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Apache Answer
Open-source Q&A platform for teams of any scale
Apache Answer is a flexible Q&A platform software that scales from small teams to large communities, serving as a forum, help center, or knowledge base.
Overview
Build Knowledge Communities at Any Scale
Apache Answer is a versatile Q&A platform designed to serve teams and communities of all sizes. Whether you're building a community forum, customer help center, or internal knowledge management system, Answer provides the foundation for collaborative knowledge sharing.
Modern Architecture, Flexible Deployment
Built with Go and React/TypeScript, Answer combines backend performance with a responsive frontend experience. The platform can be deployed quickly via Docker or built from source for custom configurations. Its plugin system enables developers to extend core functionality and tailor the platform to specific organizational needs without forking the codebase.
Who Uses Answer
Answer serves development teams building internal knowledge bases, open-source projects creating community support forums, and organizations establishing customer help centers. The Apache 2.0 license ensures freedom to deploy, modify, and scale the platform according to your requirements. With active development and a growing ecosystem of plugins, Answer adapts to evolving team collaboration and knowledge-sharing workflows.
Highlights
Docker-ready deployment with single-command setup for rapid installation
Plugin system for custom extensions without modifying core codebase
Built with Go backend and React/TypeScript frontend for performance and maintainability
Scales from small team forums to large community knowledge platforms
Pros
- Apache 2.0 license provides maximum deployment and modification flexibility
- Simple Docker deployment reduces infrastructure complexity
- Extensible plugin architecture supports custom feature development
- Active development with strong community engagement (14,982+ stars)
Considerations
- Requires Golang 1.23+ and Node.js 20+ for building from source
- Plugin ecosystem still growing compared to established platforms
- Documentation for advanced customization may require community support
- Self-hosted deployment requires infrastructure management expertise
Managed products teams compare with
When teams consider Apache Answer, these hosted platforms usually appear on the same shortlist.
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Fit guide
Great for
- Teams needing self-hosted Q&A platforms with full data control
- Open-source projects building community support forums
- Organizations requiring customizable knowledge management systems
- Development teams comfortable with Docker or Go/React stack
Not ideal when
- Teams seeking fully managed SaaS solutions without infrastructure overhead
- Organizations requiring enterprise support contracts and SLAs
- Non-technical teams without DevOps resources for deployment
- Projects needing extensive third-party integrations out-of-the-box
How teams use it
Open Source Project Support Forum
Centralize community questions, reduce duplicate issues on GitHub, and build searchable knowledge base for common problems
Internal Developer Knowledge Base
Create self-service documentation hub where engineering teams share solutions, reducing repetitive Slack questions and onboarding time
Customer Help Center
Enable customers to find answers independently, reducing support ticket volume while building public knowledge repository
Community Forum for SaaS Products
Foster user engagement, gather product feedback, and let power users help newcomers while maintaining brand control
Tech snapshot
Go59%
TypeScript37%
HTML2%
SCSS1%
JavaScript1%
Shell1%
Frequently asked questions
What are the system requirements for running Apache Answer?
Answer can run via Docker with minimal requirements (just Docker installed). Building from source requires Golang 1.23+, Node.js 20+, pnpm 9+, and build tools like mockgen and wire.
Can I customize Answer without modifying the core code?
Yes, Answer provides a plugin system that allows developers to extend functionality and add custom features without forking or modifying the core codebase.
Is Apache Answer suitable for large-scale deployments?
Answer is designed to scale from small teams to large communities. The architecture supports growth, though specific scaling requirements depend on your infrastructure and configuration.
What license does Apache Answer use?
Apache Answer is licensed under Apache 2.0, providing freedom to use, modify, and distribute the software commercially or privately.
How quickly can I deploy Apache Answer?
With Docker, you can deploy Answer with a single command. The Docker image includes everything needed to run the platform, with data persisted in a volume.
Project at a glance
Active- Stars
- 15,325
- Watchers
- 15,325
- Forks
- 1,276
LicenseApache-2.0
Repo age3 years old
Last commit15 hours ago
Self-hostingSupported
Primary languageGo
Last synced 11 hours ago