadmap is hosted on the project wiki's [Version History / Roadmap](https://github.com/NodeBB/NodeBB/wiki/Version-History-%26-Roadmap) * If you are a developer, feel free to check out the source and submit pull requests. We also have a wide array of [plugins](http://community.nodebb.org/category/7/nodebb-plugins) which would be a great starting point for learning the codebase. * If you are a designer, [NodeBB needs themes](http://community.nodebb.org/category/10/nodebb-themes)! NodeBB's theming system allows extention of the base templates as well as styling via LESS or CSS. NodeBB's base theme utilizes [Bootstrap 3](http://getbootstrap.com/) but themes can choose to use a different framework altogether. * Please don't forget to **like**, **follow**, and **star our repo**! Join our growing [community](http://community.nodebb.org) to keep up to date with the latest NodeBB development. ## Requirements NodeBB requires the following software to be installed: * A version of Node.js at least 0.10 or greater * Redis, version 2.6 or greater **or** MongoDB, version 2.4 or greater * nginx, version 1.3.13 or greater (**only if** intending to use nginx to proxy requests to a NodeBB) ## Installation [Please refer to platform-specific installation documentation](http://docs.nodebb.org/en/latest/installing/os.html) ## Securing NodeBB It is important to ensure that your NodeBB and database servers are secured. Bear these points in mind: 1. While some distributions set up Redis with a more restrictive configuration, Redis by default listens to all interfaces, which is especially dangerous when a server is open to the public. Some suggestions: * Set `bind_address` to `127.0.0.1` so as to restrict access to the local machine only * Use `requirepass` to secure Redis behind a password (preferably a long one) * Familiarise yourself with [Redis Security](http://redis.io/topics/security) 2. Use `iptables` to secure your server from unintended open ports. In Ubuntu, `ufw` provides a friendlier interface to working with `iptables`. * e.g. If your NodeBB is proxied, no ports should be open except 80 (and possibly 22, for SSH access) ## Upgrading NodeBB Detailed upgrade instructions are listed in [Upgrading NodeBB](https://github.com/NodeBB/NodeBB/wiki/Upgrading-NodeBB)