Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about FeedbackFlow installation, features, licensing, and usage.

General Questions

What is FeedbackFlow?

FeedbackFlow is a self-hosted feature request, feedback, roadmap, and changelog management system. It helps you collect, organize, and prioritize user feedback while keeping users informed about your product development.

Key features:

• Feature request submission and voting
• Commenting and discussions
• Public roadmap
• Changelog publishing
• Email notifications
• OAuth login (Google, GitHub, Facebook, Envato)
• Optional AI-powered spam detection and content generation
• Board-based organization
• Custom fields and workflows

Is FeedbackFlow SaaS or self-hosted?

FeedbackFlow is self-hosted only (single-tenant). You install it on your own server and have full control over your data, customization, and configuration.

There is no SaaS version or multi-tenant functionality.

What makes FeedbackFlow different?

• Self-hosted: Full data ownership and control
• Single product focus: Not multi-tenant, optimized for single product use
• Built on Laravel 12: Modern, secure, maintainable codebase
• Vue 3 + Inertia.js: Fast, reactive frontend
• Optional AI features: Use your own API keys for spam detection and content generation
• Highly customizable: Boards, custom fields, workflows, theming
• Envato OAuth: Built-in support for Envato buyers (useful for plugin/theme developers)

Installation & Setup

What are the system requirements?

Minimum requirements:

• PHP 8.3 or higher
• MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.3+
• Composer
• Node.js 18+ and npm
• Web server (Apache/Nginx)

Recommended:

• Redis for caching and queues
• Supervisor for queue workers
• SSL certificate (Let's Encrypt)
• Cron access for scheduled tasks

See: System Requirements

How do I install FeedbackFlow?

FeedbackFlow uses a web-based installer:

1. Upload files to your server
2. Point domain to /public directory
3. Visit https://yourdomain.com/install
4. Follow the installation wizard
5. Configure email, queues, and cron

See: Installation Guide

Do I need technical knowledge to install it?

Basic knowledge helpful:

• Uploading files via FTP/SFTP
• Creating MySQL databases
• Configuring DNS/domains
• Basic command line (for cron setup)

The web installer handles most complexity, but you'll need to configure:

• Cron jobs (for scheduled tasks)
• Queue workers (for background jobs)
• Email (SMTP settings)

Can I install on shared hosting?

Maybe, but not recommended.

Requirements for shared hosting:

• PHP 8.3+
• Cron access
• Ability to run queue workers
• Sufficient memory (256MB+ PHP memory limit)
• SSH access (helpful but not required)

Better options:

• VPS (DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode)
• Managed Laravel hosting (Laravel Forge, Ploi, RunCloud)
• Cloud hosting (AWS, Google Cloud)

How do I update FeedbackFlow?

Via web interface:

1. Admin → System Updates
2. Check for updates
3. Download and apply

Manual update:

1. Backup database and files
2. Upload new files
3. Run: php artisan migrate
4. Clear cache: php artisan optimize:clear

See: System Updates

Features & Functionality

Can users submit feedback without logging in?

Yes, if configured:

• Settings → Board Settings → Allow Guest Submissions
• Guests can submit requests (with email)
• Must login to vote or comment

Or require login for all actions.

Can I have multiple products/boards?

Yes! Create multiple boards:

• Each board can represent a product, feature area, or category
• Separate branding, settings, permissions per board
• Users can browse all boards or filter to specific ones

See: Board Management

How does voting work?

Voting:

• Users apply vote feature requests on which they want
• Vote counts displayed publicly
• Can filter/sort by vote count

Vote limits:

• Unlimited votes by default
• Configure per-board limits if desired

See: Voting System

What are custom fields?

Custom fields add extra information to feature requests:

• Text, number, date, dropdown, checkbox
• Required or optional
• Per-board configuration

Examples:

• "Urgency" dropdown
• "Expected Revenue" number field
• "Contract End Date" date field

Custom fields help you gather structured data beyond the basic title/description.

How does the roadmap work?

The roadmap is a public page showing planned, in-progress, and completed features:

1. Map statuses to roadmap columns (Settings)
2. Change feature request status to "Planned", "In Progress", or "Completed"
3. Request automatically appears on roadmap

Customizable:

• Choose which statuses appear
• Filter by board, category, priority
• Timeline view (optional)
• Public or login-required

See: Roadmap Management

Can I merge duplicate feature requests?

Yes! Admins can:

1. Select duplicate request
2. Choose "Merge" action
3. Select parent request
4. Votes and comments transferred automatically

See: Merging Duplicates

AI Features

Are AI features required?

No, AI features are completely optional:

• FeedbackFlow works fully without AI
• All AI features disabled by default
• Enable only what you need

What AI features are available?

1. Spam Detection: Detect spam, hate speech, toxicity
2. Content Generation (AutoPilot): Generate changelog drafts and comment replies
3. Trust Score System: User reputation system (enhanced by AI)

See: AI Features Overview

Do I need to pay for AI features?

FeedbackFlow doesn't charge for AI features, but you need:

• API key from AI provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, etc.)
• Pay provider directly for API usage
• Costs typically $0.10-2.00 per 1,000 API calls

Free tier options:

• Google Gemini has generous free tier
• Or use local keyword-based detection (no API needed)

Which AI providers are supported?

