Installation

This guide provides a quick overview of setting up Multiforum. For detailed instructions, see the Self-Hosting Guide.

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js 22.x or higher
• Neo4j database (AuraDB recommended for production)
• Auth0 account
• Google Cloud Storage bucket (for file uploads)

1. Clone the Repositories

# Backend
git clone https://github.com/gennit-project/multiforum-backend.git

# Frontend
git clone https://github.com/gennit-project/multiforum-nuxt.git

2. Configure Environment Variables

Create .env files in both repositories. See Server Configuration for all variables.

Backend essentials:

NEO4J_URI=bolt://localhost:7687
NEO4J_USER=neo4j
NEO4J_PASSWORD=your-password
AUTH0_DOMAIN=your-tenant.auth0.com
AUTH0_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id

Frontend essentials:

VITE_GRAPHQL_URL=http://localhost:4000/graphql
VITE_SERVER_NAME=your-server-name
VITE_AUTH0_DOMAIN=your-tenant.auth0.com
VITE_AUTH0_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id
VITE_AUTH0_CLIENT_SECRET=your-client-secret
VITE_AUTH0_CALLBACK_URL=http://localhost:3000/callback

3. Install Dependencies

# Backend
cd multiforum-backend
npm install

# Frontend
cd multiforum-nuxt
npm install

4. Start the Services

Backend (port 4000):

npm run dev

Frontend (port 3000):

npm run dev

5. Initialize the Server

Create the ServerConfig and first admin via Cypher (see Self-Hosting Guide).

Deployment Options

Platform	Frontend	Backend
Vercel	Recommended	-
Netlify	Supported	-
Railway	-	Recommended
Render	Supported	Supported
Google Cloud Run	Supported	Supported

Database Options

Option	Best For
Neo4j AuraDB	Production (managed)
Self-hosted Neo4j	Development or full control

What's Next?

After installation:

1. Configure authentication
2. Set up email notifications
3. Configure file storage
4. Enable Google Maps (optional)
5. Configure default roles

Need Help?

• Check the Self-Hosting Guide for detailed setup
• Review Server Configuration for all settings
• See Contributing Guide for development setup