Advanced Electron Forum (AEF) Hosting
We make it easy to launch your AEF forum. Pick a plan, and we'll set up Advanced Electron Forum (AEF) for you with a single click in cPanel via Softaculous. Every plan includes free SSL, NVMe storage, a free domain, and 24/7 support from our PapaSquad team. Start risk-free with our 30-day money-back guarantee.1
Plans as low as $2.95 per month2
Advanced Electron Forum (AEF) Hosting Plans
If for any reason you’re not satisfied with our services, you can cancel at any time in the first 30 days of signup to receive a full refund for the service.
Domain fees are non-refundable.
What Is Advanced Electron Forum (AEF)?
AEF stands for Advanced Electron Forum. It's a free, open-source bulletin board software written in PHP and MySQL. AEF was one of the first forum scripts to include features like drag-and-drop category reordering and a built-in ShoutBox for instantaneous chat.
AEF is a good fit if you need a lightweight, simple forum without the complexity of larger platforms. It's free to download and use, and it comes with a clean administration panel that's easy to pick up, even if you've never managed a forum before.
AEF runs on PHP 5.0 or higher and MySQL 4.0 or higher (PHP 5.1+ and MySQL 4.1+ recommended for the best results). You don't need to worry about meeting these requirements with HostPapa. Our servers run the latest stable versions of PHP and MySQL, so your AEF forum will work right away.
AEF Features
AEF comes packed with features you'd expect from much larger forum software, all included for free.
Time Zone Adjustment
SEO-Friendly URLs
Built-in ShoutBox
Threaded Mode for Topics
Automatic Updates
Customizable Themes
Multi-Language Support
Why Choose HostPapa for AEF Hosting?
We built our hosting with small businesses and first-time website owners in mind. Here's what you get with every AEF hosting plan:
cPanel With Softaculous
Free SSL Certificate
Free Domain & Migration
Fast NVMe Storage
30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
99.9% Uptime Guarantee
24/7 PapaSquad Support
Who Is AEF Best For?
AEF is a free, straightforward forum solution for individuals or small organizations. It’s lightweight, easy to manage, and avoids the complexity of larger platforms, making it ideal for small groups, private boards, or simple online communities while still providing all the discussion features.
AEF is ideal for small community forums, hobby groups, fan clubs, and local organizations needing a simple space to connect. It also suits specialty boards around specific sports, crafts, or interests, providing a lightweight, productive forum without unnecessary complexity.
AEF is a practical choice for small, focused communities that need a dedicated space to talk. It suits internal team discussions and small business support communities, offering a private place for updates, questions, shared experiences, and community‑driven help.
AEF is a great starting point for first‑time forum owners, thanks to its simple, approachable admin panel. If you expect very high traffic or need a large plugin ecosystem, a more powerful platform like phpBB or Discourse may be a better fit.
How to Install AEF on HostPapa
You don't need any coding knowledge to get AEF running. Here's how to do it:
Log in to cPanel. After signing up for your HostPapa plan, open cPanel from your dashboard.
Open Softaculous. In the Software section of cPanel, click on Softaculous Apps Installer.
Find AEF. In the left sidebar, click the Forums category, then click on AEF.
Click Install. Choose your domain, set your forum name, admin username, and password.
You're live. Softaculous handles everything. Your AEF forum will be ready in under five minutes.
That's it. No file uploads, no database configuration, no command line. If you run into anything, our PapaSquad support team is available 24/7 by phone, live chat, or email to walk you through it.
Get Your AEF Forum Online Today
You're a few clicks away from your own AEF forum. Pick the plan that fits your needs, install AEF with 1-Click, and start building your community. We've got your hosting, security, and support covered.
We migrate your website & domain for Free.
(Yes, you read that right.)
Try our Web Hosting services risk-free for 30 days1. If you don't love us, we’ll let you return to your existing web host for Free!
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😍"The best hosting company"
So far you guys are the best hosting company among others I have been dealing with in the past 20 years, Hostpapa is the best.
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Don't change anything. Everything works well for me the way it is. Any issues or problems I have had with my site have been dealt with in a quick and competent manner. Employees are very courteous and helpful.
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Your staff were so responsive and sympathetic, thank you so much – couldn't have had a better experience.
Site Owner, https://diveky.ca
High-Performance Forum Hosting Solutions
Powerful AEF Web Hosting
Install AEF with just one click and help your business thrive with a powerful, high-performance website. HostPapa is the trusted leader in website hosting and will get your AEF site launched quickly.
