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How to Install SMF Simplemachine Forum via Softaculous in cPanel?

SMF in short is a free, professional grade software package that allows you to set up your own online community within minutes. Its powerful custom made template engine puts you in full control of the lay-out of your message board and with our unique SSI - or 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 the resources of the server. SMF is the next generation of forum software - and best of all it is and will always remain completely free!

1.
Log into your cPanel account.

2. In the "Software and Services" section, click on "Softaculous" Icon.Softaculous 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 "SMF" link that will appear.
SMF Softaculous Icon


5. Click on the "Install" button.
SMF Install


6. Fill the necessary field under the "Software Setup" field:
  • Choose Domain: If you don't have multiple domains, leave this as it is.
  • In Directory: If you want to install this in a directory, for example example.com/forums, enter the directory name. Otherwise, leave this blank to install in your main domain example.com
  • Database Name: You can leave this as it is.


7. Enter the following details under the "Board Settings" field:
  • Board Name: Name of the forum
  • Visual verification image to display: Useful for spam prevention.
  • Board E-mail: The forums e-mail address
  • Table Prefix: Leave this as it is.
SMF Installation


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.
  • Real Name: Leave this as it is or enter your real name.
  • Admin Email: Your e-mail address. (Useful for administrator account password reset, notification, etc)
SMF Installation Screen
Note: Copy the admin username and password on a notepad because you will need these login details to access the admin area of your SimpleMachine(SMF) Forum.


9. Enter the following details under the "Choose Language" field:
  • Select Language: The default language of the forum is English.


Finally, scroll down to the end of page and click on the Install Button.
SMF Installs

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