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SMF installation

Forum Fortress for Simple Machines Forum (SMF) 1.0 beta is installed as a modification package through the SMF Package Manager.

Download the package, upload it in the Admin control panel, then open Modification Settings → Forum Fortress to connect your forum.

Before you start

Make sure you have:

  • SMF 2.1 (supported range in the package manifest)
  • administrator access to the Admin control panel
  • file access or FTP/SSH to your SMF installation if you install manually
  • PHP with outbound HTTPS support
  • network access from your server to Forum Fortress services

Privacy and outbound access

Forum Fortress needs outbound HTTPS access to provide spam checks.

If your server uses an outbound firewall, allow HTTPS traffic on port 443 to hosts ending in:

*.ffapi.net

Before enabling the modification on a live community, you may need to update your forum's privacy policy. Forum Fortress receives forum activity details for spam analysis, including submitted content and user details relevant to each check.

Read Privacy and network access before installing.

Install steps

  1. Download the latest Forum Fortress SMF package from forumfortress.com/#platforms (Download now on the homepage).
  2. In the SMF Admin control panel, go to Configuration → Modification Packages → Upload package.
  3. Upload the .tar.gz archive and install or enable the package when prompted.
  4. Open Configuration → Modification Settings → Forum Fortress.
  5. Enter your forum's public URL and any required fields shown.
  6. Use Connection test on the settings page to confirm outbound access to Forum Fortress.

You can read more about account linking here: Your account and forums.

What happens after install

Forum Fortress starts checking supported forum actions such as registration, posting, and profile or signature updates.

Depending on the decision and your settings, suspicious activity may be allowed, challenged, blocked, or held for review.

Use the customer portal when you want dashboard access, moderation tools, reports, billing, or support.

Updating the package

When a new version is available:

  1. Download the latest SMF package from forumfortress.com/#platforms.
  2. In Configuration → Modification Packages, uninstall the previous Forum Fortress package if your SMF version requires a clean upgrade path.
  3. Upload and install the new package.
  4. Review Modification Settings → Forum Fortress after the update.

For development installs synced from the monorepo, copy updated files from plugins/smf/upload/ into your SMF tree, then clear the SMF cache if settings or templates do not refresh.

Removing the package

To remove Forum Fortress from your forum:

  1. In Configuration → Modification Packages, uninstall the Forum Fortress Protect package.
  2. Confirm hooks and files are removed as SMF reports during uninstall.

Reinstalling

If the modification is broken or settings are corrupted, uninstall the package, clear SMF cache if needed, then repeat the install steps with a fresh download.

Troubleshooting

Symptom What to check
Package upload fails SMF 2.1, archive contains package-info.xml at the root, PHP upload limits
Settings page missing Package installed; Modification Settings → Forum Fortress; admin hook registered (reinstall via Package Manager if needed)
Connection errors Outbound HTTPS, PHP curl support, DNS, firewall, WAF, or hosting egress rules
Stale settings after file copy Clear SMF cache under cache/ (keep index.php)

For more help, see Troubleshooting and the FAQ.