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Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

What is Forum Fortress?

Forum Fortress is a spam protection service for online communities. It helps prevent spam registrations, posts, and other unwanted content from appearing on your forum without putting legitimate users through extra verification steps.

How does Forum Fortress work?

When someone registers, posts, or performs other monitored actions on your forum, the Forum Fortress plugin sends details to our analysis service. We check this against spam patterns, intelligence feeds, and behavioral signals, then return a decision: allow, challenge, block, or hold for review.

Do I need a customer portal account to use Forum Fortress?

No, you can install and use the plugin without creating a portal account. The portal is useful for reviewing activity, managing settings, handling moderation queues, and accessing advanced features, but it's not required for basic spam protection.

Which forum platforms do you support?

Currently supported platforms: - XenForo 2.x - phpBB 3.x - Invision Community 4.x

Is there a free plan?

Yes, Forum Fortress offers a free tier with basic spam protection. Check forumfortress.com for current plan details and feature comparisons.

Installation and Setup

How long does installation take?

Most installations take 5-10 minutes: - Download the plugin (1-2 minutes) - Upload and enable in your forum (2-3 minutes)
- Configure basic settings (2-5 minutes)

Do I need technical expertise to install Forum Fortress?

Basic forum administration skills are helpful, but detailed installation guides are provided for each platform. If you can install other plugins/extensions on your forum, you should be able to install Forum Fortress.

Will Forum Fortress slow down my forum?

Forum Fortress is designed to have minimal performance impact. Most checks happen asynchronously, so users don't wait for spam analysis to complete. The optimized decision service typically responds in under 100ms.

Can I test Forum Fortress before enabling it on my live forum?

Yes, you can: - Install on a staging/test copy of your forum first - Use the public checker at check.forumfortress.com - Start with less aggressive settings and monitor results - Use the portal's review queue to manually approve uncertain cases initially

What happens to existing spam on my forum?

Forum Fortress only protects against new activity after installation. It doesn't automatically clean up existing spam. You'll need to handle existing spam through your forum's normal moderation tools.

Privacy and Security

What information does Forum Fortress collect?

Forum Fortress analyzes information needed for spam detection, including: - IP addresses and network information - Email addresses and domains - Usernames and display names - Post content, signatures, and profile information - Registration and behavioral patterns

See Privacy and network access for complete details.

How long do you keep my forum's data?

  • Plaintext data (content, usernames, emails): 5 days
  • Hashed data (one-way hashes for pattern matching): longer retention
  • Decision logs and metadata: varies by plan

Hashes cannot be reversed to reveal original content.

Is Forum Fortress GDPR compliant?

Forum Fortress is designed with privacy in mind, but GDPR compliance depends on how you configure and use the service. Review our privacy policy and consult legal counsel if you're unsure about your obligations.

Can I use Forum Fortress with a privacy-focused forum?

Yes, many privacy-focused communities use Forum Fortress. The service uses hashing, limited retention, and minimal data collection. Review privacy-network.md to understand exactly what's involved.

Technical Questions

What network access does Forum Fortress require?

Your server needs outbound HTTPS access on port 443 to hosts ending in *.ffapi.net. No inbound connections are required.

Will Forum Fortress work with my hosting provider?

Forum Fortress works with most hosting providers. Some providers with aggressive security policies may require configuration changes to allow outbound connections. Contact your host if you have connection issues.

Can I use Forum Fortress with a CDN or firewall?

Yes, Forum Fortress works with CDNs, firewalls, and security services. The plugin makes outbound connections from your server, so inbound protection doesn't interfere.

Does Forum Fortress work with other anti-spam tools?

Forum Fortress can work alongside other anti-spam measures, but may be less effective if other tools block legitimate users before Forum Fortress can analyze them. Review your security stack to avoid conflicts.

What happens if Forum Fortress is unavailable?

If the service is unavailable, the plugin typically allows actions to proceed normally (fail-open behavior) so your forum continues functioning. You can configure this behavior in plugin settings.

Features and Plans

What's included in the free plan?

The free plan typically includes: - Basic spam protection for supported actions - Essential decision types (allow, block, challenge) - Limited portal access - Community support

Check forumfortress.com for current free plan details.

What advanced features are available?

Advanced features may include: - Detailed reporting and analytics - Cross-forum moderation tools - Advanced behavioral analysis - Priority support - Higher rate limits - Custom integration options

Feature availability varies by plan.

