In this guide, you'll learn about the different ways you can host your PeerBoard instance.
In short, you have four options:
Ways to run PeerBoard
- Host on a PeerBoard.com domain or subdomain in the form of "peerboard.com/id" or "alias.peerboard.com". You can change the alias. This community (community.peerboard.com) is an example of a PeerBoard subdomain. Available on our Free plan.
- Host using our plugins for WordPress, Shopify, AwareNow and other platforms. See bloggingguide.org/forum as an example of a community on WordPress. Available on our Free plan.
- Host on a custom domain or subdomain, such as community.ticino.com. Available on our Starter plan.
- Utilize our SDK for deep integrations to plug PeerBoard into any custom-built website. A good example of this is smartcat.com/community. Available on our Professional plan.
Keep reading to learn about each option in detail.
Changing the configuration
To change the configuration, go to Settings > Hosting from your community homepage.
Using the drop-down menu next to the text "Select your integration type", you can select any of the different modes described above.
Some of the changes are safe and immediate, such as changing from peerboard.com/id to alias.peerboard.com. Others, like changing to a subdomain, require more time.
Note: Changing from an URL we don't control (like your custom domain, WordPress, or SDK) may break existing links as we don't have the ability to create redirects.
1. Running on PeerBoard.com
Time to set up: instant
When you create your community on PeerBoard, it is hosted on a basic URL of the form "peerboard.com/12345678". The number is your community identification. From here, you can make any of the changes described above.
If you'd like to keep using our domain as the address for your discussion boards, the most hassle-free way is to switch to a subdomain of the form "alias.peerboard.com" where an alias is any string that's not already in use - "community.peerboard.com", for example, uses the alias "community".
2. Running using a WordPress, AwareNow, or other plugins
Time to set up: One minute.
The beauty of a fully-embedded solution like PeerBoard is that it lives seamlessly and organically within a larger setup. We support several low-friction no-code options for embedding your PeerBoard instance.
Here are the three main integrations we offer:
Read our associated guides to install PeerBoard using these integrations. For WordPress and other open platforms, the best method is to install the PeerBoard plugin from the plugins section within that platform.
The process is very smooth in most cases. If you run into any trouble (sometimes platforms have other plugins which create conflicts), let us know at integrations@peerboard.com
For closed platforms such as AwareNow, you'll need to reach out to them directly.
Note: We are constantly improving our plugins to make sure they support as many product capabilities as possible. If you have any suggestions, please post to Feature Requests.
3. Running on a custom domain or subdomain
Time to set up: 20 minutes. It can take up to 24 hours for changes to take effect.
Connecting your own domain or subdomain is a straightforward process.
To change the configuration, go to Settings > Hosting from your community homepage. Using the drop-down menu next to the text "Select your integration type", select "Custom Domain".
You will be shown instructions and information (A and CNAME records) that you need to enter into your domain DNS configuration panel. It doesn't matter what service you use: Godaddy, Route53, or any other domain provider. The configuration is always the same.
Note 1: If you use traffic routers such as Cloudflare, you'll need to configure these too.
Note 2: It may take up to 24 hours for DNS changes to be propagated across the internet. All refreshes and updates at our end are carried out automatically.
Note 3: Since DNS propagation works unevenly, we may detect DNS changes earlier than you. In this case, we will change the domain but it won't direct to your discussion board. This should be temporary. Allow for a few hours before reaching out to our support for help.
If you are using this option in a combination with your own product, you can also automatically log users into your PeerBoard instance with signed links, read more.
4. Running an embedded version on your website using our SDK
Time to set up: Several days. Technical expertise is required.
If you are eager to create a custom user interface, you can use PeerBoard's SDK to embed PeerBoard into your website.
Our SDK allows you to create a new subsection within your existing website, automatically pass user sessions, share user-profiles and maintain cross-site navigation.
- For the core technical guide, refer to this article.
- Take a look at secondary guides in our Custom Integrations section to learn about additional features, like shared profiles.
- Finally, consult our API documentation to see how you can complement the SDK integration with API calls.
Note: We have several partners using Node.js, React/Angular, C#, and PHP. We can provide direct support to developers in some cases, depending on individual requirements.
FAQ
Q: When should I use the WordPress plugin versus a custom domain?
A: Check the first answer here.
Q: Can I use Zapier?
A: Yes! You can use Zapier in all configurations.
Q: I want to add a PeerBoard integration to my platform. Who should I talk to?
A: We would love to work with you! Reach out to platforms@peerboard.com so we can chat. The integration process is similar to what is described above for the SDK option, but we provide extra APIs for community provisioning at your end.
Have any other questions? Please post in our questions section, and we'll respond immediately!