MDwiki vs MoinMoin
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted wikis & documentation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | MDwiki | MoinMoin |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 19 · At risk | 73 · Good |
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,187 | ★ 373 |
| First released | 2013 | 2000 |
| Replaces | Confluence | Confluence |
What are MDwiki and MoinMoin?
MDwiki
MDwiki is a completely client-side wiki engine that renders a set of Markdown files into a navigable site without any server-side processing or database. Pages are loaded and rendered on demand directly in the browser.
- Pure client-side rendering
- No server logic
- Markdown content
- Themeable layout
MoinMoin
MoinMoin is an open-source wiki engine written in Python with a focus on being easy to use yet extensible. It stores pages as files and supports access control, themes, and a plugin macro system.
- File-based page storage
- Access control lists
- Macro and plugin system
- Theming support
MDwiki vs MoinMoin: key differences
MDwiki is written in JavaScript, while MoinMoin is built with Python. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for MDwiki versus GPL-2.0 for MoinMoin. MDwiki is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for MoinMoin. MoinMoin is the more established project (first released 2000), while MDwiki arrived in 2013. MDwiki has the considerably larger community, at 3,187 GitHub stars versus 373.
Why pick each one
Choose MDwiki if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (3.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
Choose MoinMoin if…
- No database to manage
- Long-running, stable project
Watch out for
- Smaller modern community
- Dated interface in older versions
Frequently asked questions
Is MDwiki or MoinMoin better?
MDwiki is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider MoinMoin if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are MDwiki and MoinMoin free and open-source?
Yes. MDwiki is licensed under GPL-3.0 and MoinMoin under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MDwiki and MoinMoin with Docker?
MDwiki: check the project docs for container support. MoinMoin: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, MDwiki or MoinMoin?
MDwiki has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for MoinMoin. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.