A simpler, open-source, different kind of forum/message board

In plain words

This is an open-source forum and message board software launched in 2016, available on GitHub. It offers an alternative approach to traditional discussion platforms, designed for developers and technical communities seeking a simpler solution. The project provides source code transparency and allows users to self-host their own instances rather than relying on centralized services.

written from the facts on this page · September 2026

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  ForumsJan 2026 · forums.basehub.com · ▲280

  AI-powered Q&A for GitHub repositories.

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  Orange Forum – Web 1.0 style forum written in Go2017 · goodoldweb.com · ▲226

  A collection of open-source, slim webapps that make very little use of javascript.

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  Gitter2014 · gitter.im · ▲131

  free public chat rooms for open source projects on GitHub

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  NimForum – A lightweight alternative to Discourse2018 · github.com · ▲186

  Lightweight alternative to Discourse written in Nim - nim-lang/nimforum

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  Flarum – Delightfully simple open-source forum software2015 · flarum.org · ▲163

  Free, open-source forum software built by the community. Beautiful, fast, and extensible — made for communities of all sizes.

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  Board For GitHub2017 · justinfincher.github.io · ▲293

  A webview based GitHub project app with native features

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  /dev/null▲490

  a social network for devs

  Dev tools · 4d ago · dev-null.sh

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  Whiteboard (YC W26) – an open-source IDE for thoughtful software design▲423

  open-source IDE for thoughtful software design. Contribute to devdotfast/whiteboard development by creating an account on GitHub.

  Dev tools · 28d ago · github.com

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  Reladraw – A diagram language where you decide where to place things▲411

  Contribute to reladraw/reladraw development by creating an account on GitHub.

  Dev tools · 26d ago · github.com

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  OpenBot▲362

  Grok Bot alternative: free, local, open-source, multiplayer

  Dev tools · 24d ago · openbot.run

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  Run full iOS 16.5 firmware on Android Devices▲349

  Contribute to oosexgang/hackios-xnu-kernel development by creating an account on GitHub.

  Dev tools · 13h ago · github.com

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  Talanoa▲346

  Hi HN, I’m a fullstack developer, and honestly, I’ve lost count of how many side projects I’ve worked on over the years. But one idea kept coming back to me: a different kind of email client. It first came to me in 2014: “What if we could handle emails more like conversations?” Every year, I’d revisit this concept in my “Build Notes.” Ten years later, no one had built exactly what I had in mind — so I finally decided to do it myself. That’s how Talanoa was born. I wanted something focused on people, not timelines. I was tired of marking messages as unread just to remember to reply later, or…

  Dev tools · 21d ago · talanoa.email

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  Web Design in 4 minutes▲1,624

  Learn the basics of web design in 4 minutes with this interactive tutorial.

  Life & fun · 2016 · jgthms.com

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  Buffer for Instagram▲640

  Plan, track, and analyze your Instagram marketing

  Growth · 2016 · buffer.com

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  Sans Francisco▲604

  A collection of tools and resources for designers

  Work · 2016

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  Nintendo Classic Mini▲593

  The NES is back... but it's mini!

  Life & fun · 2016 · nintendo.com

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  Highly for iOS▲573

  Medium-style highlighting in every app and website. 🖌

  Work · 2016

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  Drift 2.0▲569

  A scalable way to talk to your customers

  Growth · 2016 · drift.com