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Discourse Logo

Discourse: Managed Hosting, Installation and Operations

WZ-IT plans, installs and operates Discourse as managed hosting, in your cloud or on premises. Depending on the target design, we also provide migration, secure network and identity integration, monitoring, backups, updates, integrations and further development.

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Companies worldwide trust WZ-IT

The following are trademarks of their respective owners: Discourse (Civilized Discourse Construction Kit, Inc.). WZ-IT is an independent service provider and has no business, partnership, or contractual relationship with these companies. We offer independent migration, installation, hosting, and operations services.

Companies worldwide trust WZ-IT

Stadtwerke BrühlDGHO e.V.ABCO Water SystemsGolem.deEVADXBnextGYMAInergyml&sOdiseo SolutionsAnnotaARGEAphy AG
About the Technology

About Discourse

Technology Logo

Discourse is a modern, open-source discussion platform that redefines the traditional forum. With features like real-time discussions, integrated chat, AI support, and a fully responsive user interface, Discourse provides a contemporary community experience.

As an independent service provider, we support you in installing, configuring, and customizing this powerful community platform to your individual requirements and business goals. Leverage the benefits of an engaged community for your company, products, or services.

Self-Hosted
Architecture
Integration
Managed operations

Why Discourse with WZ-IT?

We install, host and operate Discourse for your company - either on our secure, privacy-focused infrastructure in Germany or other locations, as well as on-premise in your own environment.

We provide 24/7 monitoring, backups and maintenance for your Discourse instance. Human response times and support coverage follow the selected service level.

Features

Discourse Features

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Endless Conversations

Instead of paginated posts, Discourse offers continuous scrolling with just-in-time loading for more fluid discussions without interruptions.

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Integrated Chat

Create channels for informal conversations between community members and seamlessly transform relevant chat content into structured topics.

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AI Support

Harness the power of artificial intelligence to summarize long topics, moderate content, and enhance community interaction.

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Community Moderation

Utilize a trust system where members gain additional rights over time and can help with moderation, including spam blocking and conflict resolution.

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Mobile Optimization

Discourse was designed for high-resolution touch devices, with a built-in mobile layout and native apps for iOS and Android.

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Single Sign-On & Social Login

Integrate Discourse seamlessly with your existing login system or leverage social logins like Google, Facebook, Twitter, and GitHub.

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Email Integration

Respond to notifications directly via email from any device without visiting the website, and utilize full mailing list support.

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Extensible Functionality

Expand your community's capabilities with official plugins for chat integration, topic voting, Google Adsense, and much more.

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Comprehensive API

Everything visible on screen can also be controlled via API calls, with full support for custom integrations and automations.

You got questions? We are here to help!
Professional Installation Service

Discourse Installation & setup

Professional installation on your infrastructure - on-premise, cloud or hybrid

On-Premise

In your data center

  • Installation on bare-metal, VM or Docker
  • Optimal performance configuration
  • Integration with existing Active Directory/LDAP
  • SSL certificate & reverse proxy
  • Backup strategy & monitoring
  • Security hardening following best practices
  • Documentation & training

Cloud Installation

AWS, Azure, Hetzner & more

  • Installation on AWS, Azure, GCP, Hetzner
  • Terraform/IaC setup (optional)
  • Kubernetes or Docker Compose
  • Capacity and scaling design
  • Reverse proxy and optional platform services
  • CloudWatch/monitoring setup
  • Cost optimization & best practices

Enterprise Setup

Advanced architecture after technical and licence assessment

  • HA and recovery design where supported by the application and edition
  • VPN access (e.g. WireGuard, NetBird, Tailscale)
  • SSO integration or an upstream identity layer
  • MFA through the application or identity provider
  • Logging according to feature set and edition
  • Backup and recovery design
  • Custom security policies
  • Dedicated contact person
Security

Operate Discourse with secure access

Secure access and access control for your installation

VPN Access

WireGuard, NetBird or Tailscale

SSO Integration

Directly or through an upstream identity layer

Multi-Factor Auth

Depends on application, edition and identity provider

Firewall & Hardening

Fail2Ban, Rate Limiting, IP Whitelisting

Secure Access via VPN

We set up secure VPN access to your installation - ideal for remote work and external employees.

