MDwiki vs Raneto
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted wikis & documentation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Raneto
Free, open, simple Markdown-powered knowledge base
| Feature | MDwiki | Raneto |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 19 · At risk | 68 · Good |
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,187 | ★ 2,902 |
| First released | 2013 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Confluence | Confluence, Zendesk Guide |
What are MDwiki and Raneto?
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
Raneto
Raneto is an open-source knowledge base platform built on Node.js that uses static Markdown files instead of a database. It turns a folder of Markdown files into a searchable knowledge base.
- Markdown file-based content
- Built-in search
- No database required
- Simple theming
MDwiki vs Raneto: key differences
Both projects are written in JavaScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for MDwiki versus MIT for Raneto. MDwiki is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Raneto. Raneto lists first-class Docker deployment; MDwiki does not.
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 Raneto if…
- Easy to set up
- Content lives in plain files
Watch out for
- Basic editing workflow
- Smaller community
Frequently asked questions
Is MDwiki or Raneto better?
Neither is universally better. MDwiki has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are MDwiki and Raneto free and open-source?
Yes. MDwiki is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Raneto under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MDwiki and Raneto with Docker?
MDwiki: check the project docs for container support. Raneto: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, MDwiki or Raneto?
MDwiki has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Raneto. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.