Ready-to-use server
SimpleMachines
Forum system
- Automatic security updatesDebian support through June 2030
- You're in controlRun on your hardware or in the cloud.
- Free and open sourceUse, inspect and customize the code.
Your server. Your choice.
Run SimpleMachines on AWS
Choose where you want to manage it.
Via TurnKey Hub
The smoothest way to run a TurnKey server.
- Connect your AWS account securelyLink it to the Hub using an AWS IAM role.
- HTTPS ready from the startTrusted certificates for your web and admin interfaces, set up and renewed automatically.
- Manage everything in one placeA focused dashboard for your TurnKey servers, backups and domains.
Sign in using the SSH key or passwords you set on the Hub launch page.
Via AWS Marketplace
Keep server management inside AWS.
- Launch from your AWS accountSubscribe to the listing and choose your instance.
- Manage directly in AWSControl your instance in AWS. Configure trusted HTTPS certificates after launch.
- Get TurnKey services includedStandard support, backup and migration, with software charges on your AWS bill.
SSH in as admin ↗ with your EC2 key. Setup starts automatically.
SimpleMachines screenshots
SimpleMachines provides an easy to use forum with many powerful features for you as well as your users. It features a powerful Package Manager, allowing you to quickly apply any of the hundreds of modifications in our database, as well as a variety of custom themes that change the way your site looks.
This server includes all the standard features in TurnKey Core, and on top of that:
SimpleMachines configurations:
Simple Machines Forum 2.1.7 is installed from a pinned and verified official upstream source archive to /var/www/simplemachines. It includes the official upstream session-login correction merged for SMF 2.1.8.
Security note: Updates to SimpleMachines may require supervision so they ARE NOT configured to install automatically.
Run simplemachines-update --check to discover the latest stable upstream release before planning a supervised update.
SSL support out of the box.
Adminer administration frontend for MySQL (listening on port 12322 - uses SSL).
Postfix MTA (bound to localhost) to allow sending of email (e.g., password recovery).
Webmin modules for configuring Apache2, PHP, MySQL and Postfix.
Credentials (passwords set at first boot)
Webmin, SSH, MySQL: username root
Adminer: username adminer
SimpleMachines: username admin
Run from browser
V 19.0
V 18.0
GitHub
Usage details & Logging in for Administration
No default passwords: For security reasons there are no default passwords. All passwords are set at system initialization time.
Ignore SSL browser warning: browsers don't like self-signed SSL certificates, but this is the only kind that can be generated automatically without paying a commercial Certificate Authority.
Username for simplemachines:
Login as username admin
Web - point your browser at either:
- http://12.34.56.789/ - not encrypted so no browser warning
- https://12.34.56.789/ - encrypted with self-signed SSL certificate
Username for database administration:
Login as MySQL username root at
- https://12.34.56.789:12322/ - Adminer database management web app
- MySQL command line tool:
$ mysql --user root --password Enter password: Welcome to the MySQL monitor. Commands end with ; or \g. Type 'help;' or '\h' for help. Type '\c' to clear the current input statement. mysql>
Username for OS system administration:
Login as root except on AWS marketplace which uses username admin.
- Point your browser to:
- https://12.34.56.789:12321/ - System control panel
- https://12.34.56.789:12320/ - Web based command line terminal
- Login with SSH client:
ssh root@12.34.56.789
Special case for AWS marketplace:
ssh admin@12.34.56.789
* Replace 12.34.56.789 with a valid IP or hostname.