Doctave vs Realms Wiki
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted wikis & documentation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Doctave | Realms Wiki |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 12 · At risk | 16 · At risk |
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Rust | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 670 | ★ 824 |
| First released | 2021 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Confluence, GitBook | Confluence |
What are Doctave and Realms Wiki?
Doctave
Doctave is an opinionated documentation site generator that builds fast static documentation sites from Markdown files. It includes built-in search, Mermaid diagram support, and live preview without requiring complex configuration.
- Markdown documentation
- Built-in search
- Mermaid diagrams
- Live preview server
Realms Wiki
Realms Wiki is a lightweight, self-hosted wiki that stores all pages as Markdown files in a Git repository. This gives full version history and lets pages be edited either through the web UI or directly in Git.
- Git-backed pages
- Markdown editing
- Full version history
- Simple web UI
Doctave vs Realms Wiki: key differences
Doctave is written in Rust, while Realms Wiki is built with Python. Licensing differs — MIT for Doctave versus GPL-2.0 for Realms Wiki. Doctave is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Realms Wiki. Realms Wiki is the more established project (first released 2014), while Doctave arrived in 2021. Realms Wiki lists first-class Docker deployment; Doctave does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Doctave if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Rust
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Watch out for
- Static output only
- Limited theming
Choose Realms Wiki if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Watch out for
- Maintenance has slowed
- Basic feature set
Frequently asked questions
Is Doctave or Realms Wiki better?
Neither is universally better. Realms Wiki has the larger community, while Doctave is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Doctave and Realms Wiki free and open-source?
Yes. Doctave is licensed under MIT and Realms Wiki under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Doctave and Realms Wiki with Docker?
Doctave: check the project docs for container support. Realms Wiki: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Doctave or Realms Wiki?
Doctave has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Realms Wiki. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.