NodeBB Hosting Live In 5 Minutes

Launch a real-time NodeBB forum with managed HTTPS, a generated administrator password and persistent storage already configured. No public web installer is ever exposed — the administrator account exists from your first request.

  • No terminal
  • No technical skills needed
  • No lock-in, cancel anytime

From Sign-Up to a Live NodeBB Forum In Just 3 Easy Steps

Self-hosting NodeBB normally means a database, a build step for frontend assets, a domain and a certificate before your first topic. This is the same result without assembling any of it.

  1. Step 01

    Sign Up

    Create your xCloud account and pick NodeBB from the OneClick catalog. Choose a domain and enter the administrator email.

  2. Step 02

    We Deploy It For You

    One click. We bring up NodeBB and a private MongoDB 7 database, both pinned by immutable digest, generate a 32-character administrator password, and publish the forum over HTTPS headlessly — the public web installer is never exposed.

  3. Step 03

    Sign In And Create Your First Topic

    Wait for first boot, which installs dependencies and builds frontend assets (can take 10 minutes or more), then open the HTTPS NodeBB URL and sign in as admin. Configure outbound email, decide on registration, and create your first category and topic.

Everything NodeBB Does, On Your Own Server

NodeBB runs in full here — the same real-time discussions, APIs and plugin ecosystem as any hosted forum platform, on infrastructure you control.

  • Real-Time Discussions

    Web sockets power live discussions and notifications, with a mobile-responsive layout and the Harmony theme included.

  • RESTful Read/Write APIs

    Rich APIs for integrating NodeBB with other tools, or building your own client against the forum's data.

  • Plugin And Theme Ecosystem

    Extend the forum with community plugins and themes instead of being limited to the stock install.

  • Headless Install, No Setup Wizard

    The public NodeBB web installer is never exposed, and the administrator account exists from the first request.

  • Scoped Database Access

    NodeBB talks to its own MongoDB database as a scoped user limited to that database, which isn't reachable from the internet.

  • Topics That Persist

    Topics, posts, uploads and the admin session survive a restart, since MongoDB data, config, build assets and uploads all live on persistent volumes.

Everything You Need To Run Your Community Forum 24/7

Managed hosting for NodeBB, so the parts that keep it online are not your problem.

  • NodeBB 4.15.1 deployed instantly
  • Generated administrator password
  • No public setup wizard exposed
  • Private, scoped MongoDB database
  • Free SSL certificate
  • Server backups and snapshots
  • Server security updates included
  • 30+ server locations
  • Unused balance refunded

Simple Pricing. Everything Included.

Dedicated Cloud VPS sizes, pre-configured for NodeBB hosting. Pick the one that fits, and resize any time.

Cloud VPS 6 GB

Most popular

A community or support forum getting started.

$24.99per month

  • 6 GB RAM
  • 4 vCPU cores
  • 100 GB NVMe SSD
  • 30 TB
  • Unlimited
Get started

Cloud VPS 16 GB

A growing forum with more members and real-time traffic.

$59.99per month

  • 16 GB RAM
  • 6 vCPU cores
  • 200 GB NVMe SSD
  • 30 TB
  • Unlimited
Get started

Cloud VPS 24 GB

NodeBB alongside a whole self-hosted community stack.

$84.99per month

  • 24 GB RAM
  • 8 vCPU cores
  • 300 GB NVMe SSD
  • 30 TB
  • Unlimited
Get started

Every size is a dedicated Cloud VPS we provision, patch, monitor and restore. Billed monthly with no lock-in — delete the server and the unused balance comes back to your account. NodeBB itself is free under the GPL-3.0 licence.

Already Have a Server? Bring Your Own

Connect any VPS — DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, Hetzner or bare metal — and deploy NodeBB on it through the same panel, for a per-server management fee instead of a Cloud VPS rental.

Free

Start your journey without cost.

$0forever

  • 1 server
  • 10 sites
Start free

Starter

Most popular

Your rate with 2–5 servers connected.

$5per server / month

  • 2–5 servers
  • Unlimited sites
  • All features included
  • Bring any VPS provider
Get started

Professional

The same platform, discounted at 6–10 servers.

$4per server / month

  • 6–10 servers
  • Unlimited sites
  • All features included
  • Bring any VPS provider
Get started

Agency

The same platform, discounted at 11+ servers.

$3per server / month

  • 11+ servers
  • Unlimited sites
  • All features included
  • Bring any VPS provider
Get started

Priced per connected server, so your rate adjusts automatically as you add or remove servers. You pay your own provider for the server itself.

Ready To Launch Your Own Community Forum?

NodeBB on xCloud runs on a dedicated Cloud VPS that we provision, patch, monitor and restore. Deploy faster. Own the forum. Stay in control.

