# Scoold > Full content index: https://scoold.com/llms-full.txt Scoold is a privacy-first, self-hosted Q&A / forum / knowledge-base platform for teams, built as a lightweight Java web app that relies on a separate backend service (Para) for data persistence, search indexing, and other backend operations. It is available as an open-source (Apache 2.0) Community Edition and as commercial editions (Scoold Pro and Pro + Source) that add enterprise SSO/provisioning, chat integrations, file uploads, and additional admin/security features; alternatively it can be consumed as a fully managed Scoold Pro Hosting subscription via Scoold Cloud, which includes automatic updates, backups, and security patches. ## Product Overview Name: Scoold (software product; Community + Pro editions) Primary website: scoold.com Demo: demo.scoold.com (linked from Scoold site navigation) Positioning (as stated on site) - Privacy-first and self-hosted knowledge-sharing platform combining Q&A + forum + knowledge base for teams. - Designed for running on your infrastructure (Docker/JAR/native executable) - your data, your rules. Core architectural dependency - Scoold is a client application of the Para backend server; most Scoold requests result in at least one Para request, and Scoold communicates with Para over HTTP(S). Edition overview (high-level) - Community Edition: free, open source (Apache 2.0). - Scoold Pro: commercial edition adding enterprise and premium features (e.g., SAML, SCIM, chat integrations, mentions, file uploads, security notifications, account suspensions). - Pro + Source: Scoold Pro plus access to the private source repository and allowance for custom features, plus architecture consulting (per pricing page). ## Problems Solved / Use Cases Knowledge base and internal enablement - Addresses the problem where teams lose countless hours searching for answers that already exist somewhere, by maintaining a searchable, structured repository where content is ranked via voting and organized via tags/spaces. Community support and discussion - Provides a Q&A-style community forum that emphasizes concise, structured discussions (Q&A + comments) with optional public/private operation and self-hosted or cloud deployment without vendor lock‑in. Developer knowledge hub - Targets engineering knowledge loss in chat by creating a permanent searchable record, with Markdown + syntax highlighting, chat routing, and API/webhook integration for developer toolchains. Customer support deflection - Positions as a customer-facing Q&A portal to reduce ticket volume by enabling customers to search before asking; supports escalations and “Spaces” for public plus internal escalations. Issue tracking / incident intake (lightweight) - Marketed as a way to centralize issue reports, increase cross-team visibility, and trigger workflows via webhooks and upcoming MCP support. Solutions pages listed on site (use-case packaging) - “Knowledge Base”, “Community Forum”, “Developer Hub”, “Support Center”, “Q&A Platform”, “Issue Tracker”. ## Key Features Feature availability note: Scoold documentation distinguishes “Core features” (generally available) from “Premium features Pro” that require Scoold Pro licensing. Collaboration - Stack Overflow-inspired Q&A workflow: ask/answer, voting, accepted answers, reputation, badges, and revision history for edits. - Spaces (groups) for isolating users/questions by team or topic; admins can manage access. - Rich content authoring: Markdown (GFM) editor, tables/task lists, multimedia attachments, and syntax highlighting for code. - Notifications: email notifications for replies/comments; digest emails (Pro); plus chat notifications via official chat integrations. - Mentions (@Name) with notifications (Pro) and cross-posted mention notifications in chat integrations. - Backup & Restore: admin-exportable archive and import into another instance. Moderation - Reputation-driven privileges and moderation signaling: high-scoring users can earn moderation privileges (stated on Q&A Platform solution page). - Account suspensions / bans (Pro). - Anti-spam via Akismet integration; can auto-block or route for moderator approval. - Chat-based moderation: Slack/Teams/Mattermost integrations support “Approve” or “Delete” for posts requiring moderation