Antora vs YesWiki
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
YesWiki
Easy-to-use wiki for collaborative websites
| Feature | Antora | YesWiki |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | MPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 800 | ★ 138 |
| First released | 2017 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Confluence, GitBook | Confluence, Notion |
What are Antora and YesWiki?
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
YesWiki
YesWiki is a free wiki engine focused on simplicity and collaboration, allowing groups to build databases of structured information through form-based content. It is widely used by associations and community networks.
- Form-based databases
- Bazar content system
- Simple page editing
- Theme customization
Antora vs YesWiki: key differences
Antora is written in JavaScript, while YesWiki is built with PHP. Licensing differs — MPL-2.0 for Antora versus AGPL-3.0 for YesWiki. YesWiki is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Antora. YesWiki is the more established project (first released 2010), while Antora arrived in 2017. Antora has the considerably larger community, at 800 GitHub stars versus 138.
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 YesWiki if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Antora or YesWiki better?
Neither is universally better. Antora has the larger community, while YesWiki is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Antora and YesWiki free and open-source?
Yes. Antora is licensed under MPL-2.0 and YesWiki under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Antora and YesWiki with Docker?
Antora: check the project docs for container support. YesWiki: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Antora or YesWiki?
YesWiki 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.