How to Install phpBB Forum via Softaculous in cPanel?

Contents

    1. Log into your cPanel account.

    2. In the Software section, click on the Softaculous App Installer Icon.


    3.
    cPanel will redirect you to the Softaculous Panel.

    4. On the left side of your screen, you should locate the Forums category. Click on it and then click on the phpBB link that will appear.

    5. Click on the Install button.

     

    6. Fill the necessary field, under the Software Setup field:

    • Choose Installation URL: Choose the appropriate protocol/domain. Inside the “In Directory” field, should you want to install this in a directory, i.e., example.com/directory, enter the directory name. Otherwise, leave it blank to install in your main domain, i.e., example.com

     

    7. Enter the following details under the Board Settings field:

    • Board Name: Name of the forum.
    • Site Description: Site Description.
    • Board E-mail: The e-mail address of the forum.

     

    8. Under the Admin Account field, enter the following information:

    • Admin Username: Your new phpBB username (for security reason do not use the Administrator or the Admin username.)
    • Admin Password: Use a strong password.
    • Admin Email: Your e-mail address.



    Note:
    Copy the admin username and password on a notepad because you will need these login details to access the admin area of your phpBB Forum.

     

    9. Enter the following details under the Choose Language field:

    • Select Language: The default language of the forum is English.

     

    10. Advanced Options: Leave this as it is unless you want to change the database name or take an automated backup. Please note that taking frequent backups may take a lot of disk space.

    Finally, scroll down to the end of the page and click on the Install button.

    Updated on September 19, 2016
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    63 responses to “How to Install phpBB Forum via Softaculous in cPanel?”

    1. Cornelius Ashgrove Avatar

      Clean, simple steps. phpBB feels less intimidating now.

    2. Philomena Strathdee Avatar

      I would have chosen the wrong protocol without this tip.

    3. Ezekiel Fairweather Avatar

      The screenshots made the folder choice painless. Thanks.

    4. Genevieve Altamirano Avatar

      Good reminder to pick a strong admin password before hitting install.

    5. Barnaby Hollingsworth Avatar

      Set it up for a small hobby club. Members were posting within the hour.

    6. Winifred Oakhampton Avatar

      Why bother with a guide? Because the installer skips explaining the admin URL.

    7. Ignatius Pellegrew Avatar

      Short, sweet, and it actually matched what my cPanel showed.

    8. Thaddeus Quillfeather Avatar

      Does this also work if the host runs an older Softaculous version? Mine looks a bit different.

    9. Rosalind Achterberg Avatar

      Nice walkthrough, and the admin account section was refreshingly clear.

    10. Leopold Vanterpool Avatar

      Wish I had found this before wrestling with a manual upload last year.

    11. Perpetua Inglewood Avatar

      Quick and to the point. Forum is up and running now.

    12. Cassian Throckmorton Avatar

      Worked on the first try. The database step was the only part I double-checked.

    13. Ottilie Brandvold Avatar

      Why is a guide even needed? Because the cPanel menu hides the forum option three clicks deep.

    14. Marcus Delvaux Avatar

      Honestly never knew Softaculous could handle phpBB this cleanly. Saved me an evening.

    15. Montgomery Gravesend Avatar

      Does Softaculous keep phpBB updated automatically afterwards?

    16. Octavia Plumtree Avatar

      Short guide, big payoff. A forum is surprisingly simple now.

    17. Fitzgerald Yarrowby Avatar

      Tried it, worked first go. Thanks for the clear steps.

    18. Clementine Ardwick Avatar

      Why not just use a hosted forum? This guide makes a good case for self-hosting.

    19. Ignatius Bellweather Avatar

      Would love to see how to move an existing phpBB board over with this method.

    20. Rosalind Kettleby Avatar

      Nice that the guide skips the jargon.

    21. Thaddeus Marlowe-Finch Avatar

      Quick and painless. My forum was live before the coffee cooled.

    22. Genevieve Tarrant Avatar

      Why does phpBB need a guide at all? Because the admin screen is overwhelming at first.

    23. Alaric Pennywhistle Avatar

      The Softaculous approach beats my old FTP routine by miles.