approval. - Reports and moderation workflows can be automated via n8n actions (blog describes using “reports” resources and “Close” operation for moderation workflows). Search - Full-text search across content; content is indexed by Para. - Similar-post suggestions and duplicate hints (core feature list). - Location-based search and “near me” filtering (core feature list). - Chat-integrated search commands (Slack/Mattermost slash commands; Teams message box search options). - Demo API UI explicitly documents advanced query syntax (fuzzy search, term boost, field grouping, range search). Auth / SSO - Built-in email/password auth (toggleable), requiring SMTP for confirmation emails. - Social login configuration is supported for multiple providers, including Facebook, Google, GitHub, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Slack, Amazon, and Twitter (configuration properties listed). - Generic OAuth 2.0 / OpenID Connect via Para’s OAuth2 filter; includes examples for Okta and Azure Entra ID, Pro adds token delegation and role mapping. - LDAP & Active Directory support (available in free and paid), with configuration options for LDAP server connection. - SAML 2.0 SSO is a Pro feature, implemented by configuring Para as a SAML service provider; SP metadata and auth endpoints are described. - SCIM 2.0 user provisioning is a Pro feature; provides a dedicated SCIM endpoint and can map SCIM groups to spaces and admin/mod roles. - Custom authentication (Pro) supports passwordless auth via Para “passwordless” filter, using a JWT issued by an external login page. - Two-factor authentication (TOTP) is described on the Features page in the “Social Login & 2FA” section. Integrations - Official chat integrations: Slack, Microsoft Teams and Mattermost. These enable creating Q&A from chat, searching, and receiving notifications/mentions. - Automation integrations: Zapier and n8n. - Webhooks: HTTP webhooks for major events with signed payloads (HMAC‑SHA256) and support for custom events/filters. - Import/migration: import data from Stack Overflow for Teams (core feature list + feature page mention). API - RESTful JSON API defined with OpenAPI 3.x; can be enabled via configuration, accessed under `/api/*`, with an interactive console at `/apidocs`. - API keys are JWTs signed with `scoold.app_secret_key`, can expire or never expire, and can also be produced with standard JWT tooling; Para “super” tokens are also accepted. - Ability to auto-generate API clients via Swagger Codegen. UI / Customization - Themes, dark mode, and branding/white-label options (custom CSS, logos, domain). - Configuration-driven UI customization: favicon, external styles, inline CSS, custom navbar links, email footer HTML, discoverability toggles, etc. - Pro supports drag‑and‑drop logo upload (because Pro supports file uploads). - Open-source edition supports expert-level full frontend customization by editing templates/static assets in the repository. Deployment / Ops - Multiple packaging/deployment modes: Docker, standalone JAR, and native executable (GraalVM build) are documented. - Kubernetes deployment (Helm chart). - Backup & restore export/import workflow (admin). - Minimal frontend code without a build step (core feature list). Security - Mutual TLS (mTLS) support is listed as a feature and described as mutual authentication between proxy, Scoold, and Para. - HTTP security controls: CSP enabled by default with configurable nonce and extension points; standard security headers (HSTS, X‑Frame‑Options, X‑XSS‑Protection, X‑Content‑Type‑Options, Referrer‑Policy) are configurable. - Signup/password reset protection via Google reCAPTCHA v3. - Webhooks are signed via HMAC‑SHA256; n8n integration blog emphasizes signature verification to mitigate MITM/tampering. - Domain-restricted signups, one-session-per-user toggle, and session duration controls. ## Technical Details & Architecture Scoold operates as a client of the Para backend; Para handles database/search/cache; Scoold talks to Para over HTTP(S). Core components (as documented) - Scoold: client-facing web application (Java; Spring Boot single JAR/WAR per feature overview). - Para backend: stores data and provides search; can sit on same host or separate networks; supports multiple databases (via Para docs link) and