Any tips on setting up fluentCommunity?

Artur Abakarov WordPress is already installed. I have free FC, not setup yet, and will be getting pro by the end of the week. I will primarily focus on FC first. Then work on the rest of the site later.

David Scurlock I understand you had a website and decided to add a community section? It's difficult to give advice in such a case right away.

If you are using LiteSpeed Cache or another HTML cache plugin, it is important to configure URL exceptions for all Fluent products.
Make sure your server supports Redis and enable object caching via Redis Object Cache (ideally, configure it on the server).
Remove all unnecessary and inactive plugins (I even removed FluentCrt, Booking, Affiliate, Boards, Support, and others until they are needed).

You probably know the rest.

Artur Abakarov thank you

Artur Abakarov I thought cache was not needed and should be excluded from litespeed. Redis Object Cache is only supported on a vps plan, which is do not have at the moment.

David Scurlock if you use the /portal slug, then it makes sense to cache static pages, and for fluent, configure URL exceptions (you'll have to tinker with the litespeed cache settings, disable a lot of things except for the guest cache). - If I understand correctly, you have OLS, otherwise there is no point in LiteSpeed Cache (I can try to send you the settings export file. If you add it to any website, it should work..

However, for a full transition to FluentCommunity, I would recommend VPS. Otherwise, don't rush to launch fcom, as it may not be able to handle high traffic. Moreover, there is no Redis Object Cache, so the load will be high.

You can play on the cloud server in Fcom, but launching production is risky. What are your plans?

David Scurlock, I'm not sure if I'm saying this correctly in English, but there's a word called "goal setting" — it's very important that you understand why you're doing what you're doing, in a good way. What is your ultimate goal and what will you do to achieve it?

Right now, you have a cloud server with a website on it, which seems to be your hobby. Given these preliminaries, you have a non-commercial project and a limited budget. Therefore, you are "playing around," which is normal, and that's where it all starts. Next will be the "goal" and the "plan" for achieving it. Sorry if I seem like a bore, but this is important.

I don't want to dissuade you from anything, especially if you plan to get LTD, which may be justified in the case of FluentCommunity. I just didn't want you to buy an expensive VDS or dedicated server after my advice.

First, understand why you need all this. Then you need a license, a server, advanced server settings, followed by WordPress, then custom Fcom settings, and then 90% of your work with the site will begin, namely content, attracting users, creating unique products, advertising, the pain of failure, failure, and trying again to repeat it all, but with a new you.

Until then, have fun!

Artur Abakarov there doesn't seem to be a discount on ltd and since I dont know where this is going then I think a subscription would be fine and you are right about goals, first, I need to see what this can do and if it does pick up any light traffic along the way then I can consider a vps, however, hostinger does not offer managed vps so I would have to find a different hosting solution but for the time being, I need to figure out and learn FC options. FC is just one step in the process, if I were to setup the entire site then I would most certainly need vps right now but the remaining site will not be setup until 2026, but right now, ill just be setting up FC and nothing else.

David Scurlock Moving the site to a new server will be a lot of work. You could say that you will be starting from scratch in the future when you switch to VDS/VPS. Your license will expire in 2026, and you will need to think about purchasing a new one.

I would recommend that you put aside technical issues related to the server and website and first think about what you ultimately want from Fcom. If you want to play, then play—it's almost free.

If you are absolutely certain that you will be working with a server (VDS), website, and developing your community and content for it, where there must be some financial benefit for you, then consider LTD. A one-year subscription does not seem like such a good deal in your case.

David Scurlock What is the theme of your website? Who visits it and why?

Artur Abakarov I did not think about the subscription/renewal or changing up servers, and you make a very valid point. You can call it play, work or whatever, but you have to play around a bit in order to learn 😉

David Scurlock, you hit the nail on the head! And many (almost all) have been through this.

Now you can assess your situation for yourself and understand how far you are willing to go and what will be best for you.

Artur Abakarov I would rather not say right now. There is demand but a very competitive niche. My order value could be $25-$250 or more, but i would have to get my foot into the niche first. Like some, I do not expect to setup today and make money tomorrow, as this maybe a long term process.

David Scurlock Don't be afraid of competition, because it's not a pie that can only be shared among one family)) On the contrary, shout about your idea, invite supporters and like-minded people, let everyone, even just as a "bystander," watch you and your project from the sidelines. That's how promotion and sales work. (But please don't reveal the project if now is not the time; I'm just expressing my opinion.)

Artur Abakarov crap, now you have me considering ltd. Now I need a host where I can expand into a vps once needed, and that isn't hostinger.

David Scurlock We have a long road ahead of us, and it seems like it's time to set up the navigator 😉

Artur Abakarov knownhost offers a semi dedicated server for $28mo but right know, I dont need all that power for what i would call a starter site...

David Scurlock Don't rush into this, or you'll end up with excess power.

First, determine who your target audience is, how many such users will be on your site at any given time, and how many there will be at peak load. - approximate figures based on your experience and knowledge of your audience, your ability to attract people online.

First, you need basic power so that you can comfortably work with your first users for 1-2 years.

Choose VDS at the beginning, rather than a dedicated server. Make sure there are positive reviews in the community about this host. Make sure there is flexible CPU, RAM, and ROM expansion in case you need more during the process. - so that it is accessible without reinstalling VDS.

It is also important that they provide a "backup" function so that you can keep 1-2 backups, with the ability to guarantee restoration of the copy in 1 click. This option is not available on a dedicated server, so you will have to wait until you have more knowledge in the future.

Approximate calculations in the screenshot. Please assess your ambitions realistically; don't think that you will immediately have a lot of traffic.

Artur Abakarov that was my goal, just enough to get started but once I showed the specs to knownhost, they recommended one of their top plans but I will contact them again later for a starter plan for FC.

David Scurlock It's easy to recommend the best plan, but it's both powerful and expensive. You don't need the best plan, you need a practical and reliable one. I hope you won't rush into anything and will weigh everything carefully.

Artur Abakarov known host is a solid hosting provider. They offer starter plans all the way upto dedicated plans with 24hr support. I have asked them about a minimum hosting that would get me started with FC, at the same time, would allow me to upgrade as needed. Im on it. 👍