Antora vs Doctave
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted wikis & documentation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Antora
Multi-repository documentation site generator
VS
Doctave
Markdown documentation site generator with search
| Feature | Antora | Doctave |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 800 | ★ 670 |
| First released | 2017 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Confluence, GitBook | Confluence, GitBook |
What are Antora and Doctave?
Antora
Antora is an open-source documentation site generator built for technical content authored in AsciiDoc. It assembles documentation from multiple versioned Git repositories into a single coherent site.
- AsciiDoc-based documentation
- Multi-repository aggregation
- Built-in versioning
- Static output
Doctave
Doctave is an opinionated documentation site generator that builds fast static documentation sites from Markdown files. It includes built-in search, Mermaid diagram support, and live preview without requiring complex configuration.
- Markdown documentation
- Built-in search
- Mermaid diagrams
- Live preview server
Antora vs Doctave: key differences
Antora is written in JavaScript, while Doctave is built with Rust. Licensing differs — MPL-2.0 for Antora versus MIT for Doctave. Doctave is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Antora. Antora is the more established project (first released 2017), while Doctave arrived in 2021.
Why pick each one
Choose Antora if…
- Great for large multi-repo docs
- Strong versioning support
Watch out for
- AsciiDoc learning curve
- No web-based editing
Choose Doctave if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Rust
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Watch out for
- Static output only
- Limited theming
Frequently asked questions
Is Antora or Doctave better?
Neither is universally better. Antora has the larger community, while Doctave is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Antora and Doctave free and open-source?
Yes. Antora is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Doctave under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Antora and Doctave with Docker?
Antora: check the project docs for container support. Doctave: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Antora or Doctave?
Doctave has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Antora. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.