Dear Flarum Community,
On behalf of the Flarum Foundation and the @Flarum Team , I want to share an important update regarding the structure of flarum.org, the extension store, and our relationship with Flarum BV.
Background
In 2024, an agreement was established between the Flarum Foundation and a newly formed commercial entity, Flarum BV. This company brought together Extiverse (the extension marketplace) and Blomstra (a hosting provider), and operated under a license of the Flarum trademark.
The intention behind this agreement was to create a sustainable commercial ecosystem around Flarum, with part of the revenue supporting development of the open-source project. The agreement was signed for a fixed initial term of two years, ending on March 15, 2026.
After careful review and discussion, the Flarum Foundation has decided not to renew this agreement.
What This Means
As a result:
- Following the expiration of the trademark license, Flarum BV will cease operating under the Flarum name and continue under a different brand.
- The commercial entity will operate independently going forward.
- The Flarum Foundation owns the flarum.org domain. Following the conclusion of the agreement, the Foundation will operate a website on that domain directly.
The agreement between the Foundation and the commercial entity will conclude in full.
We would like to acknowledge Daniel’s significant contributions to Flarum over the years, including his work on Extiverse, Blomstra, and the current flarum.org website. We sincerely thank him for his efforts and dedication to the project.
Changes to flarum.org
The current flarum.org website (including the extension directory and store) is operated on infrastructure owned by Flarum BV.
The Foundation explored the possibility of acquiring that codebase. After extended consideration — including technical, financial, and long-term strategic factors — the decision was made not to proceed with a purchase.
Instead:
- flarum.org will revert to a Foundation-owned website as an interim solution.
- The extension listing and extension store will no longer be available on flarum.org.
- The Extension Manager will receive an update removing the built-in extension listing. All installation and update functionality will remain unchanged.
Open-source extensions will continue to be discoverable via discuss.flarum.org (Extensions) and Packagist.
Looking Ahead
The Flarum Team has decided to invest time and energy into building a new extension discovery platform from scratch.
In the coming weeks and months, we will begin developing:
- A modern, improved listing for open-source extensions
- A refreshed approach to premium extension discovery and distribution
This new platform will incorporate community feedback and long-standing UI and usability improvement suggestions.
Our approach will differ from the previous model. Rather than operating a commercial marketplace or acting as a reseller, the Foundation intends to focus on providing infrastructure that connects Flarum users directly with extension developers.
We do not plan to charge commissions. Our goal is to support developers while keeping the ecosystem open, sustainable, and community-driven.
Communities currently using premium extensions may need to adjust their configuration depending on how the commercial entity relaunches its services under a new name and domain. Further guidance will be shared once those details are confirmed.
Governance Update
Daniel has already stepped down from the Flarum Team and the Foundation Board as part of this transition.
We are pleased to share that @IanM will be joining the Foundation Board. Legal formalities are currently being completed.
Flarum v2 Timeline
This change does not affect the Flarum v2 timeline. Development is progressing well, and we remain committed to the roadmap that has been communicated.
Closing
These decisions were made after careful consideration and with the long-term stability and independence of the open-source project in mind.
We understand that this is a significant change and may raise questions. We welcome your thoughts and will do our best to provide clarity as we move forward.
Thank you for your continued trust and support.
