OpenDocMan vs OpenKM Community
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted document management options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | OpenDocMan | OpenKM Community |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 77 · Good | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Document Management | Document Management |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 283 | ★ 849 |
| First released | 2004 | 2006 |
| Replaces | DocuWare, M-Files | DocuWare, SharePoint |
What are OpenDocMan and OpenKM Community?
OpenDocMan
OpenDocMan is an open-source, web-based document management system written in PHP. It features fine-grained access control, automated check-in and check-out, and file metadata management.
- Fine-grained file access control
- Check-in and check-out
- File metadata and categories
- LDAP support
OpenKM Community
OpenKM is an enterprise content management system with a community edition for storing and managing documents and records. It offers workflows, metadata, OCR, and granular security controls.
- Workflow automation
- Metadata and records management
- OCR and full-text search
- Fine-grained security
OpenDocMan vs OpenKM Community: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: OpenKM Community's repository is archived and no longer developed, while OpenDocMan is actively maintained. OpenDocMan is written in PHP, while OpenKM Community is built with Java. OpenDocMan is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for OpenKM Community. OpenDocMan is the more established project (first released 2004), while OpenKM Community arrived in 2006. OpenKM Community has the considerably larger community, at 849 GitHub stars versus 283.
Why pick each one
Choose OpenDocMan if…
- Runs on a standard LAMP stack
- Simple to deploy
Watch out for
- Dated interface
- Limited modern features
Choose OpenKM Community if…
- Comprehensive enterprise features
- Mature platform
Watch out for
- Heavy resource use
- Complex administration
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenDocMan or OpenKM Community better?
Neither is universally better. OpenKM Community has the larger community, while OpenDocMan is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are OpenDocMan and OpenKM Community free and open-source?
Yes. OpenDocMan is licensed under GPL-2.0 and OpenKM Community under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenDocMan and OpenKM Community with Docker?
OpenDocMan: yes. OpenKM Community: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, OpenDocMan or OpenKM Community?
OpenDocMan has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for OpenKM Community. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.