Forum Configuration

Flatboard Team • 22/12/2025 • 7 min de lecture

Forum Configuration

After installing Flatboard 5, configure your forum settings to match your needs. This guide covers all configuration options available in the admin panel and configuration files.

Configuration File

Flatboard 5 stores its main configuration in /stockage/json/config.json.

Important Warning

Never edit config.json manually while the forum is running. Always use the admin panel or ensure the forum is in maintenance mode.

Configuration Structure

{
  "site_name": "My Forum",
  "site_url": "https://example.com",
  "base_url": "",
  "default_language": "fr",
  "timezone": "Europe/Paris",
  "storage_type": "json",
  "debug": false,
  "maintenance_mode": false,
  "registration_enabled": true,
  "email_verification": false,
  "pagination_type": "classic",
  "smtp": {
    "enabled": false,
    "host": "",
    "port": 587,
    "username": "",
    "password": "",
    "from_email": "",
    "from_name": ""
  },
  "assets": {
    "minify_css": true,
    "minify_js": false,
    "cache_enabled": true
  }
}

General Settings

Site Information

Access: Admin Panel > Settings > General

Site Name - Your forum's display name
- Appears in page titles, headers, and emails
- Maximum 100 characters
Site URL - Full URL including protocol
- Format: https://example.com or http://example.com
- Used for email links and redirects
Site Description - Brief description for SEO
- Appears in meta tags
- Recommended: 150-160 characters
Base URL - Subdirectory path if installed in subfolder
- Leave empty if installed in root
- Example: /forum if installed at https://example.com/forum

Keep your site description under 160 characters for optimal display in search results.

Language and Timezone

Configure localization settings:

Default Language - Choose from available languages
- Available: English (en), French (fr), and more
- Users can override in their profile
Timezone - Set your server's timezone for correct timestamps
- Examples: Europe/Paris, America/New_York, Asia/Tokyo
- See PHP timezone list

Storage Configuration

Storage Type:

JSON - File-based storage (default, all editions)
SQLite - Database storage (Pro Edition only)

You can migrate between storage types using the StorageMigrator plugin. This requires a full data migration.

User Settings

Registration

Enable Registration - Allow new users to register
- When disabled, only admins can create accounts
Email Verification - Require email verification
- Users must verify email before account activation
- Requires SMTP to be configured
Default User Group - Group assigned to new users
- Typically: "Member" or "Guest"

Profile Settings

Allow Avatar Upload - Enable user avatar uploads
Avatar Max Size - Maximum file size (e.g., 2MB)
Avatar Dimensions - Maximum width/height (e.g., 200x200)
Allow Signature - Enable user signatures in posts
Signature Max Length - Maximum characters (e.g., 500)

Email Configuration

SMTP Settings

Access: Admin Panel > Settings > Email

Configure SMTP for reliable email delivery:

Enable SMTP - Turn on SMTP sending
SMTP Host - Your mail server (e.g., smtp.gmail.com)
SMTP Port - Usually 587 (TLS) or 465 (SSL)
Username - SMTP authentication username
Password - SMTP authentication password
From Email - Sender email address
From Name - Sender display name

SMTP passwords are automatically encrypted at rest using the internal `EncryptionHelper`. The value stored in `config.json` is always the encrypted form, never the plain-text password.

Sensitive SMTP credentials can also be supplied via environment variables, which take precedence over config.json values:

export FLATBOARD_SMTP_HOST="smtp.example.com"
export FLATBOARD_SMTP_USERNAME="[email protected]"
export FLATBOARD_SMTP_PASSWORD="secret"

Common SMTP Providers

Gmail:

Host: smtp.gmail.com
Port: 587
Encryption: tls
Username: [email protected]
Password: (App Password, not regular password)

Outlook/Office 365:

Host: smtp.office365.com
Port: 587
Encryption: tls

SendGrid:

Host: smtp.sendgrid.net
Port: 587
Encryption: tls
Username: apikey
Password: (Your SendGrid API key)

For Gmail, you must use an "App Password" instead of your regular password. Enable 2-Step Verification and generate an app password in your Google Account settings.

