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Flarum 2 installation

Forum Fortress provides a Composer extension for Flarum 2. Once enabled, it automatically registers the forum with Forum Fortress and begins checking supported activity.

Forum Fortress returns either ALLOW or BLOCK. An allowed action continues normally; a blocked action is rejected before Flarum completes it.

Before you start

Make sure you have:

  • Flarum 2.0.0-rc.5 or newer within the Flarum 2 series
  • PHP 8.3 or newer
  • Composer access in the Flarum installation directory
  • Flarum administrator access
  • outbound HTTPS access from the forum server

If your host manages Composer for you, ask it to install the package forumfortress/flarum.

Privacy and outbound access

Forum Fortress sends supported forum activity to its analysis service. Checks can include submitted text, links, IP address, email address, username, account details, and basic request metadata.

If your server uses an outbound firewall, allow HTTPS traffic on port 443 to hosts ending in:

*.ffapi.net

Read Privacy and network access before enabling the extension on a live community.

Install with Composer

Run these commands from the Flarum root, where composer.json and the flarum executable are located:

composer require forumfortress/flarum:"^1.0"
php flarum extension:enable forumfortress-flarum
php flarum cache:clear

Composer installs Forum Fortress and its required PHP/Flarum dependencies automatically.

You can also enable the extension from Administration > Extensions after Composer finishes.

First connection

  1. Open Administration > Extensions > Forum Fortress.
  2. Leave Site API key blank for a new installation. Forum Fortress bootstraps the site automatically.
  3. Keep Enable Forum Fortress protection enabled.
  4. Select Refresh to load the current site, plan, endpoint, and usage details.
  5. Select Connection test and wait for the success message.
  6. Optionally select Portal Login to open Forum Fortress and connect the forum to your account.

If details initially say Refresh to view, select Refresh, Connection test, or Synchronize now. These actions retrieve the latest status from the service.

You do not need a portal account before installation. See Your account and forums when you are ready to attach the forum to an account.

Setting Recommendation
Enable Forum Fortress protection Enabled
Allow requests when Forum Fortress is unavailable Enabled for most forums, so a service or network interruption does not lock users out
Request timeout Keep the default unless support asks you to change it
Check API, control API, preferred endpoint Leave automatic values unchanged unless diagnosing a connection issue
Site API key Leave blank on first use; automatic bootstrap stores the issued key

Scheduler

Forum Fortress uses Flarum's scheduler for heartbeat, endpoint maintenance, and moderation synchronization. Make sure the standard Flarum scheduler runs every minute:

* * * * * cd /path/to/flarum && php flarum schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1

Replace /path/to/flarum with the directory containing the flarum executable.

Manual synchronization is also available:

php flarum forumfortress:sync
php flarum forumfortress:moderation-sync

What is protected

The Flarum 2 extension checks:

  • new registrations
  • logins
  • new and edited discussions
  • new and edited replies
  • supported profile changes

Blocked registrations are rejected before the account is stored. Blocked discussions and replies are rejected before the content is published. Supported moderation actions synchronize with Flarum's normal Approval flow and the Forum Fortress portal.

Updating

From the Flarum root:

composer update forumfortress/flarum --with-dependencies
php flarum migrate
php flarum cache:clear

Open Forum Fortress in Administration and run Connection test after an update.

Disabling or removing

To disable the extension but keep it installed:

php flarum extension:disable forumfortress-flarum
php flarum cache:clear

To remove it:

composer remove forumfortress/flarum
php flarum cache:clear

Troubleshooting

Symptom What to check
Composer cannot find the package Confirm the package name is forumfortress/flarum, then run composer clear-cache and retry.
Extension will not enable Confirm Flarum is 2.0 RC5 or newer and PHP is 8.3 or newer.
Connection test fails Check outbound HTTPS, DNS, firewall, WAF, proxy, and host-level egress rules.
Status details do not appear Select Refresh or Synchronize now.
Portal Login does not open Allow popups for the Flarum administration page and try again.
Legitimate activity is blocked Review the decision in the portal, then include its decision reference when contacting support.
Synchronization is delayed Confirm Flarum's scheduler runs every minute and try Synchronize now.

For more help, check the general troubleshooting guide or use Forum Fortress support. Include your forum URL, Flarum version, extension version, approximate time, and any decision reference or error message.