  • Zero-Trust Network Access (ZTNA)
  • Encrypted connections
  • Easy client setup for all devices
  • Centralized access management
Supported VPN Solutions:
WireGuard
NetBird
Tailscale
Headscale
OpenVPN
Cloudflare Tunnel
Included

What the Discourse setup includes

Full-service installation with no hidden costs

✓ Complete installation & configuration
✓ SSL certificate & reverse proxy setup
✓ Backup strategy & disaster recovery
✓ Performance optimization & tuning
✓ Security hardening following OWASP
✓ Monitoring & logging setup
✓ Documentation & best practices
✓ Administrator training (remote)
✓ 30 days email support included
✓ Dedicated contact person
✓ Optional integration: LDAP/AD, SSO, MFA
✓ Update strategy & patch management setup
Architecture & Interfaces

Discourse Development & Integration

Discourse is a modern Rails app. This makes it extremely customizable. We integrate the forum so deeply into your product that users don't notice they are switching platforms.

DiscourseConnect (SSO)

Nobody wants a second account. We implement DiscourseConnect so your main application (WordPress, App, Shop) acts as the Identity Provider. Login in the app = Login in the forum.

Webhooks & Automation

We reward engagement. A user posts 10 solutions? A webhook informs your CRM or app to award gamification badges or unlock premium support.

Plugins & Theme Components

We don't change the core. We write plugins (Ruby) for backend logic and theme components (JS/Handlebars) for UI adjustments. 100% update-safe.

Concrete Use Cases

How we implement Discourse development in practice.

Embedded Comments

Problem

Blog comments are often spam magnets and isolated from the forum.

Solution

We replace the comment section on your website/blog with Discourse topics via JavaScript embed. Discussions take place centrally in the forum.

Paywall & Membership Sync

Problem

Certain areas in the forum should only be accessible to paying members (Patreon, Stripe, Steady).

Solution

Synchronization of group memberships. When a subscription ends, an API script automatically revokes access to VIP categories in the forum.

Legacy Migration (phpBB/vBulletin)

Problem

Important history lies in a 15-year-old forum that is no longer secure.

Solution

Development of import scripts that rescue users, posts, passwords (hashes), and permalinks and cleanly transfer them to Discourse.

Infrastructure, integration and operations

Discourse as part of your infrastructure

We do more than provide an application. WZ-IT designs the technical architecture, integrates network and identity, operates the agreed scope and develops integrations when the standard product is not enough.

Architecture and migration

Sizing, target environment, data transfer, cutover and recovery are resolved before production operations.

Network and identity

SSO, secure access, internal systems and existing security components are integrated appropriately.

Monitoring and service level

Updates, backups, technical monitoring and response paths follow a transparent operational scope.

Integration and development

APIs, automation and custom extensions can be delivered beyond basic deployment.

The exact scope depends on the application, edition, infrastructure and criticality. Vendor licences and non-standard components are quoted separately.

Target architecture

Integrate Discourse into your infrastructure with clear controls

Collaboration platforms connect communication, files, identities and integrations. We treat them as a complete system rather than a single container.

The diagram is a resilient target model. Its implementation depends on edition, data flows, load, availability objectives and existing infrastructure.

Managed Hosting & Operations

Discourse hosting in Germany: GDPR-compliant operations

Managed Hosting

Hosting and ongoing operations

A clearly defined operating scope instead of an opaque hosting flat fee.

One managed standard application included
Dedicated compute workload in S, M, L or XL
Subdomain on wz-it.cloud included
German provider, German data centres, no US clouds
ISO 27001-certified and BSI C5-attested data centres
99.9 % standard availability per month
CVE and security-advisory monitoring for the operating system and managed application, regular updates, and priority deployment of available patches for critical vulnerabilities
Central collection of agreed system and operations logs with immutable retention
Daily backup with 7-day retention
5 TB outbound traffic per workload and month
24/7 proactive monitoring
Five clearly separated service levels
24/7 P1 response with Production or Critical
Personal technical contact
Starter workload from
€129.90/ month
Try it free for 7 days

We set up a test instance for you, usually on the next business day. No payment details required. After seven days it is deleted unless you continue.