multi-tenancy via “apps”. Multi-tenancy + scaling semantics - Para is multi-tenant: isolated environments are “apps”; multiple Scoold instances (a cluster) can connect to the same Para app; multiple independent Scoold sites can share the same Para backend by using different Para apps; each app has its own DB table and search index. Official architecture diagrams (from documentation) - Simple (1 Scoold node + 1 Para node): https://scoold.com/_astro/single.D-frGb8l_2qYjp3.webp - Multiple Scoold nodes + single Para backend: https://scoold.com/_astro/hybrid.Ba0Q33ou_Z1dcwD0.webp - Multi-tenant / multi-node with load balancer: https://scoold.com/_astro/multinode.BG87GPqV_2l7wL7.webp ## Deployment Options Self-hosted (Community or Pro) - Docker (Docker Compose quick start documented): `docker compose -f https://github.com/Erudika/scoold.git up`. - Standalone JAR executable: download from GitHub releases; run with config file; can connect to Para Cloud or self-hosted Para. - Native executable: build via GraalVM + Maven (advanced). - Kubernetes: Helm chart for Kubernetes, and docs include a Kubernetes deployment section. Minimum system requirements (download page) - Java runtime 21+; Para backend required; 512MB RAM minimum (1GB recommended for production); OS/Docker v28+ for container path. Managed hosting: Scoold Cloud (Scoold Pro Hosting) - Fully managed hosting with automatic updates, backups, security patches; includes a dedicated subdomain with SSL and a web admin console; supports custom domain. - Built on Amazon Web Services with regional availability of 20 regions worldwide. - Cloud FAQ states hosted servers typically run the latest stable Scoold Pro with upgrades handled by provider with zero service downtime. ## Pricing & Licensing Pricing is time-sensitive. Prices below are captured from scoold.com pages and reflect on-site statements as of Last verified 2026-04-07. Self-hosted licensing (scoold.com/pricing) - Billing model: No subscriptions. No per-seat fees. A one-time license fee and it’s yours forever. - License validity: Scoold Pro licenses are per production instance; include free updates and support for 12 months; license continues working indefinitely; extended updates can be purchased after 12 months. - Refund policy: 14‑day money-back guarantee; contact support@scoold.com within 14 days. - Payments: card payments handled by Braintree (Ireland), plus SEPA bank transfers; VAT invoices available upon request. Table: self-hosted editions and prices | Edition | Price | Billing | Scope note | License | Source | |---|---:|---|---|---|---| | Scoold (Community) | Free | Free forever | Unlimited users | Apache 2.0 | | | Scoold Pro | €499 | One-time fee | 1 production instance per license | Commercial (EULA governs) | | | Pro + Source | €1999 | One-time fee | 1 production instance per license; includes source access + custom features allowed (per page) | Commercial (EULA governs) | | | Pro Unlimited | contact us for pricing | contact us for pricing | Mentioned in FAQ as tier for unlimited production hosts; details in EULA | Commercial (EULA governs) | | VAT notes (self-hosted) - Pro + Source bullets mention VAT invoicing available, and pricing FAQ mentions VAT invoices upon request; VAT treatment is excluded for non-EU companies. Licensing details (EULA summary; legal/licenses) - The licenses page defines Host as any physical/virtual machine running a single instance, and describes three license types: Basic Server License (no source), Server License with Source Code, and Unlimited Server License with Source Code. - EULA also states priority support/maintenance services are not included by default and are purchased separately. Scoold Cloud subscription pricing (scoold.com/cloud-hosting) - Plans and prices: - Para App: €25 per app per month. - Small Instance: €49 per server per month (for teams less than 1000 members per page). - Large Instance: €99 per server per month (for up to 10000 concurrent users per page). - Billing: - Monthly billing; annual billing available (pay 10 months and get 2 months free). - EU VAT excluded (prices don’t include European Union VAT; not applicable to customers outside EU). - Trial: - 5-day trial; no credit card required. - License bundling: - Cloud FAQ states Scoold Pro license fees are included