Test Email

Use the "Send Test Email" button to verify your SMTP configuration.

Security Settings

CSRF Protection

Enabled by default - Protects against Cross-Site Request Forgery
No configuration needed - automatically handled

Rate Limiting

Configure request rate limits:

Login Attempts - Max attempts per IP (default: 5)
Registration Attempts - Max registrations per IP (default: 3)
Password Reset - Max requests per hour (default: 3)

Password Requirements

Minimum Length - Minimum password characters (default: 8)
Require Uppercase - Require uppercase letters
Require Numbers - Require numeric characters
Require Special Characters - Require special chars (!@#$% etc.)

Performance Settings

Caching

Enable Cache - Enable Markdown and template caching
Cache Duration - Cache lifetime in seconds (default: 3600)

Asset Optimization

Minify CSS - Automatically minify CSS files
Minify JavaScript - Automatically minify JS files
Combine Assets - Combine multiple files into one

Enable caching and asset optimization for better performance, especially on production sites.

Maintenance Mode

Access: Admin Panel > Settings > Maintenance

Enable maintenance mode to perform updates or maintenance:

Maintenance Mode - Enable/disable
Maintenance Message - Message shown to visitors
Allow Admin Access - Admins can still access during maintenance

Maintenance mode disables public access to the forum. Only administrators can log in.

Advanced Settings

Debug Mode

Debug Mode - Enable detailed error messages
- Never enable in production - Security risk
- Use only for development/troubleshooting
- When enabled, HTML assets (CSS/JS) are not minified - Assets are served in their original, readable format for easier debugging
- When enabled, the Maintenance Tools section becomes visible in the Admin Dashboard — All rebuild, cleanup, and file-permission actions (Admin → Dashboard → Maintenance) are hidden in production and only appear when debug is true. A warning notice is displayed inside the section to remind administrators that these tools are exposed because debug mode is active.

Logging

Enable Logging - Log errors and events
Log Level - error, warning, info, debug
Log File - Location: /stockage/logs/

SEO Settings

Meta Title - Default page title
Meta Description - Default meta description
Meta Keywords - Default keywords (comma-separated)
Enable Sitemap - Generate sitemap.xml
Enable Robots.txt - Generate robots.txt

Configuration via Admin Panel

Most settings can be configured through the admin panel:

Navigate to Admin Panel - /admin
Go to Settings - Click "Settings" in the menu
Select Category - General, Users, Email, Security, etc.
Modify Settings - Change values as needed
Save Changes - Click "Save" button

Configuration via CLI

Some settings can be configured via command line:

# Set a configuration value
php app/Cli/console.php config:set site_name "My Forum"

# Get a configuration value
php app/Cli/console.php config:get site_name

# List all configuration
php app/Cli/console.php config:list

# Reload config from disk (discards in-memory cache — useful after manual edits)
php app/Cli/console.php config:reload

Backup Configuration

Always backup your configuration before making changes:

# Backup config.json
cp stockage/json/config.json stockage/json/config.json.backup

# Restore from backup
cp stockage/json/config.json.backup stockage/json/config.json

Troubleshooting Configuration

Settings Not Saving

Possible causes:

Insufficient file permissions
Configuration file locked
Disk space full

Solution:

chmod 600 stockage/json/config.json
chown www-data:www-data stockage/json/config.json

Email Not Sending

Check:

SMTP settings are correct
Firewall allows outbound connections on SMTP port
Credentials are valid
Test email function works

Timezone Issues

Solution: Use proper timezone identifier:

Correct: Europe/Paris
Incorrect: Paris, GMT+1, UTC+1

Resources

Installation Guide - Initial setup
Admin Panel Guide - Administration interface
Email and SMTP - Detailed email configuration
Security Guide - Security best practices
Troubleshooting - Common issues

Last updated: February 26, 2026