Spam Detection:

• OpenAI
• Anthropic (Claude)
• Google Gemini
• Azure Content Safety
• Google Perspective API
• Tisane AI

Content Generation:

• OpenAI (GPT models)
• Anthropic (Claude)
• Google Gemini
• Mistral AI

See: AI Features Setup

Email & Notifications

How do I configure email?

1. Settings → Email Configuration
2. Enter SMTP details (Gmail, SendGrid, Mailgun, etc.)
3. Test email connection
4. Configure notification preferences

Common providers:

• Gmail (requires App Password)
• SendGrid (generous free tier)
• Mailgun
• Amazon SES
• Custom SMTP server

See: Email Configuration

What email notifications are sent?

User notifications:

• New comment on their request
• Status change on their request
• Reply to their comment
• Mention in comment
• Feature completion
• Weekly digest (optional)

Admin notifications:

• New feature request submitted
• New comment posted
• User flagged content

All configurable per-user and system-wide.

See: Email Preferences

Integrations

Does FeedbackFlow have an API?

Yes, built on Laravel Sanctum:

• RESTful API
• Token-based authentication
• Full CRUD operations
• Rate limiting included

Use cases:

• Custom integrations
• Mobile apps
• External dashboards
• Automation tools

Can I integrate with Slack?

Yes!

• Settings → Integrations → Slack
• Enter webhook URL
• Choose which events trigger notifications

Events:

• New feature requests
• Status changes
• Comments
• Votes milestones

See: Slack Integration

What are webhooks?

Webhooks send HTTP POST requests when events occur:

Available events:

• Feature request created/updated/deleted
• Comment posted
• Vote added
• Status changed
• Changelog published

Use cases:

• Trigger automation (Zapier, Make)
• Sync with external tools
• Custom integrations
• Analytics tracking

See: Webhooks

Licensing & Usage

What license does FeedbackFlow use?

FeedbackFlow is sold on Envato CodeCanyon under the Regular License:

• Use for single product/domain
• Full source code access
• Free updates
• Support included

Extended License available for:

• SaaS applications (if you build one on top)
• Resale or redistribution

Can I use it for multiple products?

With Regular License: One installation per license.

For multiple products/domains:

• Purchase multiple licenses
• Or use boards to separate products within one installation

Can I modify the code?

Yes! Full source code included:

• Customize as needed
• Add features
• Modify design
• Integrate with your systems

Best practice: Track changes for easier updates.

Do I get free updates?

Yes, free updates included:

• Bug fixes
• Security patches
• New features
• Laravel/dependency updates

Check: Admin → System Updates

What support is included?

Included with purchase:

• 6 months support via Envato
• Installation help
• Configuration guidance
• Bug fixes

Extended support available for purchase.

Community:

• Documentation (this site)
• GitHub issues (if available)

Security & Privacy

Is FeedbackFlow secure?

Yes, built with security in mind:

• Laravel 12 framework (security updates)
• CSRF protection
• SQL injection prevention (Eloquent ORM)
• XSS protection
• Password hashing (bcrypt)
• Rate limiting
• Optional reCAPTCHA

Best practices:

• Use HTTPS (SSL certificate)
• Keep updated
• Strong passwords
• Regular backups
• Secure server configuration

Security best practices:

• Keep software updated
• Use strong passwords
• Enable 2FA for admin accounts
• Configure SSL/HTTPS
• Regular backups
• Monitor logs for suspicious activity

Where is data stored?

Self-hosted: All data stored on your server:

• Database (MySQL)
• File uploads (local storage)
• No third-party data sharing

Optional external services:

• AI providers (if enabled)
• OAuth providers (Google, GitHub, etc.)
• Email SMTP service

Is it GDPR compliant?

FeedbackFlow provides tools for GDPR compliance:

• User data export
• Account deletion
• Privacy policy page
• Cookie consent (configure)
• Email unsubscribe

Your responsibility:

• Privacy policy content
• Terms of service
• Cookie consent implementation
• Data processing agreements

Can users delete their data?

Yes:

• Users can delete their own account
• Profile → Delete Account
• Or admin can delete user data
• Optionally anonymize instead of delete

Technical Support

Something isn't working, where do I get help?

1. Check documentation: Most issues covered here
2. Common troubleshooting: Check server requirements, verify file permissions, review error logs, and ensure proper database configuration
3. Logs: Check storage/logs/laravel.log
4. Envato support: Via your purchase page
5. Community: GitHub issues or forums (if available)

How do I report a bug?

1. Check if already reported
2. Gather information:
   • Steps to reproduce
   • Error messages
   • Laravel log excerpts
   • Environment (PHP version, server, etc.)
3. Contact via Envato support
4. Or GitHub issues (if available)

Can I request new features?

Yes! Feature requests welcome:

• Via Envato support
• GitHub discussions (if available)
• Or use FeedbackFlow itself for feature requests!

Do you offer customization services?

Contact via Envato profile for:

• Custom feature development
• Theme customization
• Integration development
• Migration services
• Training/consultation