# Forem

For empowering community 🌱

Repository: https://github.com/forem/forem
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/forem
Homepage: https://forem.com
Language: Ruby
License: AGPL-3.0
License Family: copyleft
Topics: feedback, discussion, community, hacktoberfest, open-source, rails, ruby
Last push: 2026-08-25T19:05:28+00:00
Link (homepage): https://forem.com
Link (site_page): https://dev.to/about
Link (site_page): https://dev.to/ale3oula/what-two-months-of-interviewing-taught-me-about-the-2026-tech-job-market-3d8n

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 77/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3580, "days_push": 8, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 22770, forks 4183 (observed 2026-08-28T04:11:34.013821+00:00)

## What it is
Forem is open-source Ruby on Rails software for building online communities, best known for powering dev.to. It provides articles, discussions, member profiles, and moderation tools for self-hosted community sites.

## Use cases
- self-host a community forum like dev.to
- run a blogging platform for developers
- build a discussion space for customers or a fanbase
- create a niche community site with articles and comments
- host an open-source community hub

## When to choose
- you want a full-featured community platform with articles, comments, and profiles
- you want to self-host a dev.to-style site
- you prefer a mature Ruby on Rails codebase you can customize
- you need proven software that scales to millions of users

## When to avoid
- you only need a lightweight forum or chat, not a full publishing platform
- you cannot operate a Rails/PostgreSQL stack
- you need a SaaS with managed hosting and support
- AGPL-3.0 licensing is incompatible with your use case

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: web-framework, http-server, search-engine, ui-components, self-hosted, developer-tools
- domain: web-development, cms, self-hosted, social-media
- platform: ruby, self-hosted
- tags: community-platform, forum, blogging, rails, devto, discussion-forum, content-platform, community, linux, docker, web-server

## Member repositories
- forem/forem (main) score 77
- forem/selfhost (infra) score 64

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:34.013821+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T16:56:55.840521+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/forem/forem (fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:34.013821+00:00, sha 4a17cd0dfcdf)
  - homepage: https://forem.com (fetched 2026-08-29T07:55:04.402031+00:00, sha 13cb5e82a776)
  - site_page: https://dev.to/about (fetched 2026-08-29T07:55:04.411461+00:00, sha 51889b12ec57)
  - site_page: https://dev.to/ale3oula/what-two-months-of-interviewing-taught-me-about-the-2026-tech-job-market-3d8n (fetched 2026-08-29T07:55:04.413463+00:00, sha 0e80602e0b80)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.