Django Wiki vs Pepperminty Wiki
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted wikis & documentation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Pepperminty Wiki
Complete wiki engine contained in a single PHP file
| Feature | Django Wiki | Pepperminty Wiki |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 85 · Excellent | 44 · Fair |
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source, docker | bare-metal, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,936 | ★ 206 |
| First released | 2013 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Confluence, MediaWiki | DokuWiki, MediaWiki |
What are Django Wiki and Pepperminty Wiki?
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
Pepperminty Wiki
Pepperminty Wiki is a complete wiki engine packaged into a single PHP file with a flat-file storage backend. It supports Markdown, full-text search, page revision history, tags, and file uploads.
- Single-file wiki engine
- Flat-file storage for easy backup
- Full-text search and revision history
- Page tags and file uploads
Django Wiki vs Pepperminty Wiki: key differences
Django Wiki is written in Python, while Pepperminty Wiki is built with PHP. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Django Wiki versus MPL-2.0 for Pepperminty Wiki. Pepperminty Wiki 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 Pepperminty Wiki arrived in 2015. Django Wiki has the considerably larger community, at 1,936 GitHub stars versus 206.
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 Pepperminty Wiki if…
- Released under the MPL-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is Django Wiki or Pepperminty Wiki better?
Neither is universally better. Django Wiki has the larger community, while Pepperminty Wiki is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Django Wiki and Pepperminty Wiki free and open-source?
Yes. Django Wiki is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Pepperminty Wiki under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Django Wiki and Pepperminty Wiki with Docker?
Django Wiki: yes. Pepperminty Wiki: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Django Wiki or Pepperminty Wiki?
Pepperminty Wiki 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.