Django Wiki 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 | Django Wiki | LeafWiki |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 85 · Excellent | 83 · Excellent |
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source, docker | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,936 | ★ 1,148 |
| First released | 2013 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Confluence, MediaWiki | DokuWiki, Confluence |
What are Django Wiki and LeafWiki?
Django Wiki
Django Wiki is a wiki engine implemented as a reusable Django application, offering Markdown editing, revision history, and a permission system. It can be embedded into existing Django projects or run as a standalone site.
- Markdown editing
- Revision history
- Granular permissions
- Pluggable architecture
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
Django Wiki vs LeafWiki: key differences
Django Wiki is written in Python, while LeafWiki is built with Go. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Django Wiki versus MIT for LeafWiki. LeafWiki is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Django Wiki. Django Wiki is the more established project (first released 2013), while LeafWiki arrived in 2024.
Why pick each one
Choose Django Wiki if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.9k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
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 Django Wiki or LeafWiki better?
Neither is universally better. Django Wiki has the larger community, while LeafWiki is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Django Wiki and LeafWiki free and open-source?
Yes. Django Wiki is licensed under GPL-3.0 and LeafWiki under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Django Wiki and LeafWiki with Docker?
Django Wiki: yes. LeafWiki: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Django Wiki or LeafWiki?
LeafWiki has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Django Wiki. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.