Discourse technicalities - Revision history

RevampBot: Wiki revamp: restructure & modernise

2026-07-17T12:00:00Z

Wiki revamp: restructure & modernise

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:00, 17 July 2026
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	== About Discourse ==		== About Discourse ==

	[https://www.discourse.org/ Discourse] is open source software, ~~started~~ in 2013. ~~It is run by a private business currently with a team of 33 staff who earn their keep by~~ hosting Discourse for ~~US$100+ per month. They are committed to keeping Discourse open-source and provide regular updates which are easily installed~~. Freegle uses the open-source version so there are no fees to pay~~. We do pay a small amount~~ for ~~our own~~ backups ~~and~~ sending emails, ~~as well as~~ some paid geek-time.		[https://www.discourse.org/ Discourse] is open source software, first released in 2013. From October 2025, Freegle's Discourse hosting moved to Communiteq; before that, it was self-hosted (see [[Discourse]] for background on the move). Freegle uses the open-source version, so there are no software licence fees, though we pay for hosting, backups, sending emails, and some paid geek time.

	Discourse updates are notified to admins. Some ~~updates~~ can be installed by any admin; others ~~will~~ need ~~to be done by geeks~~. There may be a small amount of ~~down time~~ during upgrades.		Discourse updates are notified to admins. Some can be installed by any admin; others need a geek. There may be a small amount of downtime during upgrades.

	Discourse has ~~many~~ many configuration options, controllable by admins~~. In addition~~, ~~Discourse~~ can be "programmed"~~. The~~ API ~~was~~ used ~~by the geeks~~ to set up ~~all the~~ user accounts ~~and set the right~~ email choices~~. The theme appearance of~~ the site ~~has been tweaked~~.		Discourse has many configuration options, controllable by admins, and can also be "programmed" via its API - which Freegle's geeks have used to set up user accounts, configure email choices, and tweak the site's appearance.

	== Resilience ==		== Resilience ==

	It is important that ~~the~~ Freegle Discourse system is resilient and independent of the main Freegle servers, so we can communicate if ~~they~~ are down!		It's important that Freegle's Discourse system is resilient and independent of the main Freegle servers, so volunteers can still communicate if those servers are down.

	Discourse ~~runs~~ on a Bytemark server ~~that is~~ separate from the main Freegle servers in a separate data centre~~. Discourse is configured to back up all its data every day overnight. The~~ data ~~file is then automatically~~ backed up to Google ~~cloud storage. Five~~ backups ~~are~~ kept on the ~~main~~ Discourse server~~. The Google cloud keeps all the~~ daily backups ~~for 90 days~~. Restoring from a backup ~~has been~~ tested~~. If data has to be restored~~, any discussions or setting changes since the backup ~~will~~ be lost.		Before the move to Communiteq, Discourse ran on a Bytemark server separate from the main Freegle servers, in a separate data centre, with data backed up every night and copied to Google Cloud Storage: five backups kept on the Discourse server itself, and 90 days of daily backups kept in the cloud. Restoring from a backup was tested and worked, though any discussions or setting changes since the last backup would be lost. A standby Discourse instance was also kept on one of the main Freegle servers, ready to be brought into service quickly from the last good backup if needed.

	You can still log in to Discourse even if MT is down~~. This is~~ partly ~~done by~~ Discourse ~~remembering~~ your login in a cookie~~. In addition~~ the Discourse server ~~remembers the~~ MT logins every 30 minutes to use if someone needs to ~~login when the site is down.~~		You can still log in to Discourse even if MT is down, partly because Discourse remembers your login in a cookie, and partly because the Discourse server caches MT logins every 30 minutes for use if someone needs to log in while MT is unavailable.

	~~To cope~~ in ~~the event that the main Discourse server~~ is unavailable for some time, a second Discourse instance has been set up on one of the main Freegle servers. This standby instance can be brought into service by the geeks fairly quickly using the last available good backup, ie the snapshot taken overnight.

	== Mail in and out ==		== Mail in and out ==

	Discourse ~~sends mail out~~ and ~~can receive~~ receive mail ~~in. Both these processes are independent~~ of ~~the~~ normal ~~Freegle~~ email ~~facilities~~.		Discourse can send and receive mail, independently of Freegle's normal email systems.

	~~Mail~~ is sent using a Mailgun account which costs us a little each month.		Outgoing mail is sent using a Mailgun account, which costs a little each month. Incoming mail arrives at a Google-hosted mailbox called "discoursereplies", described elsewhere, which is polled every few minutes for mail to process.