    24. Philippa Dunmore Avatar

      Great for beginners. A note on backups would round it off nicely.

    25. Lysander Quennell Avatar

      Three clicks and a database name. Who knew?

    26. Imelda Strathmore Avatar

      Bookmarked for the day I finally start that fan forum.

    27. Rupert Hollowmere Avatar

      Is phpBB still worth it versus Discord? Either way, the setup is easy.

    28. Corvin Ellesmere Avatar

      Handy. Does the install work the same on shared hosting plans?

    29. Winifred Larkspur Avatar

      I had no idea cPanel had a one-click installer for forums.

    30. Evander Pellham Avatar

      Good to know phpBB is still around and this easy to set up.

    31. Seraphina Mallowby Avatar

      Clear steps, no fluff. Exactly what I wanted for my hobby board.

    32. Barnaby Quillfeather Avatar

      Why bother with manual uploads when Softaculous does it all? Nice reminder.

    33. Ottoline Fairweather Avatar

      A forum in a few clicks. Feels like cheating, in a good way.

    34. Cassian Thornbury Avatar

      Did anyone else get stuck on the cPanel login step? Otherwise a solid guide.

    35. Leopold Ashgrove Avatar

      Handy walkthrough. I would love a follow-up on picking a good phpBB theme.

    36. Perpetua Voss-Hale Avatar

      Installed phpBB this way last month. Painless, apart from choosing an admin password.

    37. Dashiell Orrington Avatar

      Short and sweet. The Softaculous screenshots saved me ten minutes.

    38. Marisol Quillhaven Avatar

      Why does a forum need its own guide? Because nobody remembers the cPanel clicks.

    39. Tobias Wrenfield Avatar

      Softaculous makes phpBB sound easy, but does it really skip the manual database setup?

    40. Basilio Kettleman Avatar

      Why not just use a social group instead? Fair question, but a forum feels more permanent.

    41. Neriah Stoltzfus Avatar

      Short guide, big payoff. Cheers.

    42. Corwin Abelard Avatar

      Do I need SSL set up first, or can that wait until after?

    43. Zelda Marchetti-Roe Avatar

      A forum in a box. Wonderful and slightly dangerous.

    44. Perrin Halvorsen Avatar

      Smooth install, though the cPanel menu layout threw me for a second.

    45. Imelda Quarrington Avatar

      Took me longer to pick a theme than to install the thing.

    46. Lucan Ferreyra Avatar

      Why does the installer even ask for a table prefix? Genuinely curious.

    47. Tamsin Vorhees Avatar

      Cute tip about the admin folder. Mine got renamed right away.

    48. MThomas91 Avatar

      Good reminder to set the board email before anything else.

    49. Odalys Brennecke Avatar

      Is the Softaculous route any different from installing phpBB through the manual zip?

    50. Fresh169 Avatar

      Anyone tried this on shared hosting with a tight inode limit?

    51. Casey_85 Avatar

      Clean walkthrough. Skipped the fluff, which I appreciate.

    52. JessicaM_53 Avatar

      Wish I had this guide back when I fought with FTP for an hour.

    53. Health3350 Avatar

      Does Softaculous also handle the database creation automatically here?

    54. Nancy_76 Avatar

      Four clicks and a password. The hard part is picking a forum name.

    55. DJones87 Avatar

      Which PHP version did you pick for it? Mine complained on 8.3.

    56. RobertR151 Avatar

      Bookmarking this for the next client who asks for a community board.

    57. quinnjohnson56 Avatar

      My forum looked so empty after install, like a tidy new apartment.

    58. quinnjohnson70 Avatar

      Honestly, why is a guide even needed? Click, click, done. Still, thanks for the screenshots.

    59. Health1143 Avatar

      Nice that it covers the cPanel side too, not just the forum settings.

    60. Health1143 Avatar

      Does the admin password get emailed after install, or do I set it during the wizard?

    61. Strong607 Avatar

      Short and clear. Forum up in five minutes.

    62. William76 Avatar

      Why would anyone still upload phpBB manually when a one-click installer exists?

    63. William76 Avatar

      Softaculous makes this so painless, I remember doing phpBB by hand years ago.

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