Before launching your Discourse community, we recommend taking some time to walk through this checklist. Migration projects are exciting but checking everything carefully now helps ensure a smooth experience for your members from day one.
We know there’s a lot to review, and some steps may seem repetitive, but that’s because many migration hiccups only show up when features are actively used. This list is designed to help you confidently verify that everything works as it should so you can launch with peace of mind.
Tip: Try each action as if you’re a real user or moderator (not just scanning) it’s the best way to spot hidden issues!
If you have questions or run into anything unexpected along the way, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to help.
User Accounts & Permissions
Log in
Test logging in or impersonate as several real users, including at least one admin, moderator, and regular user. Use incognito/private mode to simulate different users. Select a user to impersonate http://your-forum-domain/admin/users/list/active.
Check Permissions
After login, try to access admin/moderator features with those accounts. Verify only correct users have these abilities.
Example: Confirm a regular user cannot see Admin-only or restricted areas
User Profiles
View several user profiles, especially your most active users.
Look for expected email, avatar, background image, and profile fields (name, bio, website, location, badges, and any other custom fields that may have been imported).
Check the user stats on the summary page, your-forum-domain/my/summary. Do they match up with what is expected?
Check your-forum-domain/u/your-username/preferences/profile to ensure your own profile has the correct profile information.
Try updating profile details to ensure data is editable. You can check yours here your-forum-domain/my/preferences/account*
Check badges are correct by visiting your-forum-domain/badges
Check trust levels and groups by visiting your-forum-domain/g. Make sure memberships, roles, and privileges migrated correctly.
Try group-restricted actions: Post in a group-specific category, or view a group’s page, to ensure correct access.
Review banned/suspended account behavior: Attempt to log in with banned/suspended accounts. A list of banned users can be reviewed at your-forum-domain/admin/users/list/suspended. Example: Suspended users should see an error or explanation.
Check SSO and external IDs: Visit a user profile via the admin dashboard to see if any of the correct IDs were migrated, then test logging in as that user via SSO.
Categories & Category Permissions
Browse all categories: Compare against your legacy site to ensure names, descriptions, and order/hierarchy match. Go to your-forum-domain/categories to view all categories.
Test subcategories: Go one level deeper. Open subcategories and verify their parent/child relationships.
Attempt access to private categories: While logged in as authorized and unauthorized users, try to enter private or restricted categories. Example: A non-authorized user should get a “permission denied” screen.*
Try adding content: As various users, attempt to create topics or replies in public and private categories to confirm permissions.
Tags
Visit the tag browser: Go to your-forum-domain/tags and look for all expected tags.
Open sample topics with tags: Confirm tags are attached to the correct topics.
Verify tag groups and permissions: Test adding tags (if your old platform had restrictions), and attempt to apply private tags as unauthorized users. Example: Tag application should be limited to the right groups.
Topics and Posts
Find several active topics that had replies, likes, images, attachments, polls, and quotes in your old forum.
Reply to a thread and check post order and author.
Like/unlike posts: Confirm counts update and display as expected. You can see the like count at the bottom of a post.
React with emoji: Where enabled, add reactions.
Or a summary of data at the bottom of the first post in a topic.
Edit a post: Verify both edit history and “last edited by” are correct.
Click mentions, quotes, and links: Confirm profile pop-ups and navigation work.
View/download attachments: Make sure files/images open and match originals.
Interact with polls, code blocks, tables, and votes: Submit a poll response, copy/paste from code blocks, etc.
Tip: Compare each element visually and functionally with the legacy forum.*
Mark a post as a solution: Make sure the topic show as solved and that solved topics are being displayed on user profiles.
Check for special characters: Scan and interact with posts containing non-Latin or accented characters.
Check deleted/hidden posts (“Whispers”): Make sure deleted/historic/hidden posts are handled correctly and invisible or viewable only by staff as appropriate.
Private Messages
Read migrated PMs: Open several migrated PM threads as different participants.
Send and reply to PMs: Test that new replies are delivered only to correct users.
Validate formatting: Check images, mentions, and links within PMs. See “Topics and Posts” for comprehensive formatting actions.
Attempt unauthorized access: Ensure non-participants cannot view private messages.
Redirections & Internal/External Links
Test redirected URLs: Paste the path from your previous forum after your Discourse domain in your browser. Confirm they redirect to the correct locations in Discourse (topics, users, tags, etc.).
Example:
Suppose your old forum link looked like: your-old-forum-domain/thread/12345-viewer-feedback
Copy just the path: /thread/12345-viewer-feedback
Then paste it after your new Discourse domain: your-forum-domain/thread/12345-viewer-feedback
You should be redirected automatically to the Discourse topic’s new URL: your-forum-domain/t/viewer-feedback/67890
Click migrated links in content: Inside topics, posts, and messages, click links to other migrated content to ensure all links redirect properly.
Try both internal and external (legacy) links. See the Admin dashboard at your-forum-domain/admin/customize/permalinks for a list of active redirects.*
Other Migrated Features
If applicable, review all special objects and modules. Interact with each feature. For example, bookmark a topic, trigger a notification, post a chat message. Ensure full user interactivity. Check if a migrated calendar event is displayed in the calendar and can be edited or deleted if permissions allow.*
- Gamification points
- Bookmarks
- Calendar events
- Watched words
- Assigns
- Notification preferences
- Sticky topics
- Chat messages
Object Counts & Statistics
Compare object counts: Get totals of users, topics, posts, categories, tags, PMs, likes, views, replies, and uploads from your old platform and compare with the admin dashboard in Discourse (your-forum-domain/admin/dashboard/reports).
Check places where stats would be shown, like in user profiles, topic summaries, or topic lists. For example here is what is shown in the Topics page.
Check counts for special objects where relevant (polls, bookmarks, votes, solutions, etc.). Note: Minor mismatches may occur due to differences in data handling (e.g., email deduplication). Flag large discrepancies for investigation.
Spam and Security Check
Take a moment to check for any spam posts or users that may have come over during your migration. Removing these early helps keep your new community safe and prevents future issues with unwanted content. A thorough review here goes a long way toward ensuring a great experience for everyone!
Walking through this checklist helps ensure your community has the best possible start. The most effective way to catch issues is to use the site as your members will by posting, liking, and exploring. Putting in the effort now leads to a smoother launch and a better experience for everyone.