Quick Verdict
DokuWiki is the better choice for small to medium teams that want simplicity — no database, flat-file storage, and minimal maintenance. MediaWiki is the right choice for large, public-facing wikis that need MediaWiki's proven scalability, structured data (via Semantic MediaWiki), and the Wikipedia-like experience users already know. For internal team documentation, DokuWiki wins. For public knowledge bases at scale, MediaWiki wins.
Overview
DokuWiki is a file-based wiki that stores all content in plain text files. No database required. Built with PHP, it's been around since 2004 and has a massive plugin ecosystem. Designed for small to medium documentation needs. DokuWiki site
MediaWiki powers Wikipedia and thousands of other wikis. Built with PHP, it uses MySQL/MariaDB and is designed for large-scale collaborative editing. It's the most widely deployed wiki software in the world. MediaWiki site
Feature Comparison
| Feature | DokuWiki | MediaWiki |
|---|---|---|
| Storage | Plain text files (no database) | MySQL/MariaDB database |
| Markup | DokuWiki syntax | Wikitext (MediaWiki syntax) |
| WYSIWYG | Plugin (limited) | VisualEditor extension |
| Search | File-based full-text | Database-powered full-text |
| Templates | Yes (plugin) | Yes (native templates/transclusion) |
| Categories | Namespaces | Categories + namespaces |
| Structured data | No | Semantic MediaWiki extension |
| User permissions | ACL (namespace-based) | User groups + page protection |
| API | XML-RPC, REST (plugin) | REST and Action API |
| Media handling | Upload + media manager | Upload + Commons integration |
| Revision history | Yes (file-based diffs) | Yes (database diffs) |
| Interwiki links | Yes | Yes |
| Plugin ecosystem | 1,000+ plugins | 1,200+ extensions |
| Localization | 50+ languages | 400+ languages |
| Scalability | Hundreds of pages | Millions of pages |
| Caching | File cache | Memcached/Redis + Varnish |
| Docker image | lscr.io/linuxserver/dokuwiki |
mediawiki (official) |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
Installation Complexity
DokuWiki is one of the simplest wikis to deploy. No database — just mount a volume and start the container. Complete the web-based installer by setting a wiki name and admin password. Done in 5 minutes.
MediaWiki requires MySQL/MariaDB, a web-based installer that generates LocalSettings.php, and more initial configuration. The Docker image requires you to run through the installer, download the generated config file, and mount it back into the container. Functional but more steps.
Performance and Resource Usage
| Metric | DokuWiki | MediaWiki |
|---|---|---|
| RAM (idle) | ~50-80 MB | ~150-300 MB |
| RAM (active) | ~100-150 MB | ~300-500 MB |
| CPU | Very low | Low-moderate |
| Disk (app) | ~100 MB | ~200 MB |
| Database | None | MySQL/MariaDB |
| Pages before slowdown | ~5,000-10,000 | Millions+ |
| Caching needed | No | Yes (for scale) |
DokuWiki is dramatically lighter. MediaWiki at small scale is overbuilt but performs well. At large scale, MediaWiki with caching (Memcached, Varnish) handles millions of pages — DokuWiki's file-based approach starts struggling past 10,000 pages.
Community and Support
DokuWiki has a loyal community, extensive documentation, and a 20-year track record. Development pace is slow but stable. The plugin ecosystem covers most needs.
MediaWiki has a massive community — it powers Wikipedia. Documentation is exhaustive. Extensions are numerous but quality varies. The MediaWiki community is enterprise-scale with professional support available.
Use Cases
Choose DokuWiki If...
- You want the simplest possible wiki (no database)
- Your wiki will have under 5,000 pages
- You want easy backups (just copy the data directory)
- You're running on minimal hardware (Raspberry Pi, small VPS)
- You want internal team documentation, not a public wiki
Choose MediaWiki If...
- You're building a large public-facing wiki
- You need structured data (Semantic MediaWiki)
- You want Wikipedia-style editing that users already know
- You need to scale to tens of thousands of pages or more
- You want VisualEditor for WYSIWYG editing
- You need advanced user permission management
Final Verdict
DokuWiki for internal documentation. No database, minimal resources, dead-simple backups, and it handles small-to-medium wikis perfectly. The trade-off is limited scalability and a dated UI.
MediaWiki for public knowledge bases. If you're building something Wikipedia-sized (or even hundreds of pages that need to be publicly accessible), MediaWiki's proven architecture, VisualEditor, and structured data capabilities are unmatched. The trade-off is complexity.
FAQ
Can I migrate between DokuWiki and MediaWiki?
Community tools exist for both directions, but the markup syntaxes differ significantly. For small wikis (<100 pages), manual migration with copy-paste is faster than debugging an automated converter. For larger wikis, the DokuWiki-to-MediaWiki importer handles basic content but loses plugin-specific formatting.
Is MediaWiki overkill for a small team?
For a team of 5-20 people writing internal docs, yes. MediaWiki is designed for the scale of Wikipedia. DokuWiki or BookStack would be more appropriate for small teams.
Which is more secure?
MediaWiki has a larger attack surface (database, PHP, extensions) but also has a larger security team (Wikimedia Foundation). DokuWiki's simplicity (no database) reduces attack vectors. Both receive regular security updates.
Does DokuWiki scale at all?
DokuWiki handles thousands of pages fine. Performance degrades with very large link indexes and search across 10,000+ pages. For most organizations, this limit is never reached. If you're unsure, start with DokuWiki and migrate if you outgrow it.
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