Search engines are programs that help people find information they are hunting for on the Internet. They maintain massive databases of websites compiled by programs called crawlers, spiders or robots, which spider across the web to collect information from the various websites. This information is then indexed and catalogued into the database by the search engine.

The abbreviation phpBB stands for PHP Bulletin Board, i.e., a bulletin board scripted in the PHP programming language. A bulletin board, also referred to as message board, discussion board, web forum, Internet forum or discussion forum, is a platform on the WorldWideWeb that facilitates (i) creation of a virtual community of like-minded people and (ii) interaction among them.