Modular pricing based on your requirements - service level, apps and compute selectable individually.
DCs
ISO 27001 / BSI C5
24/7
Monitoring
GDPR
requirements

What managed hosting covers

Compute, applications, storage and response are shown separately. You can see what ongoing operations include and which requirements need a technical assessment.

Bring Your Own Infrastructure

Installation on Your Infrastructure

Installation on your own infrastructure
On-premise or in your cloud
Control over data location and access
Custom configuration
Complete documentation
Initial setup & configuration
Optional support and maintenance contract
Price on request
plus optional support & maintenance

Looking for a custom solution?

We also design custom Discourse architectures, integrations and migrations. Contact us for a technical assessment.

Send Email
Calculator

How much does hosting for Discourse cost?

One managed standard Discourse application is included in the Starter workload. Business and higher levels add a flexible operations allowance for planned work during regular service hours. Select compute, additional applications, storage and the appropriate service level.

Will the service process professional secrets covered by Section 203 of the German Criminal Code?

Select the operating model first. The separate Section 203 Managed Cloud starts from €499.90 excluding VAT per month; final scope and price are defined on request.

Workloads

A workload is one compute instance with the applications agreed for it.

Compute per workload

Additional standard applications

One standard app per workload is already included. Additional dedicated servers count as separate workloads.

Additional block storage

€7.99 excl. VAT per additional 100 GB per month, including daily encrypted offsite backup with 7-day retention. Billing is based on provisioned capacity, not actual usage.

GB

Custom backup retention

We also implement custom backup schedules and retention periods. For example: daily backups retained for 30 days and one monthly backup retained for 12 months. Scope, storage requirements and additional costs are agreed separately.

Availability configuration

+€299 excluding VAT per workload and month

Standard hosting runs on a single instance without high availability. Availability for custom architectures is agreed separately.

Zero downtime on request

Distributed operation with several instances, a database cluster and rolling updates, so that a node failure causes no interruption. Only for applications suited to it; design and price after technical assessment.

Service level

24/7 response

For P1 incidents in business-critical production environments.

Role in the overall system

Related services for Discourse

This page covers installation and the agreed platform operations for Discourse. Custom code, the access layer and special confidentiality requirements remain clearly separated responsibilities that can be added when needed.

Three relevant adjacent paths instead of a long list of further products.

All prices are net and exclude statutory VAT. The offers are addressed to businesses.

View the overall system

Enquiry

Enquire about hosting and operations for Discourse

Briefly describe the current state and objective for Discourse. We assess infrastructure, integration, and ongoing operations.

Which Discourse service do you need?

Choose the appropriate starting point and add the technical context.

How should we get back to you?

We usually respond within one business day. Please do not submit credentials.

On-premises option

Run Discourse on hardware at your organisation

As an alternative to managed hosting in the data centre, WZ-IT provides the hardware, configures Discourse, and handles hardening, monitoring, updates, backup and technical support. Access can be limited to the internal network or enabled through VPN and existing identities.

from EUR 349 excl. VAT / month · plus one-time provisioning and initial setup

WZ-IT App Node as a local appliance
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Selected customers and projects in Germany and internationally

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WZ-IT moved our studio infrastructure from decentralised individual devices to a central platform: every site is securely connected via VPN, new devices are onboarded automatically and an entire site is provisioned from a template, without manual steps on location. What impressed me most is the breadth and depth of their knowledge: Timo and Robin are not a typical IT provider who sets up a server and leaves. The two of them think their way into highly complex infrastructure and software topics, work through every requirement we put in front of them, and build networking, provisioning and operations so that everything fits together in the end. WZ-IT is an excellent partner for complex software, network and architecture projects.

