BBCode to HTML Converter

A BBCode to HTML converter translates the square-bracket tag syntax used by forum software such as phpBB, vBulletin, and SMF into standards-compliant HTML, and runs the same conversion in reverse, turning HTML back into BBCode for platforms that only accept that format.

Supported BBCode tags cover bold, italic, underline, and strikethrough ([b], [i], [u], [s]), links and images ([url], [img]), quotes and code blocks ([quote], [code]), ordered and unordered lists ([list] and [list=1] with [*] items), color and size ([color], [size]), tables ([table], [tr], [td], [th]), and headings [h1] through [h6]. Nested tags resolve correctly: [b][i]bold italic[/i][/b] produces <b><i>bold italic</i></b>. Link tags accept both the bare form, [url]https://example.com[/url], and the labeled form, [url=https://example.com]link text[/url]; image tags follow [img]https://example.com/photo.jpg[/img].

Newlines in the BBCode source can be converted to explicit <br> elements in the HTML output, preserving the line-break formatting typical of forum posts; left off, a newline is not rendered as a break. Escaping HTML entities in the BBCode input, so angle brackets, ampersands, and quotation marks are converted before the conversion runs, matters most when the source is raw, user-submitted forum content, since it prevents unintended HTML from being injected into the output.

BBCode persists in legacy platforms, bulletin boards, and community sites long after the original forum software is retired. Converting that markup to HTML enables republishing on modern platforms, while the reverse direction supports moving HTML content back into BBCode-based systems.

• Forum Migration: Export posts from phpBB, vBulletin, or SMF forums and convert the BBCode formatting to HTML for import into WordPress, Ghost, or static site generators. Preserve bold, italic, quote, and list formatting without manual editing of each post.
• Content Management: Migrate user-generated content from a BBCode-powered community to an HTML-based CMS. Batch-convert discussion threads, wiki entries, and announcement posts while retaining structural markup like tables, headings, and nested quotes.
• Email Template Preparation: Convert BBCode-formatted announcement drafts into HTML snippets ready for insertion into email templates. Transform color, size, and alignment tags into their HTML counterparts for consistent rendering across email clients.
• Documentation Conversion: Reformat internal documentation originally written in BBCode for a knowledge base or help center that requires HTML input. Heading tags, code blocks, and ordered lists convert directly without restructuring the content hierarchy.
• Reverse Migration: Move HTML content into a forum or platform that only accepts BBCode input, using the reverse HTML-to-BBCode direction.
• Code Review and Debugging: Verify that BBCode tags nest correctly, lists render as intended, and URL tags resolve to proper anchor elements before publishing converted content.
• Archive Preservation: Convert archived forum content stored as raw BBCode into HTML documents for long-term preservation. Generate static HTML files that render correctly in any browser without requiring a BBCode parser at display time.
• Learning and Reference: Study the relationship between BBCode tags and their HTML equivalents: [quote=Author] maps to a blockquote with a citation, and [list=1] becomes an ordered list.