Cloudron makes it easy to run web apps like WordPress, Nextcloud, GitLab on your server. Find out more or install now.


Skip to content
  • Categories
  • Recent
  • Tags
  • Popular
  • Bookmarks
  • Search
Skins
  • Light
  • Cerulean
  • Cosmo
  • Flatly
  • Journal
  • Litera
  • Lumen
  • Lux
  • Materia
  • Minty
  • Morph
  • Pulse
  • Sandstone
  • Simplex
  • Sketchy
  • Spacelab
  • United
  • Yeti
  • Zephyr
  • Dark
  • Cyborg
  • Darkly
  • Quartz
  • Slate
  • Solar
  • Superhero
  • Vapor

  • Default (No Skin)
  • No Skin
Collapse
Brand Logo

Cloudron Forum

Apps | Demo | Docs | Install
  1. Cloudron Forum
  2. NodeBB
  3. Curious why NodeBB instead of Discourse?

Curious why NodeBB instead of Discourse?

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Solved NodeBB
discoursenodebb
10 Posts 4 Posters 3.1k Views 4 Watching
  • Oldest to Newest
  • Newest to Oldest
  • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • marcusquinnM Offline
      marcusquinnM Offline
      marcusquinn
      wrote on last edited by girish
      #1

      Given you guys have thousands of posts experience with NodeBB, and to my eyes it seems to get the job done, so very happy with the community.

      I'm just wondering if your experience or anyone else can help guide me on why NodeBB instead of Discourse?

      Of course Discourse is popular, mature and largely familiar across the net.

      I just wondered, since putting time into setting any App us is a risk because later migration is usually a headache if every it gets done.

      Be nice to get your hindsight and see you're still happy with the choice and any pros & cons between the two?

      Of course I should search the wider web these things - but the experience and community here is really helping with time-saving, so maybe the same anecdotal evidence will help others too.

      Web Design https://www.evergreen.je
      Development https://brandlight.org
      Life https://marcusquinn.com

      1 Reply Last reply
      3
      • girishG Offline
        girishG Offline
        girish
        Staff
        wrote on last edited by
        #2

        The main reason is that we packaged NodeBB first and Discourse was only a recent addition. NodeBB is easier to maintain and package (for us) because Cloudron is also written in Node. Discourse is very nice but is a behemoth to package (it's a ruby app). Discourse is also very much into this docker style packaging as the "standard" mechanism and not supporting any other method.

        As for stability and maturity, NodeBB works very well for us and I don't think we have had any issue so far. We don't install many plugins though (only the answered plugin and the spam plugin are the critical ones) . Also, before we started this forum, we had a talk with the NodeBB founder (Julian/Andrew) and they were nice and friendly. That also played a big role 🙂

        marcusquinnM 2 Replies Last reply
        7
        • girishG girish

          The main reason is that we packaged NodeBB first and Discourse was only a recent addition. NodeBB is easier to maintain and package (for us) because Cloudron is also written in Node. Discourse is very nice but is a behemoth to package (it's a ruby app). Discourse is also very much into this docker style packaging as the "standard" mechanism and not supporting any other method.

          As for stability and maturity, NodeBB works very well for us and I don't think we have had any issue so far. We don't install many plugins though (only the answered plugin and the spam plugin are the critical ones) . Also, before we started this forum, we had a talk with the NodeBB founder (Julian/Andrew) and they were nice and friendly. That also played a big role 🙂

          marcusquinnM Offline
          marcusquinnM Offline
          marcusquinn
          wrote on last edited by
          #3

          @girish Nice, much appreciated. I had quick skim over the net, added to experience here, tells me NodeBB is still the right decision. Thanks for sharing - I'm in!

          Web Design https://www.evergreen.je
          Development https://brandlight.org
          Life https://marcusquinn.com

          1 Reply Last reply
          1
          • girishG girish

            The main reason is that we packaged NodeBB first and Discourse was only a recent addition. NodeBB is easier to maintain and package (for us) because Cloudron is also written in Node. Discourse is very nice but is a behemoth to package (it's a ruby app). Discourse is also very much into this docker style packaging as the "standard" mechanism and not supporting any other method.

