Antora vs Realms Wiki
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
Realms Wiki
Git-backed wiki that stores pages as Markdown
| Feature | Antora | Realms Wiki |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | MPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 800 | ★ 824 |
| First released | 2017 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Confluence, GitBook | Confluence |
What are Antora and Realms Wiki?
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
Realms Wiki
Realms Wiki is a lightweight, self-hosted wiki that stores all pages as Markdown files in a Git repository. This gives full version history and lets pages be edited either through the web UI or directly in Git.
- Git-backed pages
- Markdown editing
- Full version history
- Simple web UI
Antora vs Realms Wiki: key differences
Antora is written in JavaScript, while Realms Wiki is built with Python. Licensing differs — MPL-2.0 for Antora versus GPL-2.0 for Realms Wiki. Realms Wiki is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Antora. Realms Wiki is the more established project (first released 2014), while Antora arrived in 2017. Realms Wiki lists first-class Docker deployment; Antora does not.
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 Realms Wiki if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Watch out for
- Maintenance has slowed
- Basic feature set
Frequently asked questions
Is Antora or Realms Wiki better?
Neither is universally better. Realms Wiki has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Antora and Realms Wiki free and open-source?
Yes. Antora is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Realms Wiki under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Antora and Realms Wiki with Docker?
Antora: check the project docs for container support. Realms Wiki: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Antora or Realms Wiki?
Realms Wiki has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Antora. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.