AEF vs. Other Forum Software
Not sure if AEF is the right choice? Here's how it compares to other popular free forum software you can install on HostPapa:
Feature
AEF
phpBB
MyBB
SMF
Free.
Free.
Free.
Free.
PHP/MySQL.
PHP/MySQL.
PHP/MySQL.
PHP/MySQL.
Yes (Softaculous).
Yes (Softaculous).
Yes (Softaculous).
Yes (Softaculous).
Yes.
No (extension required).
No (plugin required).
No (mod required).
Limited.
100+
300+
200+
Limited.
700+
500+
400+
Inactive (last update circa 2017).
Active.
Active.
Active.
Yes.
Yes (50+ languages).
Yes (30+ languages).
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Simple, lightweight forums.
Large communities needing extensions.
Modern-looking small to mid-size forums.
Security-focused communities.
100% Satisfaction Guarantee
At HostPapa, we're so confident you'll love our services that we offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you're not satisfied within your first 30 days with us, we'll make things right by giving you a full refund.1
One Global Team
Need help?
The PapaSquad is here!
Can’t decide on the perfect domain name? Want to build an awesome website without breaking a sweat? Or maybe you need a hand configuring your business email? Whatever it is, our PapaSquad is always ready to save the day. So hit us up, and let us show you what we're made of!
Live Chat
Join a chat help session in seconds.
Prefer emails and tickets? Works for us.
Send us an email.
Phone
Give us a call day or night.
Call us!
Consistently Awesome
We're not trying to brag (okay, maybe just a little), but with a 97% support satisfaction rate, we're basically the MVP of web hosting.
Compare Our Web Hosting Plans
Want to dive into the numbers? At HostPapa, we're proud of our powerful, secure, and reliable Web Hosting servers.
100% Satisfaction Guarantee
Number of supported websites
Email addresses
Inbox storage
Website staging
Softaculous script installer
CMS scripts 1-click setup (WordPress, Joomla!, Drupal etc.)
Free domain registration or transfer1
1
25GB
2
1GB
5
100GB
10
1GB
Unlimited
200GB
40
2GB
Unlimited
Unmetered
Unlimited
2GB
Number of pages
No-code, easy wizard-driven setup
Site backups
Multilingual sites
Build from any device
Responsive, mobile-ready sites
SEO optimization tools
2
2 Latest versions
2 Languages
2
2 Latest versions
2 Languages
2
2 Latest versions
2 Languages
Email addresses
Email forwarding accounts
Email autoresponders
IMAP/IMAP-SSL connections
POP3/POP3-SSL connections
SMTP/SMTP-SSL connections
Email aliases
Email virus scanning
SpamAssassin spam protection
Outgoing filtering
Webmail
Business-grade email available
Individual mailbox storage
Overall mailbox storage
Email sends per hour
Email attachment size
2
2
Unlimited
25
1GB
2GB
200
20MB
10
10
Unlimited
25
1GB
5GB
200
20MB
40
40
Unlimited
25
2GB
10GB
300
20MB
Unlimited
Unlimited
Unlimited
25
2GB
20GB
600
20MB
Daily malware scan
Content Delivery Network (CDN)
Protected pages
Manual vulnerability scan
Secure website trust seal
Automated malware detection
Real-time notifications and alerts
Malware removal assistance
Website performance acceleration
Improved page load speed
Dynamic website acceleration
Asset preloading
Anycast DNS
Speed 10/40/100GBPS
Layer 7 DDoS protection
Layer 3, 4, 5, 6 DDoS protection
Instant purge
One-time
One-time
One-time
Server firewall, monitoring, and intrusion detection
DDoS attack prevention and responses
Multi-factor biometric access data centre
Redundant network carriers
Network monitoring
Brute force detection
CloudLinux O/S protection
Imunify360
ModSecurity
Standard SSL
Domain privacy protection
Premium SSL
Automated website backup
5GB
5GB
10GB
Server resources
Entry points
CPU cores
MySQL usage
PHP 5.6, 7.0, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 8.0, 8.1 (choose your version)
Memory
I/O Usage
Inodes
Minimum cron job interval
Database size
Table size
Hosted domains
Subdomains
Unlimited add-on domains
Unlimited parked domains
Server resources
- Entry points: 10
- CPU cores: 1 core
- MySQL usage: 1 core MySQL
- Memory per process: 1024MB
- Inodes: 150,000
- Minimum Cron Job Interval: 30 minutes
- Database size: 500MB
- Table size: 250MB
10
1 Core
1 Core MySQL
1,024MB
2,048 KB/s
150,000
30 Minutes
500MB
250MB
1
20
Server resources
- Entry points: 20
- CPU cores: 2 core