Can I upgrade or downgrade my plan?

Yes, you can change plans through the customer portal. Changes typically take effect at the next billing cycle, though some upgrades may be immediate.

Do you offer discounts for multiple forums?

Multi-forum plans and discounts may be available. Contact support through the portal for pricing information if you manage multiple communities.

Moderation and Workflow

How do I handle items in the review queue?

  1. Log into the customer portal
  2. Go to Protect → Review queue
  3. Review the item details and context
  4. Choose an action: approve, reject, or delete
  5. The action will sync back to your forum

Can I customize how aggressive the spam protection is?

Yes, most plans offer sensitivity settings to balance spam protection with user experience. You can adjust these in the portal or plugin settings.

Will Forum Fortress interfere with my existing moderation workflow?

Forum Fortress integrates with your forum's existing moderation system. Items held for review appear in your normal moderation queue and optionally in the Forum Fortress portal.

Can I moderate multiple forums from one portal account?

Yes, if you have multiple connected forums, you can manage them all from one portal account. Some plans offer cross-forum moderation tools.

What if Forum Fortress blocks a legitimate user?

You can: - Approve them through the review queue - Adjust sensitivity settings to reduce false positives - Use the portal's moderation tools to override decisions - Contact support if you see patterns of incorrect blocking

Troubleshooting

The connection test fails. What should I do?

  1. Check that your server can make outbound HTTPS requests to *.ffapi.net
  2. Test with: curl -v https://api.ffapi.net/health
  3. Check firewall, WAF, and hosting security settings
  4. Contact your hosting provider if needed

See the full Troubleshooting guide for more solutions.

Forum Fortress isn't blocking obvious spam. Why?

Possible causes: - Protection isn't enabled for all relevant actions - Sensitivity settings are too permissive - The spam is using new patterns not yet detected - Connection issues preventing proper analysis

Check plugin settings and portal activity to diagnose the issue.

Items are stuck in the review queue. How do I fix this?

  1. Try clearing your browser cache and logging back in
  2. Check if your forum's moderation system is working normally
  3. Review the items for specific error messages
  4. Contact support if items remain stuck

My forum appears slow after installing Forum Fortress. Is this normal?

Forum Fortress is designed for minimal performance impact. If you notice slowdowns: - Check server resource usage - Review hosting configuration - Consider if other changes happened around the same time - Monitor during different usage periods

Billing and Account

How does billing work?

Billing varies by plan: - Free plans have no charges - Paid plans typically bill monthly or annually - Usage-based plans may include volume tiers

Check your plan details in the portal for specific billing information.

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes, you can cancel through the customer portal. Your protection typically continues until the end of your current billing period.

What payment methods do you accept?

Payment methods vary by region but typically include major credit cards. Check the portal billing section for options available to you.

Do you offer refunds?

Refund policies vary by plan and circumstances. Contact support through the portal to discuss specific situations.

Support

How do I get help?

  1. Check this FAQ and the troubleshooting guide
  2. Use portal Contact for account-specific issues: portal.forumfortress.com
  3. Check service status at forumfortress.com

What should I include when contacting support?

  • Your forum URL
  • Forum platform and version (e.g., "XenForo 2.2.13")
  • Plugin/extension version
  • Specific error messages or screenshots
  • When the issue started
  • What you were trying to do when it happened

How quickly will I get a response?

Response times vary by plan: - Community support: Best effort, typically 1-3 business days - Standard support: Usually within 24 hours - Priority support: Faster response for urgent issues

Check your plan details for specific support commitments.

Can I request new features?

Yes, we welcome feature suggestions. Use the portal Contact form to submit ideas. Popular requests may be prioritized for development.

Technical Integration

Can I integrate Forum Fortress with custom forum code?

Advanced integrations may be possible depending on your needs. Contact support to discuss custom integration requirements and availability.

Do you have an API for developers?

Forum Fortress primarily works through forum plugins, but limited API access may be available for specific use cases. Contact support for developer resources.

Can I export my data from Forum Fortress?

Data export capabilities vary by plan. Contact support to discuss your data export needs and available options.

How do I migrate between forum platforms?

When migrating forums: 1. Install Forum Fortress on the new platform 2. Connect to the same portal account 3. Configure settings to match your previous setup 4. The protection will continue with your existing account and history

Contact support if you need assistance with complex migrations.