Hear what people are saying about us

See why agencies, developers, startups, and growing businesses choose xCloud to power their projects.

xCloud works really well, I am surprised by its performance being this the release version, I have tried many paid platforms such as runcloud, cloudpages or serveravatar, as well as free platforms such as CyberPanel, CloudPanel or Hestia Control Panel and direct competitors such as SpinupWP and FlyWP. Of all those that I have tried, the platform that works best for WordPress is SpinupWP and I believe that xCloud can reach and surpass that development, its roadmap is promising. Congratulations to the xCloud team, I hope they become the leading platform in the segment, it has all the potential to achieve it!
Brian Geovanny
I've been with runcloud for the last 3 years. However, after trying xcloud for the last month, I'm switching over. They are on a roll with their setup.
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How Cloud Nine Web Elevated Client Experience While Streamlining Hosting Operations using xCloud
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xCloud is like having an expert server team on call — without the big agency costs. It's given me back my time and given my clients peace of mind. Highly recommended for freelancers and small teams who want reliable performance and security.
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xCloud isn't just a solution. It's like one of that friend who got your back when you screw things up pretty bad.
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Trust me when I say, once people explore the potential of xCloud they gonna switch from other panels, just keep delivering the best tech, lots of love for the team 😍😍
Rahul Singh
So far my experience has been smooth like silk. I didn't imagine that configuring and managing a VPS would be so easy. As of today, I have deployed 8 sites. The support is good, and they treat users with respect, even if they ask stupid questions (myself included). For the future, I hope for greater flexibility in scheduled backups and more comprehensive and consistent documentation. I'm sure that within a few months, xCloud will become the leader in its segment. This community is amazing, and the Staff here is super helpful.
Massimo Villa
Came from cloudways then to runcloud then to xcloud. Looks like I'm staying here.
Gerson El
I've recently taken all of my Vultr-hosted sites and gotten rid of cPanel for them to substitute it with xCloud. I have to say, I'm really impressed with xCloud so far! The interface is definitely the standout feature for me.
Tony Lewis
I came from Cloudways and won't go back. Highly impressed with xCloud. Glad I gave them a chance.
Jared McDowell
I like xCloud better than RunCloud, but one thing I'll point out is that some years ago RunCloud was hungry for business, the support was outstanding, and the community was active and helped each other. Maybe it was sold, there was a change in management, or they stopped being hungry, but the quality of the RunCloud offering declined and it hasn't been moving forward quickly. My point is that currently the xCloud team has the edge and it is theirs to keep or lose
David McCan
How Kevin Heinrichs Cut Hosting Costs by 84% While Running WooCommerce & Node.js Sites Efficiently
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Dan Spinoza
Dear xCloud Team, I have been using xCloud for some time now and am genuinely impressed with its capabilities and the flexibility it offers by allowing users to bring their own VPS for management. It's a fantastic service, and my experience so far has been very positive. Successful migrated 5 sites on a single server. Xcloud migration tool worked great. There were few hiccups with security plugin like MalCare but disabling the plugin prior to migration worked just fine.
Rahil Maknojia
Came from runcloud. Tried xcloud and never came back.
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Gary Moody
xCloud gave me what no other hosting platform could: the flexibility of a VPS with the convenience of managed WordPress. As a solo founder running an entire business on one server, that combination is an important unfair advantage.
Jorge de los Reyes Martínez
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How Newman Web Solutions Ensured Perfect Uptime and Seamless Scaling For 120+ WordPress Sites with xCloud
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I went from Cloudways to xCloud. No intention on switching in the foreseeable future.
Blaine Moore

Frequently Asked Questions

Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.

What makes NodeBB different from a traditional forum?

It is built on Node.js with web sockets for real-time discussions and notifications, a mobile-responsive default theme and RESTful APIs, while keeping the classic categories-and-topics forum format. This template deploys NodeBB 4.15.1.

How do I sign in the first time?

Use the username admin and the generated password from your installation credentials. No setup wizard is shown — the account exists from your first request.

What runs alongside NodeBB?

A private MongoDB 7 container that stores the forum data. It has no public port and NodeBB connects as a scoped user limited to that database.

Can anyone register?

Registration is open by default on this template. Change Registration Type under Admin > Settings > User to Invite Only, Admin Invite Only or No registration if you want to restrict it.

What should I back up?

The MongoDB, config, build and uploads volumes together, using a MongoDB-consistent dump or by briefly stopping NodeBB before a snapshot.

Does xCloud automatically back up or update NodeBB?

No. The template pins NodeBB 4.15.1 by immutable digest; a catalog re-sync affects new installations only. Bump the readable tag and digest together after reading release notes, and back up first — MongoDB major upgrades need their own migration procedure.

What are the server requirements?

The template manifest asks for 2048 MB of RAM, 2 CPU cores and 10 GB of disk as a floor. This page sells the 6 GB tier, comfortable headroom above that floor.

Does email work out of the box?

Configure outbound email before relying on password resets or notifications — email delivery was not exercised in testing.

Can I change the administrator password later?

Keep the generated administrator password in a password manager and change it inside NodeBB if you wish; the install-time values are read only on first start and editing them later changes nothing.

What survives a restart?

Everything on the four persistent volumes — MongoDB data, NodeBB's generated configuration, built frontend assets and uploaded files.

Is xCloud officially partnered with NodeBB?

No. No official partnership or endorsement between xCloud and the NodeBB project has been verified. This is a deployment and server-management option for the open-source NodeBB project.

Can I run other apps on the same server?

Yes. It is a dedicated Cloud VPS, not a locked appliance, so you can deploy other OneClick apps or your own sites beside it as long as the resources are there.

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes. There is no lock-in — cancel any time. Hosting is billed monthly and charged for what you actually use, so when you delete the server the unused balance is refunded to your account, less up to 10% in payment-processing fees.

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Ready to Launch Your Own Community Forum?

Connect your first server in minutes. No credit card required, and no plan you have to grow into.