- MySQL usage: 2 core MySQL
- Memory per process: 1024MB
- Inodes: 300,000
- Minimum Cron Job Interval: 30 minutes
- Database size: 1000MB
- Table size: 500MB
20
2 Core
2 Core MySQL
1,024MB
3,072 KB/s
300,000
30 Minutes
1GB
500MB
5
100
Server resources
- Entry points: 40
- CPU cores: 4 core
- MySQL usage: 4 core MySQL
- Memory per process: 1024MB
- Inodes: 450,000
- Minimum Cron Job Interval: 20 minutes
- Database size: 2000MB
- Table size: 1000MB
40
4 Core
4 Core MySQL
1,024MB
4,096 KB/s
450,000
20 Minutes
2GB
1GB
Unlimited
Unlimited
Server resources
- Entry points: 40
- CPU cores: 4 core
- MySQL usage: 4 core MySQL
- Memory per process: 1024MB
- Inodes: 450,000
- Minimum Cron Job Interval: 20 minutes
- Database size: 2000MB
- Table size: 1000MB
80
8 Core
8 Core MySQL
2,048MB
8,192 KB/s
600,000
10 Minutes
4GB
2GB
Unlimited
Unlimited
Frequently Asked Questions
All your questions in one place! Whether it’s helping you choose a domain name, walking you through our website builder, or configuring your cloud email system for your business, we’re here to help!
Still have questions?
Click below and directly reach one of our awesome support people.
What is AEF?
AEF stands for Advanced Electron Forum. It's a free, open-source bulletin board software built with PHP and MySQL. You can use it to create a discussion forum on your website where members register, post topics, and reply to conversations. AEF is known for its simple admin panel and built-in features like ShoutBox, threaded discussions, and customizable themes.
Is AEF free to use?
We include the Softaculous one-click installer with every hosting plan. Just log in to your cPanel, open Softaculous, find Advanced Guestbook, and click Install. The whole process takes about 60 seconds.
Yes. AEF is completely free to download and use. There are no license fees and no premium tiers. The only cost is your web hosting plan, which starts at $2.95 per month 2 with HostPapa. We include 1-Click AEF installation through Softaculous with every plan.What are the system requirements for AEF?
How do I install AEF on HostPapa?
Log in to cPanel, open Softaculous Apps Installer, find AEF under the Forums category, click Install, and fill in your forum name and admin details. The whole process takes less than five minutes. No coding or file uploads required.
Can I migrate my existing AEF forum to HostPapa?
Yes. Our migration team will move your existing AEF forum, including all files, databases, and settings, to HostPapa at no extra cost. Your forum stays live during the entire process. Contact our PapaSquad team to get started.
What's the difference between AEF and phpBB?
AEF is a lighter, simpler forum software with built-in features such as ShoutBox and drag-and-drop category management. phpBB is a larger platform with 700+ extensions and a bigger community. AEF is a good choice for small, simple forums. phpBB is better for larger communities that need more customization. We support both, and you can install either one with a single click.
Does HostPapa support other forum software besides AEF?
Yes. In cPanel, you can install phpBB, MyBB, Simple Machines Forum (SMF), bbPress, Vanilla, FluxBB, and more with 1-Click. Visit our forum hosting apps page to see the full list.
What kind of support does HostPapa offer for AEF?
Our PapaSquad support team is available 24/7 by phone, live chat, and email. We help with server configuration, cPanel questions, Softaculous installations, domain setup, SSL certificates, and general hosting issues. For AEF-specific questions about forum features, plugins, or theme customization, the AEF community and documentation are the best resources.
Is AEF still being updated?
AEF's most recent version is 1.0.9 on Softaculous (1.0.10 on GitHub). The software hasn't received a major update in several years. It remains functional and installable, but if active development and frequent security patches are a priority for you, phpBB or MyBB may be a better long-term choice. Both are free, open-source, and available with a 1-Click install on HostPapa.
Do I get a free domain with AEF Hosting?
Yes. Most HostPapa Web Hosting plans include a free domain name registration or transfer when you sign up for a 12-month term or longer.1 Domain fees are non-refundable.
