Community OS

Set up your community portal

Welcome

This sets up your community's member portal: chat, calendar, to-dos, documents and the other apps you choose. It takes about five minutes.

PHP 8.0 or newer
This server runs PHP 8.3.30.
Database driver (SQLite or MySQL)
pdo_sqlite: yes, pdo_mysql: yes
OpenSSL (push notifications, security) (recommended)
Available.
GD (image resizing, icons) (recommended)
Available.
cURL (push, payments, SMS) (recommended)
Available.
mbstring
Available.
fileinfo (upload checks) (recommended)
Available.
HTTPS (recommended)
This site is served over HTTPS.
Install folder is writable
sys/ is writable.
Private data folder: /home/ff_coop/community-os-data-c1327c19
Outside your website folder, so the database and uploads can't be downloaded.
Advanced: data folder and database
Leave empty for the suggested folder.

Your organization

Shown in the menu, page titles, emails and the installed app.

Used in page titles and on phones.
A square PNG with a transparent background works best.

Groups and committees

Members can join groups, and you can message a group or give it its own calendar and chat channel. Name them however your community works; you can change all of this later.

"Project" is always available for the Projects app.

Your administrator account

This becomes member #26001, the first member of 2026. Member numbers are the two-digit year joined plus the order joined that year.

You'll sign in with this email (or your member number).

Apps

The core tools are always on. Choose the other apps your community wants; you can turn them on or off later in System settings.

Always on

CalendarEvents, RSVPs, group calendars and subscriptions
ChatChannels, threads, direct messages and chat tools
HomeYour dashboard: events, to-dos, messages and what's new
MembersRoster, roles, groups and the join wizard
ProfileContact info, groups, notifications, preferences and dues
To-DoEveryone's action items in one list

Optional

Connections (optional)

Keys for outside services. Everything works without them, and you can add them later in System settings. Keys are saved in the private data folder, never in the database.

Email (SMTP)

Used for password resets, notifications and Comms. Leave empty to use the server's built-in mail(), which often lands in spam.

Payments (Stripe)

For member dues. Card details are handled entirely by Stripe Checkout; nothing is stored here. Webhook URL: profile/stripe-webhook.php

Text messages (Twilio)

For SMS from Comms and optional SMS notifications.

Video meetings (Jitsi)

Your self-hosted Jitsi server, or the public meet.jit.si.

Social media

Optional. Comms can publish posts where keys are set; otherwise it offers copy-and-open.

Assets

The shared design library. Leave the list empty to use the built-in license choices.

Shown when members upload or edit an asset.
Board

The community bulletin board. Posts take themselves down when they expire.

One per line. Members pick one when they post and can filter the board by it.
Calendar

How events get approved, what tags members can pick, and how far ahead repeating events are created.

People with the Calendar privilege, and leads of a group on their group's calendar, never need approval. A calendar can also be set to auto-approve in Calendar -> Manage.
When on, an approved event edited by someone who can't approve it goes back to pending.
One per line. Members pick from these when they add an event.
Members who RSVP going or maybe get a notification this long before the event. Up to two values.
Chat

Where Ideas/Bugs messages go and how big attachments may be.

Leave empty to use the first administrator.
Comms

Options for email blasts, texts and social posts sent from the Comms app.

Use while trying Comms out. Portal announcements still appear.
Anti-spam laws (CAN-SPAM, CASL) require a postal address in bulk email.
Large sends continue in the background every few minutes.
Used when no Mastodon token is set.
Designer

The theme colors (System -> Organization) are always in the Designer palette. Add more brand colors here.

Hex colors separated by commas. They appear as swatches in the Designer editor.
Documents

How members hear about agendas and minutes.

When off, invitations are sent as notifications only (bell, push and email).
Forms

Who can build forms, and spam protection for public forms.

Stops floods from one address. Raise it for events where many people share one Wi-Fi network.
Home dashboard

Today's weather comes from Open-Meteo (free, no key) using the organization location set in System → Organization. Offline installs simply hide it.

Library

Book categories and the default longest book loan. Uploading to the file shelf needs the LIBRARY privilege (Members app).

Leave empty to use the built-in list.
Meeting rooms

Defaults for new rooms. The video server address is under "Video meetings (Jitsi)".

Jitsi token login (optional)

Only for a self-hosted Jitsi server set up with JWT ("token") authentication. Members then join signed in, and room hosts join as moderators. Leave empty for meet.jit.si or open servers.

Photos

Shared photo albums. Members with the Photos privilege create albums; every member can add photos.

Off: only members with the Photos privilege (and admins) can start albums.
A hidden photo waits for a Photos manager to keep or remove it. Privacy reports count twice.
Member dues

Plans and amounts are set on Profile → Dues admin. Without Stripe keys, members see your offline instructions and admins record payments by hand.

Shown on every member's Dues tab (and instead of the card checkout when Stripe isn't set up).
Anything that doesn't match exactly one member waits for review on Dues admin → Stripe subscriptions.
Projects

Who can start projects. Members with the Projects privilege can always create, approve and manage every project.

Recipes

Lists members pick from when they share a recipe and plan meals. One entry per line or comma-separated.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner also guide the menu planner's auto-fill.
Rows of the weekly menu planner, in order.
Websites

Members can build simple public websites. Organization and group sites are managed by members with the SITE privilege and by group leads.

To-Do

When members get a "due soon" reminder for their to-dos.

Items with only a due date (no time) are reminded 12 hours earlier, around midday the day before.
Tool Share

Categories members can file tools under, and the default longest loan.

Leave empty to use the built-in list.
Vote: resolutions

How members bring resolutions to a vote.

How many other members must second a resolution. 0 skips seconding.
Off: a resolution opens for voting as soon as it has its seconds.
Vote: quorum and eligibility

Defaults for every new vote.

Comma-separated: active, pending, inactive, suspended.
Vote: reminders and announcements
0 turns reminders off.
Votes opening and results are posted there by System. The number is in the channel's address (chat/?channel=N). 0 = none.
Whiteboard

Shared drawing boards. Any member can make boards; these settings control publishing and the trash.

Ready to install

Setup will create the database, your account and the apps you chose, then sign you in.

  • Push notifications need HTTPS. On iPhone and iPad, members add the portal to their Home Screen to get them.
  • Reminders and scheduled messages run automatically while people use the portal. For exact timing, add a cron job: php /home/ff_coop/cos.fayettefreelancers.com/sys/cron.php every 5 minutes.