Elgg is a free, open-source PHP framework for building social websites and communities, including private networks and intranets. It provides user accounts, groups, file sharing, notifications, and access controls; you host and configure the site, then extend its features and design with plugins and themes. The current recommended stable release is Elgg 7.1.0, released September 10, 2026.
What is Elgg?
Elgg is both a social-networking engine and a rapid-development framework for web applications in which people sign in and share information. It can serve as the foundation for public social networks, interest-based communities, private or corporate intranets, educational networks, dating services, and company blogs. The project describes itself as a PHP/MySQL platform managed by the Elgg Foundation. Elgg’s official site and documentation describe its capabilities and installation.
Is Elgg still maintained, and what version should you use?
Elgg’s official downloads page lists Elgg 7.1.0 as the recommended stable release, published September 10, 2026, and Elgg 6.3.8 as the recommended 6.3 LTS release, published August 19, 2026. Choose the release line that fits your project’s compatibility and support needs, and check the official download page before installing because release status can change. Check Elgg downloads.
What can you build with Elgg?
Community and collaboration features
- Groups: Organize members around shared interests, projects, or teams.
- Files and notifications: Support user-generated file storage and keep members informed of activity.
- Access controls: Configure who can view shared content, a useful foundation for private networks and intranets.
Extensions, design, and integrations
Elgg’s extension model uses Composer as its package manager of choice. Plugins can add functionality, languages, and themes; hooks and events let developers extend behavior, while views and themes shape presentation. The documented integration options include pluggable authentication, RPC web services, asynchronous JavaScript/Ajax facilities, and localization support.
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Security mechanisms
The official feature list includes anti-CSRF validation, strict XSS filters, HMAC signatures, and contemporary password-hashing approaches. These are documented mechanisms, not a guarantee that a particular installation is secure: administrators still need to configure, update, and operate their deployments responsibly.
What does Elgg require to run?
According to Elgg’s installation guide, a supported installation needs MariaDB 10.6 or later, or MySQL 8.4 or later, and PHP 8.3 or later. PHP must include GD, INTL, JSON, PDO, XML, and multibyte-string support. The server must be able to send email through an MTA, and the web server needs URL rewriting. The officially supported configurations are Apache and Nginx with PHP-FPM. See the Elgg installation requirements before choosing a host.
One important security requirement is where uploaded and other application data live: Elgg’s guide says the data folder must be outside the document root. That placement helps keep private application files from being directly served as public website content.
How do you install Elgg?
The official guide offers a Composer installation route for people comfortable with the command line and a prepackaged ZIP option. In either case, the installation depends on a correctly configured database and a writable data directory.
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- Choose an installation route: Use Composer, the recommended package-management route, or download the prepackaged ZIP from the official downloads page.
- Configure the database: Set the database connection details in
elgg-config/settings.php. - Set up the data directory: Choose a writable location outside the web document root and configure Elgg to use it.
- Run the installer: Follow the installation guide’s steps to complete setup, then verify that the site can connect to its database and send email.
Is Elgg free?
Elgg is available under GPL Version 2, with a portion of the code also available under the MIT license. The software license does not eliminate the operating costs of running a site: you still need suitable hosting and someone to handle configuration, updates, backups, and maintenance.
How do you customize Elgg, and how do you choose plugins?
Use plugins to add capabilities or integrations, and views and themes to change the user interface. Elgg’s official plugin directory showed 2,308 plugins and 2,377,169 total downloads when checked in 2026. Those are directory-wide snapshot figures, not evidence that every plugin is maintained, safe, or compatible with your chosen Elgg release.
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- Check a plugin’s stated Elgg compatibility and recent maintenance before installing it.
- Review its permissions, dependencies, and effect on user data and privacy.
- Test it on a staging copy before deploying it to a live community.
- Keep customizations manageable across upgrades; document any changes and confirm compatibility when changing Elgg release lines.
When is Elgg a good fit?
Elgg is worth considering when you want control over a self-hosted social application and have the technical capacity to manage a PHP and database-based site. Its built-in community features and extension architecture provide a starting point, but deployment, feature selection, privacy configuration, and ongoing maintenance remain your responsibility. Evaluate hosting, licensing and operating costs, integrations, moderation needs, upgrade support, and access to developers before committing.
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