Gollum vs MkDocs
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted wikis & documentation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
MkDocs
Documentation site generator for technical teams
| Feature | Gollum | MkDocs |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 51 · Fair | 47 · Fair |
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | MIT | BSD-2-Clause |
| Language | Ruby | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, docker, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,330 | ★ 22,463 |
| First released | 2010 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Confluence, Notion | Confluence, GitBook |
What are Gollum and MkDocs?
Gollum
Gollum is an open-source wiki system built on top of Git, where every page is a file in a Git repository. It powers the wikis found on GitHub and supports many markup languages.
- Git-backed page storage
- Multiple markup languages
- Powers GitHub wikis
- Full history via Git
MkDocs
MkDocs is a fast, simple static site generator geared towards building project documentation. It uses Markdown source files and a single YAML configuration file to produce a polished docs site.
- Markdown documentation
- Single YAML config
- Built-in live preview server
- Theme and plugin support
Gollum vs MkDocs: key differences
Gollum is written in Ruby, while MkDocs is built with Python. Licensing differs — MIT for Gollum versus BSD-2-Clause for MkDocs. MkDocs is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Gollum. Gollum is the more established project (first released 2010), while MkDocs arrived in 2014. Gollum lists first-class Docker deployment; MkDocs does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Gollum if…
- Pages are plain files in Git
- Easy version control
Watch out for
- No fine-grained ACLs
- Ruby toolchain required
Choose MkDocs if…
- Very easy to get started
- Material theme is excellent
Watch out for
- Documentation-only focus
- No collaborative editing
Frequently asked questions
Is Gollum or MkDocs better?
MkDocs is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Gollum if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Gollum and MkDocs free and open-source?
Yes. Gollum is licensed under MIT and MkDocs under BSD-2-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Gollum and MkDocs with Docker?
Gollum: yes. MkDocs: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Gollum or MkDocs?
MkDocs has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Gollum. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.