Homelab Documentation: Wiki.js vs BookStack for Self-Hosted Wikis

Document Everything

Six months from now, will you remember how you configured that service? Documentation saves hours of troubleshooting. A self-hosted wiki keeps your homelab knowledge organized and searchable.

Wiki.js (Modern and Beautiful)

services:
  wikijs:
    image: ghcr.io/requarks/wiki:2
    environment:
      - DB_TYPE=postgres
      - DB_HOST=db
      - DB_PORT=5432
      - DB_USER=wikijs
      - DB_PASS=your_password
      - DB_NAME=wikijs
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    depends_on:
      - db

  db:
    image: postgres:15-alpine
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_DB=wikijs
      - POSTGRES_USER=wikijs
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=your_password
    volumes:
      - wikijs_db:/var/lib/postgresql/data

volumes:
  wikijs_db:

• Modern, clean interface
• Markdown and WYSIWYG editors
• Git sync for version control
• Excellent search

BookStack (Simple Hierarchy)

services:
  bookstack:
    image: linuxserver/bookstack:latest
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - APP_URL=https://wiki.yourdomain.com
      - DB_HOST=bookstack_db
      - DB_DATABASE=bookstack
      - DB_USERNAME=bookstack
      - DB_PASSWORD=your_password
    volumes:
      - ./bookstack:/config
    ports:
      - "6875:80"
    depends_on:
      - bookstack_db

  bookstack_db:
    image: mariadb:10
    environment:
      - MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=root_password
      - MYSQL_DATABASE=bookstack
      - MYSQL_USER=bookstack
      - MYSQL_PASSWORD=your_password
    volumes:
      - bookstack_db:/var/lib/mysql

volumes:
  bookstack_db:

• Shelves → Books → Chapters → Pages hierarchy
• Easy to organize
• PDF export

What to Document

• Network diagram and IP assignments
• Docker Compose files with explanations
• Backup procedures and restore steps
• Troubleshooting guides for common issues
• Credentials location (not the actual passwords!)