DokuWiki
Free self-hosted PHP wiki that stores pages as plain text files, with no database
Our verdict
#4 of 7 in Self-hosted team wikis · Lightest to run, plain text files
Pros
- Needs only a web server and PHP; no database
- Runs comfortably on very small machines
- Per-namespace and per-page access control lists built in
- Over a thousand plugins
Cons
- Custom wiki syntax to learn; a visual editor exists only as a plugin
- Edit locking instead of live co-editing, with a dated interface
- LDAP and SAML authentication use plugins
- No official Docker image
Choose if: You want the smallest, simplest install, or want your pages stored as plain text files you can copy.
Skip if: Teams whose writers expect a Notion-style editor.
Rankings and alternatives
Self-hosted team wikis scores
Evaluated Nov 14, 2026 Evidence ↓- Writing experience · counts double 2
2/5 means: Markup-first editing; a visual editor exists only as an optional add-on or needs extra setup, and the interface feels dated.
A toolbar over a text area using a custom syntax that new teammates must learn; WYSIWYG exists only as plugins.
- Simultaneous editing 2
2/5 means: Edit locks or an edit-conflict merge step prevent silent overwrites, but people take turns.
Simple page locking, so people take turns.
- Track record · counts double 5
5/5 means: A decade or more in production, a large user base and a steady stable release line.
One of the most widely used wiki engines for roughly two decades, with a steady stable release line.
- Structure and search 4
4/5 means: Nested structure plus built-in full-text search that works for a team-sized wiki.
Namespaces and a built-in indexed search with phrase and namespace filtering; the interface feels dated.
- Access control and sign-in (free edition) 3
3/5 means: Per-page permissions or single sign-on in the free edition, with notable holes (such as no SAML or no audit log, or sign-in only through add-ons).
Built-in user manager and ACL per namespace and page, but LDAP, OAuth and SAML come from community plugins.
- Setup and upkeep · counts double 5
5/5 means: The app alone, with no database server; backup is copying a folder.
PHP and a web server only; no database, runs in 64 MB of RAM, backup is archiving a folder; no official Docker image.
- License and lock-in 5
5/5 means: A fully open-source license (MIT, GPL, AGPL or LGPL) for everything in the free edition.
GPLv2.
- Import, export and API 4
4/5 means: Documented export and an API in the free edition, or plain-text storage; an importer from at least one other tool.
Pages are plain text files you can copy or script, and a remote API exists.
- Extensions and customization 4
4/5 means: A plugin ecosystem of roughly a thousand plugins.
Over 1,000 plugins covering authentication, editors and export.
Evidence and sources
Self-hosted team wikis scores
Writing experience 1 quote
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“No native WYSIWYG editor — The default editor is a toolbar-enhanced text area. WYSIWYG plugins exist (e.g., CKEditor plugin) but are community-maintained.”
pistack.xyz/posts/2026-04-23-mediawiki-vs-xwiki-vs-dokuwiki-self-hosted-wiki-engines-guide-2026 · published · checked
Simultaneous editing 1 quote
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“DokuWiki uses simple file locking — if two users edit the same page, the second save overwrites the first unless the edit conflict plugin is installed.”
pistack.xyz/posts/2026-04-23-mediawiki-vs-xwiki-vs-dokuwiki-self-hosted-wiki-engines-guide-2026 · published · checked
Setup and upkeep 1 quote
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“DokuWiki requires only a webserver and PHP; no database is needed. It can run on cheap web hosting servers and is usually installed by simply unpacking. Additional plugins may have additional requirements.”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DokuWiki · checked
License and lock-in 1 quote
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“DokuWiki is an open source wiki application, licensed under GPLv2 and written in the PHP programming language. It works on plain text files and thus does not need a database.”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DokuWiki · checked
Extensions and customization 1 quote
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“DokuWiki has a generic plugin interface which simplifies the process of writing and maintaining plugins. There are ≈1000 plugins available.[23] These can be easily integrated and managed by an administrator user with the help of the plugin manager.”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DokuWiki · checked
Facts
License 1 quote
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“DokuWiki is an open source wiki application, licensed under GPLv2 and written in the PHP programming language. It works on plain text files and thus does not need a database.”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DokuWiki · checked
Runs on 1 quote
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“DokuWiki requires only a webserver and PHP; no database is needed. It can run on cheap web hosting servers and is usually installed by simply unpacking. Additional plugins may have additional requirements.”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DokuWiki · checked
Needs 1 quote
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“DokuWiki requires only a webserver and PHP; no database is needed. It can run on cheap web hosting servers and is usually installed by simply unpacking. Additional plugins may have additional requirements.”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DokuWiki · checked
Notability
More from the sources
Limits and known issues 1 quote
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“Flat-file scalability — While DokuWiki handles thousands of pages well, it can become slow with 10,000+ pages. The file-system-based approach does not scale to Wikipedia-level workloads.”
pistack.xyz/posts/2026-04-23-mediawiki-vs-xwiki-vs-dokuwiki-self-hosted-wiki-engines-guide-2026 · published · checked
What users say 1 quote
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“I liked Dokuwiki the most because it was such a small no database system, could backup files easily and later view them as usual text files, without wiki system as a proxy editor and viewer.”
glukhov.org/knowledge-management/self-hosted-knowledge/dokuwiki-selfhosted-wiki-alternatives · checked