	~~Mail is received at a Google hosted mailbox called discoursereplies as described elsewhere. The mailbox is polled every few minutes for mails to process.~~		== To do ==

	~~== To do ==~~		* Update the FAQ, Terms of Service and Privacy pages on Discourse.
	* Update FAQ, ~~ToS~~ and Privacy pages on Discourse.		* See [https://www.discoursehosting.com/kb/your-discourse-forum-and-the-gdpr/ this guidance on Discourse and GDPR].
	* https://www.discoursehosting.com/kb/your-discourse-forum-and-the-gdpr/

	~~Note: there is great~~ help and support about Discourse ~~here:~~ https://meta.discourse.org/		There's plenty of help and support about Discourse at https://meta.discourse.org/.

	[[Category:Discourse]]		[[Category:Members, Discourse & App]]

Chriscant: /* Mail in and out */ Change Mailgun description

2020-11-01T14:17:36Z

Mail in and out: Change Mailgun description

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:17, 1 November 2020
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	Discourse sends mail out and can receive receive mail in. Both these processes are independent of the normal Freegle email facilities.		Discourse sends mail out and can receive receive mail in. Both these processes are independent of the normal Freegle email facilities.

	Mail is sent using a Mailgun account, which ~~is free for the first 10k mails sent each month; we exceed that and so incur~~ a ~~small cost~~ each month.		Mail is sent using a Mailgun account which costs us a little each month.

	Mail is received at a Google hosted mailbox called discoursereplies as described elsewhere. The mailbox is polled every few minutes for mails to process.		Mail is received at a Google hosted mailbox called discoursereplies as described elsewhere. The mailbox is polled every few minutes for mails to process.

Chriscant: /* Mail in and out */ Mailgun costs us a little

2019-11-02T10:18:33Z

Mail in and out: Mailgun costs us a little

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:18, 2 November 2019
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	Discourse sends mail out and can receive receive mail in. Both these processes are independent of the normal Freegle email facilities.		Discourse sends mail out and can receive receive mail in. Both these processes are independent of the normal Freegle email facilities.

	Mail is sent using a ~~free~~ Mailgun account.		Mail is sent using a Mailgun account, which is free for the first 10k mails sent each month; we exceed that and so incur a small cost each month.

	Mail is received at a Google hosted mailbox called discoursereplies as described elsewhere. The mailbox is polled every few minutes for mails to process.		Mail is received at a Google hosted mailbox called discoursereplies as described elsewhere. The mailbox is polled every few minutes for mails to process.

Chriscant: Sending mails may cost currently

2019-10-29T13:15:06Z

Sending mails may cost currently

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:15, 29 October 2019
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	== About Discourse ==		== About Discourse ==

	[https://www.discourse.org/ Discourse] is open source software, started in 2013. It is run by a private business currently with a team of 33 staff who earn their keep by hosting Discourse for US$100+ per month. They are committed to keeping Discourse open-source and provide regular updates which are easily installed. Freegle uses the open-source version so there are no fees to pay. We do pay a small amount for our own backups, as well as some paid geek-time.		[https://www.discourse.org/ Discourse] is open source software, started in 2013. It is run by a private business currently with a team of 33 staff who earn their keep by hosting Discourse for US$100+ per month. They are committed to keeping Discourse open-source and provide regular updates which are easily installed. Freegle uses the open-source version so there are no fees to pay. We do pay a small amount for our own backups and sending emails, as well as some paid geek-time.

	Discourse updates are notified to admins. Some updates can be installed by any admin; others will need to be done by geeks. There may be a small amount of down time during upgrades.		Discourse updates are notified to admins. Some updates can be installed by any admin; others will need to be done by geeks. There may be a small amount of down time during upgrades.

Chriscant: Tweak MT logins remembered period

2019-10-20T14:41:14Z

Tweak MT logins remembered period

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:41, 20 October 2019
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	Discourse runs on a Bytemark server that is separate from the main Freegle servers in a separate data centre. Discourse is configured to back up all its data every day overnight. The data file is then automatically backed up to Google cloud storage. Five backups are kept on the main Discourse server. The Google cloud keeps all the daily backups for 90 days. Restoring from a backup has been tested. If data has to be restored, any discussions or setting changes since the backup will be lost.		Discourse runs on a Bytemark server that is separate from the main Freegle servers in a separate data centre. Discourse is configured to back up all its data every day overnight. The data file is then automatically backed up to Google cloud storage. Five backups are kept on the main Discourse server. The Google cloud keeps all the daily backups for 90 days. Restoring from a backup has been tested. If data has to be restored, any discussions or setting changes since the backup will be lost.

	You can still log in to Discourse even if MT is down. This is partly done by Discourse remembering your login in a cookie. In addition the Discourse server remembers ~~an hourly copy of~~ MT logins to use if someone needs to login.		You can still log in to Discourse even if MT is down. This is partly done by Discourse remembering your login in a cookie. In addition the Discourse server remembers the MT logins every 30 minutes to use if someone needs to login when the site is down.

