Daux.io vs LeafWiki
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted wikis & documentation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
LeafWiki
Lightweight self-hosted wiki with Markdown stored on disk
| Feature | Daux.io | LeafWiki |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 81 · Excellent | 83 · Excellent |
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | PHP | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker, source | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 829 | ★ 1,149 |
| First released | 2014 | 2024 |
| Replaces | GitBook, Confluence | DokuWiki, Confluence |
What are Daux.io and LeafWiki?
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
LeafWiki
LeafWiki is a lightweight self-hosted wiki for long-lived documentation that stores Markdown pages on disk in a tree structure. It ships as a single Go binary with SQLite and supports tables, task lists, footnotes, and Mermaid diagrams.
- Single Go binary deployment
- Markdown pages stored on disk
- Tree-based page organization
- Mermaid diagram support
Daux.io vs LeafWiki: key differences
Daux.io is written in PHP, while LeafWiki is built with Go. LeafWiki is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Daux.io. Daux.io is the more established project (first released 2014), while LeafWiki arrived in 2024.
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 LeafWiki if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.1k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Daux.io or LeafWiki better?
Neither is universally better. LeafWiki has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Daux.io and LeafWiki free and open-source?
Yes. Daux.io is licensed under MIT and LeafWiki under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Daux.io and LeafWiki with Docker?
Daux.io: yes. LeafWiki: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Daux.io or LeafWiki?
LeafWiki has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Daux.io. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.