Doctave vs YesWiki
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted wikis & documentation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Doctave | YesWiki |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 12 · At risk | 73 · Good |
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Rust | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 670 | ★ 138 |
| First released | 2021 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Confluence, GitBook | Confluence, Notion |
What are Doctave and YesWiki?
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
YesWiki
YesWiki is a free wiki engine focused on simplicity and collaboration, allowing groups to build databases of structured information through form-based content. It is widely used by associations and community networks.
- Form-based databases
- Bazar content system
- Simple page editing
- Theme customization
Doctave vs YesWiki: key differences
Doctave is written in Rust, while YesWiki is built with PHP. Licensing differs — MIT for Doctave versus AGPL-3.0 for YesWiki. Doctave is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for YesWiki. YesWiki is the more established project (first released 2010), while Doctave arrived in 2021. Doctave has the considerably larger community, at 670 GitHub stars versus 138.
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 YesWiki if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Doctave or YesWiki better?
Neither is universally better. Doctave has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Doctave and YesWiki free and open-source?
Yes. Doctave is licensed under MIT and YesWiki under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Doctave and YesWiki with Docker?
Doctave: check the project docs for container support. YesWiki: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Doctave or YesWiki?
Doctave has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for YesWiki. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.