Outline
A fast team wiki with real-time editing, source available under BSL
Alternative toNotionConfluence
Outline is a knowledge base for teams with a fast editor, real-time collaboration, collections and search. You can host it yourself, but its Business Source License is not an open source license until each version converts to Apache-2.0 years later.
Best for when
- your team wants a shared wiki with a modern editor
- you need real-time co-editing and comments
- you already run a single sign-on provider
Watch out for
- the Business Source License is not open source and limits commercial hosting for others
- you must connect an authentication provider or SMTP, there are no local passwords
- it needs PostgreSQL, Redis and file storage, so it is a stack rather than one container
A wiki people actually write in
Outline feels close to the popular hosted document tools: a clean editor with Markdown shortcuts, nested documents grouped in collections, comments, real-time co-editing and quick search. It integrates with Slack and other tools, and has an API for automation.
It suits small teams, clubs or families who want shared documentation that looks good enough that people use it. For a solo notebook it is more machinery than needed.
What running it costs
Outline needs PostgreSQL, Redis and somewhere to store files, either local disk or an S3 compatible bucket. It also requires an authentication provider: there is no built-in username and password, so you connect OIDC, Google, Slack or another provider, or set up email sign in with SMTP. Plan for about a gigabyte of RAM for the full stack.
Back up the PostgreSQL database and the file storage. The license allows self hosting for your own team, but not offering Outline as a commercial document service to others, so read it before building anything on top.
