Daux.io vs MDwiki
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 | MDwiki |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 81 · Excellent | 19 · At risk |
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 829 | ★ 3,188 |
| First released | 2014 | 2013 |
| Replaces | GitBook, Confluence | Confluence |
What are Daux.io and MDwiki?
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
MDwiki
MDwiki is a completely client-side wiki engine that renders a set of Markdown files into a navigable site without any server-side processing or database. Pages are loaded and rendered on demand directly in the browser.
- Pure client-side rendering
- No server logic
- Markdown content
- Themeable layout
Daux.io vs MDwiki: key differences
Daux.io is written in PHP, while MDwiki is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Daux.io versus GPL-3.0 for MDwiki. MDwiki is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Daux.io. MDwiki has the considerably larger community, at 3,188 GitHub stars versus 829. Daux.io lists first-class Docker deployment; MDwiki 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 MDwiki if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (3.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Daux.io or MDwiki better?
Neither is universally better. MDwiki has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Daux.io and MDwiki free and open-source?
Yes. Daux.io is licensed under MIT and MDwiki under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Daux.io and MDwiki with Docker?
Daux.io: yes. MDwiki: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Daux.io or MDwiki?
MDwiki 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.