            As for stability and maturity, NodeBB works very well for us and I don't think we have had any issue so far. We don't install many plugins though (only the answered plugin and the spam plugin are the critical ones) . Also, before we started this forum, we had a talk with the NodeBB founder (Julian/Andrew) and they were nice and friendly. That also played a big role 🙂

            marcusquinnM Offline
            marcusquinnM Offline
            marcusquinn
            wrote on last edited by
            #4

            @girish There wouldn't happen to be a NodeBB plugin/Theme with a Dark Mode? 😁 😎

            Web Design https://www.evergreen.je
            Development https://brandlight.org
            Life https://marcusquinn.com

            1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • girishG Offline
              girishG Offline
              girish
              Staff
              wrote on last edited by
              #5

              @marcusquinn You can select a skin from your profile (like 'darkly')

              25caeeff-d7d8-403b-a27a-300c09c29e2b-image.png

              marcusquinnM 1 Reply Last reply
              2
              • girishG girish

                @marcusquinn You can select a skin from your profile (like 'darkly')

                25caeeff-d7d8-403b-a27a-300c09c29e2b-image.png

                marcusquinnM Offline
                marcusquinnM Offline
                marcusquinn
                wrote on last edited by marcusquinn
                #6

                @girish ****ing amazing! Light mode made me blind to it! 🐶

                Could you make an already happy man any happier! 😹

                f65208a6-a0b2-4b6a-87ce-62c7c39a4794-image.png

                ♥

                Web Design https://www.evergreen.je
                Development https://brandlight.org
                Life https://marcusquinn.com

                1 Reply Last reply
                4
                • T Offline
                  T Offline
                  taowang
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #7

                  I am choosing a forum for my users recently.
                  Just wondering if Nodebb is still the best option in 2024?
                  Discourse has 43k github stars as of date whereas Nodebb has 14k stars.
                  Which platform has better builtin search functionality?
                  I feel like a robust search feature is crucial when there is too manny posts and discussions.
                  Does any of them support Algolia search?

                  L 1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • girishG Offline
                    girishG Offline
                    girish
                    Staff
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #8

                    Discourse is more popular than NodeBB for sure. I think it's best to just try out various public forums and decide for yourself. NodeBB based forums are probably harder to find than Discourse ones (atleast for tech forums). The Qt Forum is nodebb though (https://forum.qt.io/)

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • T taowang

                      I am choosing a forum for my users recently.
                      Just wondering if Nodebb is still the best option in 2024?
                      Discourse has 43k github stars as of date whereas Nodebb has 14k stars.
                      Which platform has better builtin search functionality?
                      I feel like a robust search feature is crucial when there is too manny posts and discussions.
                      Does any of them support Algolia search?

                      L Offline
                      L Offline
                      LoudLemur
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #9

                      @taowang There is also Flarum

                      https://flarum.org/

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      1
                      • marcusquinnM Offline
                        marcusquinnM Offline
                        marcusquinn
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #10

                        I much prefer NodeBB, just feels faster and lighter.

                        That being said, I couldn't work out how to make a private forum with it, which I can see some use for, but Discourse seems to have more documented in that area.

                        So it might be that your decision will be based more on specific features you want.

                        But if it's UI/UX, then I'd say go NodeBB, and be very thankful how damn easy Cloudron makes it to have all these options!

                        Web Design https://www.evergreen.je
                        Development https://brandlight.org
                        Life https://marcusquinn.com

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        Reply
                        • Reply as topic
                        Log in to reply
                        • Oldest to Newest
                        • Newest to Oldest
                        • Most Votes


                          • Login

                          • Don't have an account? Register

                          • Login or register to search.
                          • First post
                            Last post
                          0
                          • Categories
                          • Recent
                          • Tags
                          • Popular
                          • Bookmarks
                          • Search