Hello
I would like to replace my phpBB forum with Discourse.
I know PHP and MySQL.
Is it really different?
Can I upload it to a shared server?
This is my first test message.
See you soon! 
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Yes, Discourse is pretty different. It runs on Ruby on Rails and not on PHP.
You cannot just upload the files to a shared hosting environment. You have to get a Virtual Private Server (VPS) and use Docker. You could also get specialized Discourse hosting if you are not familiar with that.
In order to migrate your current forum: there is a script available to convert phpBB to Discourse, but this is something you could also ask for in marketplace.
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Hello Isabelle,
If needed, try.discourse.org is dedicated to all kinds of trials 
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The skills required for Discourse differ from those needed for a more traditional forum like the one RGJ used. Instead of using a text editor and FTP to transfer files, everything is managed from a terminal where you need to enter command lines. This can be intimidating at first, but in fact, the installation isn’t necessarily more complex than setting up a phpBB forum; it just requires different habits.
The two key skills needed are: knowing how to use a terminal (which is learned quickly) and having a basic understanding of managing your domain’s DNS (adding an entry to point to the forum’s address), but nothing radical is involved.
Regarding hosting, to stay with French-compatible Discourse providers, I’m used to working with OVH VPS servers: VPS
The real hurdle I find is configuring the email sending service. It’s often difficult to explain why nothing needs to be done on that front with shared hosting, whereas with Discourse you must use an external (such as Mailgun) or professional service (Discourse is compatible with OVH Pro emails: https://www.ovh.com/en/emails/email-pro/).
The four VPS types presented on the page will run a Discourse forum very well. For the operating system, Ubuntu 18.04 or Ubuntu 20.04 are excellent choices.
On the editorial side, Discourse is truly perfect for easily integrating images into posts; you simply drag the image into the message composer and it uploads automatically. Once you get past the installation and migration, which can be confusing, you won’t regret choosing Discourse in my opinion.
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I appreciate the replies, but we have a policy of sticking to English on meta, so there’s less cognitive overhead for everyone visiting…
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