DokuWiki
DokuWiki is a lightweight, open-source wiki engine built to run on any PHP-capable web server and to store content as plain text files rather than in a database. It targets teams and individuals who want a simple, self-hosted knowledge base that is easy to install, back up, and extend with community plugins.
Because pages are files, backups and version control are straightforward, and the platform has built-in ACLs, authentication connectors (LDAP, HTTP auth), and a modest set of core features that can be extended through plugins and templates. This makes DokuWiki a practical choice where data portability, low hosting cost, and control are priorities—while trade-offs exist around default UI, plugin consistency, and very large-scale performance.
Use Cases
- Internal documentation and team handbooks for small-to-medium teams—runbooks, onboarding, and process documentation.
- Intranet knowledge bases requiring ACLs and directory integration (LDAP/HTTP auth) for controlled access.
- Self-hosting enthusiasts and hobbyists who prefer simple deployments on shared hosting, small VPS instances, or containers.
- Projects that benefit from content in plain text files—easy Git-based versioning, diffs, and simple backups.
- Content catalogs, registries or structured documents using plugins that add structured data or forms.
- Multilingual documentation where core localization plus community plugins are useful.
Strengths
- File-based storage (no database): Content is stored as readable text files—backups, migration, and VCS integration are trivial.
- Lightweight PHP app: Minimal dependencies, installs on most shared hosts or small VPSes quickly.
- Built-in ACLs and auth connectors: Fine-grained permissions and LDAP/HTTP auth support make it suitable for private wikis.
- Extensive plugin ecosystem: Hundreds of plugins let you add WYSIWYG editors, diagrams, structured data, search enhancements, and more while keeping the core minimal.
- Templates and theming: Customize look-and-feel and basic branding without changing core code.
- Simple wiki syntax: Readable markup lowers the barrier for contributors; WYSIWYG is available via plugins if needed.
- Full-text search and page features: Built-in indexed search, revisions, diffs, and page locking for collaborative workflows.
- Easy backups and portability: Copying folders is a valid backup strategy—content is human-readable and easy to restore.
- Low hosting cost and open source: GPLv2 licensing, no licensing fees, and low infrastructure requirements.
- Active community and docs: Official manuals, forums, and community contributions help with setup and troubleshooting.
Limitations
- Outdated default UI: The stock skin and editor feel old-fashioned; non-technical users may need theming or WYSIWYG plugins.
- WYSIWYG variable quality: Visual editors are third-party plugins with differing stability—test them before wide adoption.
- Plugin maintenance varies: Community-contributed plugins differ in quality and upkeep; vet plugins in staging environments.
- Scalability concerns: File-based storage can show performance limits with very large page counts or very high concurrency without careful caching or architecture planning.
- Occasional plugin manager issues: There are reports of plugin downloads/updates failing for GitHub-hosted plugins, which may require manual installs.
- Community-run project: While active, it is volunteer-driven—response times and patch delivery for edge issues may vary; mission-critical users should plan for in-house support or contractors.
Final Thoughts
DokuWiki is a pragmatic choice if you need a lightweight, self-hosted wiki where data portability, low cost, and straightforward backups matter. It excels for small-to-medium internal documentation, intranets, and projects that benefit from storing human-readable files (for Git, backups, or migrations).
Before committing: run a short staging trial that mirrors your expected page count and concurrent usage, vet key plugins (especially WYSIWYG and structured-data add-ons), and prepare a simple backup and update workflow (using Git or regular filesystem snapshots). If you need enterprise-grade scaling, guaranteed vendor SLAs, or a seamless out-of-the-box WYSIWYG experience, evaluate database-backed or commercial alternatives instead.