JamesClarke

Private URL is a plugin for sharing private posts through a special private url which is accessible without requiring readers to register or enter a password. Private URLs have a structure similar to <code>/private/293/df8eb1583b052b59e2cafc4327214d0/</code>.
<h3>Usage</h3>
When you edit a private post a new options panel will become available called Private URL. This provides the private url and a means for changing the salt for the post. The url is a publicly accessible version of the private post and typically of the form: <code>/private/293/df8eb1583b052b59e2cafc4327214d0/</code>
<h3>What is the salt?</h3>
The salt is responsible to generating the private url for each post. It is similar to a passphrase. By default all posts use the salt provided in the settings page for Private URL. However, you can specify a post specific salt using the Private URL options panel while editing a post.
Modifying the salt for a post will cause it to have a new private url and the post’s old private url will no longer function. This can be used as a means to expire an old private url for the post. Changing the default salt in the options menu will cause all posts without their own salt to have new private urls.

Private URL

Allows private posts to be shared through a special private url.

Robin W

An add-on to the bbPress forum plugin – creates private forum groups
This Plugin creates unlimited private forum groups.
Forums are then allocated to one or more groups, and users allocated to one or more groups.
What this achieves 
unlimited private groups 
Each user is set to a group or groups, and each forum can have any or all the groups associated with it 
Any number of public forums combined with any number of group forums. The group forums can be individually set to public or private. 
Forum title and description (but not topics or replies) can be set to be visible to non-group users, allowing people to see that a forum exists but not access it 
Separate pages can be set to allow redirection of non group users for sign-up or information 
Topic Permissions 
Topic Permissions is designed for sites where users need to have different permissions to different forums. 
For instance the ability for users to contribute to one forum whilst only being able to view another, or only start topics in one forum, or only reply to topics in another.
Example
So if 
User a belongs to group 1 
User b belongs to group 2 
User c belongs to group 3
and 
Forum x is set to allow group 2 
Forum y is set to allow group 2 and group 3 
Forum z is set to allow group 1 and group 3
Then 
User a can access only forum z 
User b can access forum x and forum y 
User c can access forum y and forum z
Restrictions/warnings
The widgets (bbpress) forums list, (bbpress) recent replies, and (bbpress) recent topics SHOULD NOT BE USED, as they will show topics headings and author names for all forums. Replacement widgets called (private groups) forums list, (private groups) recent replies, and (private groups) recent topics are available instead
Works with bbpress 2.5.3 or higher

Private groups

After wasting hours trying to get Skyverge's WooCommerce Memberships to do what I needed (no practical way to protect topics), I tried this and had it doing everything I needed in under 15 minutes.

Setup a group, manually assigned users to that group.
Set the forum to private and assigned that that group to it.
Viola, everything worked exactly as I wanted.

Public doesn't even see the forum exists. Group members can when logged in.  Non-members can't go directly to to topic URL and bypass the protection.

Only suggestions would be:
1. cleanup the settings pages and instructions, they're a bit overly complicated and hard to follow. 
2. some way to trigger group membership programmatically based on a WooCommerce purchase (I know, to specific and I'll probably code it myself for what I need).

Thanks again for an awesome bbp plugin!

Easy setup and protected forums exactly as I needed

For bbPress - Creates private forum groups

Private URL vs Private groups