bbPress and Wordpress integration

I’ve gotten a stream of e-mails asking how I’ve been able to integrate WordPress and bbPress to share a single user database. For those that are unfamiliar, WordPress powers Kineda’s blog while bbPress powers Kineda’s Lookbook (a highly customized WordPress/bbPress install).

Integrating WordPress and bbPress so that your blog can have a forum is quite easy. Documentation on how to do so is quite scarce though, so I decided to share my experience on connecting the two platforms in three simple steps.

Step 1: Be sure you’re using the latest versions of WordPress and bbPress. If not, download and upgrade before continuing.

bbPress and Wordpress integration

Step 2: To have bbPress share user data from your existing WordPress installation, go into the “Wordpress Integration” panel of the “Settings” area in your bbPress admin dashboard. Fill out the cookies and user database sections completely. It’s important that the WordPress database secret key in the bbPress settings matches the secret key in your WordPress install. 99% of integrations fail because the secret keys don’t match.

bbPress and Wordpress integration

Step 3: With all the information filled, bbPress will be able to generate the best cookie settings needed for WordPress. Add the auto generated code to your WordPress wp-config.php file.

Your registered members will now be able to traverse your blog and forum without having to sign in twice. Voila!