in the Scoold Cloud price. Historical note: a 2020 blog post references older Cloud price points (€49/€79/€129 per month) that differ from the current Cloud Hosting page; treat the Cloud Hosting page as current. ## Integrations & APIs Official integrations listed on scoold.com - Chat: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Mattermost. - Automation: Zapier, n8n. What chat integrations support (high-level, per integration pages) - Create questions and answers from chat (slash commands in Slack/Mattermost; @Scoold commands in Teams). - Search Scoold from chat (search query, search people, search tags). - Real-time channel notifications for new questions/answers; moderation actions for approving/deleting; mentions propagation. Zapier integration notes (per integration page) - Uses Scoold API + API key; provides triggers for new questions/answers/tags and actions for creating content; promotes use with external tools such as Jira (example). n8n integration notes (current, 2026 announcement) - Official n8n community node published as `@erudika/n8n-nodes-scoold` with two nodes (Scoold + Scoold Trigger). - Trigger node registers/removes webhooks automatically; supports subscribing to named events and low-level CRUD events; describes signing verification to prevent tampering. REST API (Scoold) - Enablement and access: - Enable with `scoold.api_enabled = true`; API reachable at `/api/*`; OpenAPI docs/console at `/apidocs`. - Auth: - Bearer token generated on admin page; token is JWT signed with `scoold.app_secret_key`. - OpenAPI / Swagger links - On-instance interactive console: `https:///apidocs` (path described in docs). - Example/demo API UI (interactive docs): https://demo.scoold.com/apidocs - Scoold API Reference docs: https://scoold.com/documentation/reference/scoold-api/ Webhooks - Enabled by default; configurable disable flag; managed from Admin UI; auto-disabled when target URL fails to respond. - Security: signed payloads via `X-Webhook-Signature` header verified as Base64(HmacSHA256(payload, secret)). - Event coverage includes question/answer/comment/report lifecycle events, user signup/signin/search, and Pro-only events (ban, mention, like). - Custom webhook events allow subscribing to Para CRUD events with filters and creating custom names like `revision.create`. Webhook support with RESTHooks best practices - Docs explicitly relate custom events to integrating with services like Zapier, stating it implements the RESTHooks best practices. ## Documentation & Support Primary documentation - Docs home: https://scoold.com/documentation/ - Key docs pages referenced in this report: - What is Scoold? https://scoold.com/documentation/intro/what-is-scoold/ - Architecture: https://scoold.com/documentation/intro/architecture/ - Installation: https://scoold.com/documentation/getting-started/installation/ - API & Webhooks: https://scoold.com/documentation/integrations/api-and-webhooks/ - Security: https://scoold.com/documentation/managing-scoold/security/ - Customization: https://scoold.com/documentation/ux-ui/customization/ Support channels (on scoold.com) - Email support: support@scoold.com - Community/dev channels: GitHub Issues and Gitter chat are linked from contact page. Support scope / SLA - Self-hosted Pro: free updates and support for 12 months, and EULA states priority support/maintenance services are purchased separately. - Scoold Cloud: Cloud customers get priority support with a dedicated support contact Table: contact/support points | Purpose | Channel | Details | Source | |---|---|---|---| | General support / sales contact | Email | support@scoold.com | | | Refund request (Pro) | Email | contact support@scoold.com within 14 days | | | Open-source issues/PRs | GitHub Issues | Link provided on contact page | | | Community chat | Gitter | Link provided on contact page | | ## Customers / Case Studies Trusted by teams worldwide: IBM, Roblox, Asos, Hitachi, DBS Bank, Cisco, Groupe Mutuel, Liberty Mutual, Axiros, Home Depot, Thales Digital, et. al. ## Legal Legal hub - https://scoold.com/legal/ lists Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, and Licenses / Scoold Pro EULA. Privacy - Privacy Policy effective date: 2026-02-22; identifies data controller address in Sofia, Bulgaria; states use of Matomo with highest