MkDocs 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.
MkDocs
Documentation site generator for technical teams
VS
Realms Wiki
Git-backed wiki that stores pages as Markdown
| Feature | MkDocs | Realms Wiki |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 47 · Fair | 16 · At risk |
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | BSD-2-Clause | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 22,463 | ★ 824 |
| First released | 2014 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Confluence, GitBook | Confluence |
What are MkDocs and Realms Wiki?
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
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
MkDocs vs Realms Wiki: key differences
Both projects are written in Python. Licensing differs — BSD-2-Clause for MkDocs versus GPL-2.0 for Realms Wiki. MkDocs is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Realms Wiki. MkDocs has the considerably larger community, at 22,463 GitHub stars versus 824. Realms Wiki lists first-class Docker deployment; MkDocs does not.
Why pick each one
Choose MkDocs if…
- Very easy to get started
- Material theme is excellent
Watch out for
- Documentation-only focus
- No collaborative editing
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 MkDocs or Realms Wiki better?
MkDocs is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Realms Wiki if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are MkDocs and Realms Wiki free and open-source?
Yes. MkDocs is licensed under BSD-2-Clause and Realms Wiki under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MkDocs and Realms Wiki with Docker?
MkDocs: check the project docs for container support. Realms Wiki: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, MkDocs or Realms Wiki?
MkDocs 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.