	To cope in the event that the main Discourse server is unavailable for some time, a second Discourse instance has been set up on one of the main Freegle servers. This standby instance can be brought into service by the geeks fairly quickly using the last available good backup, ie the snapshot taken overnight.		To cope in the event that the main Discourse server is unavailable for some time, a second Discourse instance has been set up on one of the main Freegle servers. This standby instance can be brought into service by the geeks fairly quickly using the last available good backup, ie the snapshot taken overnight.

Chriscant at 12:26, 23 September 2019

2019-09-23T12:26:36Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:26, 23 September 2019
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			[[Discourse\|Discourse overview]]

	== About Discourse ==		== About Discourse ==

	[https://www.discourse.org/ Discourse] is open source software. It is run by a private business currently with a team of 33 staff who earn their keep by hosting Discourse for US$100+ per month. They are committed to keeping Discourse open-source and provide regular updates which are easily installed. Freegle uses the open-source version so there are no fees to pay. We do pay a small amount for our own backups, as well as some paid geek-time.		[https://www.discourse.org/ Discourse] is open source software, started in 2013. It is run by a private business currently with a team of 33 staff who earn their keep by hosting Discourse for US$100+ per month. They are committed to keeping Discourse open-source and provide regular updates which are easily installed. Freegle uses the open-source version so there are no fees to pay. We do pay a small amount for our own backups, as well as some paid geek-time.

	Discourse updates are notified to admins. Some updates can be installed by any admin; others will need to be done by geeks. There may be a small amount of down time during upgrades.		Discourse updates are notified to admins. Some updates can be installed by any admin; others will need to be done by geeks. There may be a small amount of down time during upgrades.
Line 11:		Line 13:
	It is important that the Freegle Discourse system is resilient and independent of the main Freegle servers, so we can communicate if they are down!		It is important that the Freegle Discourse system is resilient and independent of the main Freegle servers, so we can communicate if they are down!

	Discourse runs on a Bytemark server that is separate from the main Freegle servers in a separate data centre. Discourse is configured to back up all its data every day overnight. The data file is then automatically backed up to Google cloud storage. Five backups are kept on the main Discourse server. The Google cloud keeps backups for 90 days. Restoring from a backup has been tested. ~~Note that~~ any discussions or setting changes since the backup will be lost.		Discourse runs on a Bytemark server that is separate from the main Freegle servers in a separate data centre. Discourse is configured to back up all its data every day overnight. The data file is then automatically backed up to Google cloud storage. Five backups are kept on the main Discourse server. The Google cloud keeps all the daily backups for 90 days. Restoring from a backup has been tested. If data has to be restored, any discussions or setting changes since the backup will be lost.

	You can still log in to Discourse even if MT is down. This is partly done by Discourse remembering your login in a cookie. In addition the Discourse server remembers an hourly copy of MT logins to use if someone needs to login.		You can still log in to Discourse even if MT is down. This is partly done by Discourse remembering your login in a cookie. In addition the Discourse server remembers an hourly copy of MT logins to use if someone needs to login.

Chriscant: Chriscant moved page Discourse technalities to Discourse technicalities without leaving a redirect

2019-09-22T20:00:09Z

Chriscant moved page Discourse technalities to Discourse technicalities without leaving a redirect

← Older revision	Revision as of 20:00, 22 September 2019
(No difference)

Chriscant at 19:59, 22 September 2019

2019-09-22T19:59:26Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:59, 22 September 2019
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	* https://www.discoursehosting.com/kb/your-discourse-forum-and-the-gdpr/		* https://www.discoursehosting.com/kb/your-discourse-forum-and-the-gdpr/

			Note: there is great help and support about Discourse here: https://meta.discourse.org/

	[[Category:Discourse]]		[[Category:Discourse]]

Chriscant at 19:55, 22 September 2019

2019-09-22T19:55:55Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:55, 22 September 2019
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	Mail is received at a Google hosted mailbox called discoursereplies as described elsewhere. The mailbox is polled every few minutes for mails to process.		Mail is received at a Google hosted mailbox called discoursereplies as described elsewhere. The mailbox is polled every few minutes for mails to process.

			== To do ==
			* Update FAQ, ToS and Privacy pages on Discourse.
			* https://www.discoursehosting.com/kb/your-discourse-forum-and-the-gdpr/


	[[Category:Discourse]]		[[Category:Discourse]]

Chriscant at 17:23, 22 September 2019

2019-09-22T17:23:39Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:23, 22 September 2019
Line 24:		Line 24:

	Mail is received at a Google hosted mailbox called discoursereplies as described elsewhere. The mailbox is polled every few minutes for mails to process.		Mail is received at a Google hosted mailbox called discoursereplies as described elsewhere. The mailbox is polled every few minutes for mails to process.

			[[Category:Discourse]]