BookStack vs DokuWiki
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
BookStack
Simple self-hosted documentation and wiki platform
VS
DokuWiki
Simple, file-based wiki without a database
| Feature | BookStack | DokuWiki |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 96 · Excellent | 89 · Excellent |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 19,050 | ★ 4,721 |
| First released | 2017 | 2004 |
| Replaces | Confluence, Notion | Confluence |
What are BookStack and DokuWiki?
BookStack
BookStack is a self-hosted platform for organizing and storing documentation in a books, chapters, and pages structure. It targets teams that want an approachable wiki without complexity. It is deployed via Docker or a LAMP stack.
- Books, chapters and pages structure
- WYSIWYG and Markdown editors
- Roles, permissions and SSO
- Full-text search
DokuWiki
DokuWiki is a simple, versatile wiki engine that stores all content in plain text files, needing no database. It targets users who want an easy-to-back-up, low-maintenance wiki. It is deployed via Docker or a PHP stack.
- No database required
- Large plugin and template library
- Built-in versioning and ACLs
- Plain-text storage
BookStack vs DokuWiki: key differences
Both projects are written in PHP. Licensing differs — MIT for BookStack versus GPL-2.0 for DokuWiki. DokuWiki is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for BookStack. DokuWiki is the more established project (first released 2004), while BookStack arrived in 2017. BookStack has the considerably larger community, at 19,050 GitHub stars versus 4,721.
Why pick each one
Choose BookStack if…
- Very easy to learn
- Clean organized structure
- Good permissions
Watch out for
- Rigid structure for some
- Fewer integrations than rivals
Choose DokuWiki if…
- Trivial to back up
- Very stable and mature
- Low resource needs
Watch out for
- Dated default look
- Markup is wiki-specific
Frequently asked questions
Is BookStack or DokuWiki better?
Neither is universally better. BookStack has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are BookStack and DokuWiki free and open-source?
Yes. BookStack is licensed under MIT and DokuWiki under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BookStack and DokuWiki with Docker?
BookStack: yes. DokuWiki: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, BookStack or DokuWiki?
DokuWiki has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for BookStack. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.