Daux.io vs Dendron
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted wikis & documentation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Daux.io | Dendron |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 81 · Excellent | 55 · Fair |
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker, source | source, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 829 | ★ 7,470 |
| First released | 2014 | 2020 |
| Replaces | GitBook, Confluence | Notion, Confluence |
What are Daux.io and Dendron?
Daux.io
Daux.io is an open-source documentation generator that turns a folder of Markdown files into a navigable documentation website. It needs no database and supports both dynamic serving and static export.
- Markdown folder to docs site
- No database required
- Built-in themes
- Static export option
Dendron
Dendron is an open-source, local-first note-taking tool that works as a hierarchical personal knowledge wiki on top of VS Code. It uses a structured naming scheme to organize thousands of Markdown notes and can publish them as a static site.
- Hierarchical note schema
- Local Markdown storage
- Static site publishing
- VS Code integration
Daux.io vs Dendron: key differences
Daux.io is written in PHP, while Dendron is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Daux.io versus GPL-3.0 for Dendron. Daux.io is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Dendron. Daux.io is the more established project (first released 2014), while Dendron arrived in 2020. Dendron has the considerably larger community, at 7,470 GitHub stars versus 829. Daux.io lists first-class Docker deployment; Dendron does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Daux.io if…
- Very easy to set up
- Content stays in plain files
Watch out for
- Documentation-only focus
- No web-based editing
Choose Dendron if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Mature project with 7.5k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Watch out for
- Tied to VS Code
- Learning curve for hierarchy
Frequently asked questions
Is Daux.io or Dendron better?
Neither is universally better. Dendron has the larger community, while Daux.io is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Daux.io and Dendron free and open-source?
Yes. Daux.io is licensed under MIT and Dendron under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Daux.io and Dendron with Docker?
Daux.io: yes. Dendron: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Daux.io or Dendron?
Daux.io has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Dendron. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.