Simple Machines Forum (SMF) Hosting

A2 Hosting offers an up-to-date version of Simple Machines Forum (SMF) as an easy Softaculous one-click install. If you'd like to install your own copy of SMF, our web hosting accounts are fully equipped with all the software you need including PHP 5 and MySQL 5.1.

Overview

Simple Machines Forum is a free, professional grade software package that allows you to set up your own online community within minutes.

SMF's powerful custom made template engine puts you in full control of the layout of your message board. With the unique SSI (Server Side Includes) function you can let your forum and your website interact with each other.

SMF is written in the popular language PHP and uses a MySQL database. It is designed to provide you with all the features you need from a bulletin board while having an absolute minimal impact on server resources.

SMF is a feature-rich discussion board package. Here's just a few of the available features – see the SMF Features List for a full listing.

General
Comprehensive template system
Designed for optimal performance and scalability
Security
All administrative actions require a session based authorization code
Major actions are time and IP locked, preventing hammering
Boards and Categories
Create child boards under other boards
Assign moderators to boards
Configure permissions for each member group on the board level
Member Registration
Require registration before forum entrance
Require a user to agree to terms before they register
Require a moderator to approve registration
Statistics
Several board statistics (accessible by permission)
Tracking of topics, messages, new members, and hits per day
Theming and Templating
Ability to install a new theme through your administration center
Default templates are XHTML 1.0 Transitional and CSS 2.0 compliant
Selectable smiley sets

Simple Machines Forum (SMF) Support

Thanks to Softaculous, installing SMF is a breeze. Just follow the guided installer and Softaculous will take care of all the initial configuration and database setup for you. Within minutes, you'll be up and running with this powerful, flexible online community software.

If you'd like to do a custom installation of SMF, our web hosting plans feature all the software you'll need including PHP5 and MySQL5.1.