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Professional, honest and technically thoroughly sound: WZ-IT set up our Proxmox and backup infrastructure securely and future-proof. The consulting from Timo and Robin was objective and needs-driven, the implementation smooth and the final documentation exemplary. You can tell immediately that business-critical infrastructure is thought through holistically from the outset here and implemented with clear ownership.

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Stadtwerke Brühl - municipal energy and infrastructure utility.

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Communication with WZ-IT was open, friendly and professional from the very beginning. Mr. Wevelsiep and Mr. Zins responded to every one of our questions patiently, promptly and respectfully, and contributed their own suggestions and good ideas on how to modernize our server infrastructure and adapt it even better to our needs. Throughout, WZ-IT consistently kept our need for data sovereignty and GDPR compliance in mind. Even short-notice adjustments and change requests from our side were implemented quickly and patiently and integrated consistently into the overall concept. From planning to the final handover, every step was documented transparently and comprehensively - so if a provider change should ever become necessary, the documentation would let us onboard a successor into our infrastructure very quickly. We are extremely satisfied with WZ-IT and hope to continue working together for a long time.

Christoph Mußmann

Project Officer, DGHO e.V.

DGHO - German Society for Hematology and Medical Oncology.

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Modernize your infrastructure - sovereign
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GermanyArchitecture ConsultingSovereign Software SelectionOpen Source Strategy
I got to know Timo and Robin as dedicated and professional partners who make a lot of things possible for their clients that initially seem impossible. I felt very well advised. The services offered have thoroughly convinced me. (translated)

Andrea Pawlowski

Communications Manager, Golem.de

Golem.de - leading German IT news outlet.

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While looking for a partner to integrate a local AI solution, we came across Timo and Robin - and could not have made a better decision. They quickly understood our requirements and solved technical challenges competently and pragmatically. We were particularly impressed by the straightforward collaboration, their high level of expertise and the speed of implementation. We are delighted to have Timo and Robin at our side as reliable business partners and look forward to our next projects together. (translated)

Henrik Jeche

Head of IT Administration

ml&s - full-service provider for the electronics industry.

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With Timo and Robin, you're not only on the safe side technically - you also get the best human support! Whether it's quick help in everyday life or complex IT solutions: the guys from WZ-IT think along with you, act quickly and speak a language you understand. The collaboration is uncomplicated, reliable and always on an equal footing. That makes IT fun - and above all: it works! Big thank you to the team! (translated)

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I recently worked with Timo and the WZ-IT team, and honestly, it turned out to be one of the best tech decisions I have made for my business. Right from the start, Timo took the time to walk me through every step in a simple and calm way. No matter how many questions I had, he never rushed me. The results speak for themselves. With WZ-IT, we reduced our monthly expenses from $1,300 down to $250. This was a huge win for us.

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EVA Real Estate - leading real-estate agency in Dubai.

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Aphy AG - AI platform for hotel back-office.

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Timo and Robin from WZ-IT set up a RocketChat server for us - and I couldn't be more satisfied! From the initial consultation to the final implementation, everything was absolutely professional, efficient, and to my complete satisfaction. I particularly appreciate the clear communication, transparent pricing, and the comprehensive expertise that both bring to the table. Even after the setup, they take care of the maintenance, which frees up my time enormously and allows me to focus on other important areas of my business - with the good feeling that our IT is in the best hands. I can recommend WZ-IT without reservation and look forward to continuing our collaboration! (translated)

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Counting on WZ-IT team was crucial, their expertise and solutions gave us the pace to deploy in production our services, even suggesting and performing improvements over our configuration and setup. We expect to keep counting on them for continuous maintenance of our services and implementation of new solutions.

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Odiseo Solutions - software engineering for the space industry.

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Companies worldwide trust WZ-IT

  • ml&s
  • Rekorder
  • Keymate
  • Führerscheinmacher
  • SolidProof
  • ARGE
  • Boese VA
  • nextGYM
  • Maho Management
  • Golem.de
  • Millenium
  • Paritel
  • Yonju
  • EVADXB
  • Mr. Clipart
  • Aphy AG
  • Negosh
  • ABCO Water Systems
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