BootForum [Java Bulletin Board]

Overview

Full features web based forum/discussion/bulletin board software implemented using Java, Spring Boot, EclipseLink, PrimeFaces, and W3.CSS.

• Cross-platform supported. All platforms that run Java: Unix/Linux, Windows, or Mac OS.
• Pre-bundled with embedded H2 database but will work with all relational databases that provide JDBC connectivity. Tested on PostgreSQL, H2, MySQL, SQL Server, and Oracle.
• Pre-bundled with Tomcat 9. No need to install a separate Web container.
• Responsive design using W3.CSS framework to display and function well on all screen sizes (desktop, tablet, or mobile phone)
• Very easy to operate: run out of the box with minimal configuration. Run-time configuration flexibility enabled by Spring Boot.

View BootForum Screenshots

Live Demo

Main Features:

• Discussion/Comment:

  • Add discussion
  • Add / reply / quote comment
  • Edit own comment
  • Add vote up/down (per comment)
  • Comment thumbnails and attachments (file size and count are configurable by administrators)
  • Replies can be viewed as a comment thread.
  • Tagged discussions: discussions can be tagged by administrator

• Live Chat

  • Chat live with other connected members
  • Attach images
  • HTML Emoji supported
  • Chat channels are managed (add / edit / delete) by system administrator

• Search

  • Search comments/discussions by keywords (backed by Lucence Index)
  • Search members (by username)

• Members

  • View user profile
  • User reputation

• Forums:

  • Flexible forum structures. Unlimited nested forum groups / sub-groups (categories / sub-categories)

• User Profile:

  • User managed profile: account info, avatar ...

• Private Messages:

  • Send/Receive messages to other forum members

• Administration:

  • Administrator Dash Board
  • Manage forums: add, edit, delete forum group / sub forum groups (unlimited nested structure)
  • Manage discussions: add tags, moderate (mark active/inactive)
  • Manage tags: create / edit, apply to discussions
  • Manage users: edit (change role, password) / delete / mark active/inactive, etc
  • Customizable home page display

• UI Theme:

  • Change look and feel based on each user's preferences

Prerequisites

Java 11 Recommended a relational database. If a stand-alone database is not available, the bundled H2 database can be used. BootForum has been tested with PostgreSQL, H2, MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle.

Try BootForum

Head to Running Instructions to download and try BootForum in your environment. Note that a separate relational database is recommended but is not required as BootForum is bundled with an embedded H2 database.

Recommended Environment for Development

For developers, the followings are recommended

• JDK 11 or later
• Maven 3 or later
• IDE: recommend tools with Spring development plugin such as Eclipse based Spring Tool Suite

Note

11/06/2021:

• Runtime Docker image is provided in Docker-Hub's with image id ch3nguyen/bootforum

12/12/2021:

Project is updated from JDK version 8 to 11.

• Another option is to use the Dockerized distribution (which include PostgreSQL database)