privacy settings and commitment to not using tracking cookies; includes DPO contact. - Privacy policy link: https://scoold.com/legal/privacy-policy/ Terms - Terms of Use effective date: 2026-02-22; Community edition is Apache 2.0; Pro is governed by Scoold Pro EULA; governed by laws of England and Wales. - Terms link: https://scoold.com/legal/terms-of-use/ Licensing / EULA - Licenses page includes Apache 2.0 statement for open-source edition and full Scoold Pro EULA (effective 2024-04-09). - Licenses/EULA link: https://scoold.com/legal/licenses/ Imprint / company behind Scoold - The imprint identifies the company behind Scoold as Erudika, an independent EU-based company, with address 4 Lelinska Chuka Street, Sofia 1618, Bulgaria, VAT number BG-200368755, and legally authorized representative “Alexander Bogdanovski. - Imprint link: https://scoold.com/imprint/impressum/ ## Sources Core product pages (scoold.com) - Home / positioning: https://scoold.com/ - Features: https://scoold.com/features/ - Pricing (self-hosted): https://scoold.com/pricing/ - Download + requirements: https://scoold.com/download/ - Open source positioning: https://scoold.com/open-source/ - Scoold Cloud hosting + pricing: https://scoold.com/cloud-hosting/ - Changelog (latest release listed): https://scoold.com/changelog/ - Blog index + latest post list: https://scoold.com/blog/ - Contact: https://scoold.com/imprint/contact-us/ Solution/use-case pages (scoold.com) - Knowledge Base: https://scoold.com/solutions/scoold-as-knowledge-base/ - Community Forum: https://scoold.com/solutions/scoold-as-community-forum/ - Developer Hub: https://scoold.com/solutions/scoold-as-developer-hub/ - Support Center: https://scoold.com/solutions/scoold-as-support-center/ - Q&A Platform: https://scoold.com/solutions/scoold-as-questions-and-answers-platform/ - Issue Tracker: https://scoold.com/solutions/scoold-as-issue-tracker/ Integrations pages (scoold.com) - Slack integration: https://scoold.com/integration-with/slack/ - Microsoft Teams integration: https://scoold.com/integration-with/microsoft-teams/ - Mattermost integration: https://scoold.com/integration-with/mattermost/ - Zapier integration: https://scoold.com/integration-with/zapier/ - n8n integration: https://scoold.com/integration-with/n8n/ Documentation (scoold.com) - Docs home: https://scoold.com/documentation/ - What is Scoold: https://scoold.com/documentation/intro/what-is-scoold/ - Architecture: https://scoold.com/documentation/intro/architecture/ - Features overview: https://scoold.com/documentation/intro/features/ - Installation: https://scoold.com/documentation/getting-started/installation/ - API & Webhooks: https://scoold.com/documentation/integrations/api-and-webhooks/ - Scoold API reference: https://scoold.com/documentation/reference/scoold-api/ - Security: https://scoold.com/documentation/managing-scoold/security/ - Basic auth: https://scoold.com/documentation/authentication/basic-auth/ - OAuth2/OIDC: https://scoold.com/documentation/authentication/oauth2/ - LDAP/AD: https://scoold.com/documentation/authentication/ldap/ - SAML (Pro): https://scoold.com/documentation/authentication/saml/ - SCIM (Pro): https://scoold.com/documentation/authentication/scim/ - Custom auth (Pro): https://scoold.com/documentation/authentication/custom-auth/ - Customization: https://scoold.com/documentation/ux-ui/customization/ Legal (scoold.com) - Legal hub: https://scoold.com/legal/ - Privacy policy: https://scoold.com/legal/privacy-policy/ - Terms of use: https://scoold.com/legal/terms-of-use/ - Licenses + EULA: https://scoold.com/legal/licenses/ - Imprint: https://scoold.com/imprint/impressum/ Architecture images (scoold.com) - https://scoold.com/_astro/single.D-frGb8l_2qYjp3.webp - https://scoold.com/_astro/hybrid.Ba0Q33ou_Z1dcwD0.webp - https://scoold.com/_astro/multinode.BG87GPqV_2l7wL7.webp News/announcements (scoold.com blog) - “Scoold now integrates with n8n” (2026-03-30): https://scoold.com/blog/scoold-now-integrates-with-n8n/ - “Scoold Pro now integrates with Microsoft Teams” (2021-07-23): https://scoold.com/blog/scoold-pro-now-integrates-with-microsoft-teams/ - “Announcing Scoold Cloud” (2020-09-22): https://scoold.com/blog/announcing-scoold-cloud/ Interactive API UI example (official/demo) - https://demo.scoold.com/apidocs