phpBB hosting
phpBB hosting with everything the ACP expects
One-click phpBB, real cron, mail on your own domain and full database access — the parts a serious board leans on. Free for 30 days, then £0.99 a month.
Why people choose phpBB
phpBB has been the default answer to “what should I run my forum on” for about two decades, and the reason is depth. The extension library is the largest of any open-source forum package, the moderation tooling is built for boards with real problems — reports, warnings, queues, granular permissions — and every question you will ever have has already been answered somewhere in its community.
That maturity is the strongest argument for it. When a community grows past the point where the owner can read every post, phpBB has the tools to manage it, and you do not have to invent workflows that thousands of boards have already solved.
What phpBB needs from a host
- A current PHP version — 7.4 to 8.3 here, switchable per domain from DirectAdmin.
- MySQL or MariaDB — included, with phpMyAdmin for exports, imports and the occasional manual fix.
- Real cron — phpBB's scheduled tasks otherwise piggyback on visitor page loads, which is fine for a quiet board and not for a busy one.
- Working outbound mail — phpBB sends a lot of it. Email on your own domain (one account included, extras £0.99 each, once), plus SPF and DKIM records you add yourself in the DNS editor.
- File access — extensions in ext/, styles in styles/, uploaded by FTP or the browser file manager.
- .htaccess control — for search-engine-friendly URLs and redirects when you restructure forums.
Honest notes on phpBB
It is heavier than MyBB and SMF, both to run and to learn. The ACP is enormous, which is a virtue at scale and a burden on day one. Extensions occasionally lag behind phpBB releases, so an extension-heavy board needs a plan for updates rather than a hope.
On a 99p shared plan a phpBB board will run perfectly well for a new or medium community. A large, busy one with many extensions will want more resource eventually — and because you hold the database and files, moving is a copy rather than a rebuild.
Install phpBB
Create your free account
Order Traxio Free Start in the Traxio client area with the domain you own. No card details, 30 days free.
Open Softaculous in DirectAdmin
It is under Extra Features in DirectAdmin. No separate licence or add-on to buy.
Choose phpBB and fill in the form
Directory (leave blank for the forum at your root domain), forum name, admin username, a real password and your email address.
Submit and log in
Softaculous creates the database, writes the configuration and leaves you at a working phpBB install with its admin panel ready. Then apply a style and set up your forums and permissions.
One plan, one price
The same hosting account Traxio.co.uk sells, described for people running a forum. One plan, no tiers, no upsell.
30 days free
Traxio Free Start
Free for 30 days, then £0.99/month
Start my phpBB forumNo card required to start · No setup fee · Bring your own domain
- 3GB NVMe SSD storageRoom for your forum software, its database, member uploads and attachments.
- 100GB bandwidth per monthTens of thousands of visits a month for a typical forum — plenty for a new or growing community.
- DirectAdmin control panelThe real thing: file manager, DNS editor, databases, email, cron, PHP switching.
- Free SSL certificate (auto-renewing)Members will not register on a forum the browser marks as insecure.
- Softaculous one-click installerMyBB, phpBB and SMF install from a form — no manual database setup.
- PHP 7.4 – 8.3, switchableMatch whichever version your forum software recommends, per domain.
- MySQL / MariaDB databaseOne included — what one forum needs — with phpMyAdmin for backups and imports.
- FTP & file manager accessUpload themes, mods and plugins, or edit a template in the browser.
- Email on your domainOne email account included, for registration and notification mail from you@yourforum.com.
- Cron jobsScheduled pruning, digests and maintenance tasks forum packages expect.
- AI-assisted help deskKnowledgebase first, then the help desk: AI replies, and a person steps in when a request is escalated.
- Add-ons if you need themExtra email accounts, domains, databases or FTP accounts are £0.99 each, once. More disk is £0.99/month per 5GB; more bandwidth £0.99/month per 50GB. All add-ons
Full technical specification: DirectAdmin hosting on Traxio.co.uk.
phpBB hosting questions
Can I install phpBB in one click?
Yes — phpBB is in the Softaculous installer on every Traxio account. It creates the database and writes the configuration, leaving you at a working board with the ACP ready.
Does Traxio meet phpBB's requirements?
Yes. phpBB needs PHP with the usual extensions and a MySQL or MariaDB database, all standard here. PHP is switchable from 7.4 to 8.3 per domain, so you can run the version your phpBB release recommends.
Can I install phpBB extensions and styles?
Any of them. Extensions go in ext/ and styles in styles/ — upload by FTP or the file manager, then enable in the ACP. Nothing is restricted by the host.
Is phpBB too heavy for shared hosting?
Not for a new or medium board. It is more demanding than MyBB, and NVMe storage plus a current PHP version does most of the work. A large, busy phpBB board with many extensions will eventually want more than a 99p plan — at which point your data exports in full.
Can I move an existing phpBB forum here?
Yes. Copy the files, import the database with phpMyAdmin, update config.php with the new credentials, clear the cache directory, test, then switch DNS.
What about the old MOD system?
Modern phpBB uses extensions rather than the file-editing MODs of phpBB 3.0. If you are carrying an old board with MODs applied, plan for an update path before migrating — that is a phpBB matter rather than a hosting one.
Install phpBB free for 30 days
One-click install, real cron, working mail. £0.99 a month afterwards.
Free for 30 days with no card details required. Then £0.99/month if you choose to continue.