# BookStack

> A simple wiki organised as shelves, books, chapters and pages

Category: Self hosted apps (https://aiarabicdev.com/self-hosted)
Canonical page: https://aiarabicdev.com/self-hosted/bookstack
Tags: wiki, documentation, knowledge-base, php, docker

BookStack is a documentation platform that sorts content into shelves, books, chapters and pages, which makes it easy to understand on day one. It is MIT licensed, built with PHP and Laravel, and needs only a web server and MySQL or MariaDB.

## Facts

- Licence: MIT
- Language: PHP
- Cost: Free and open source
- Self hostable: yes
- Added: 2026-10-25
- Last checked: 2026-10-25

## Links

- Website: https://www.bookstackapp.com
- Source: https://github.com/BookStackApp/BookStack
- Docs: https://www.bookstackapp.com/docs

## A structure anyone gets

The book metaphor is BookStack's main idea: a shelf holds books, a book holds chapters, a chapter holds pages. Pages use a WYSIWYG editor or Markdown, keep revisions, and can include diagrams drawn with the built-in diagrams.net integration. Permissions can be set down to individual pages.

It suits teams, families and homelabbers who want a place for procedures, manuals and notes without learning a complex tool. Non-technical people tend to find their way around quickly.

## What running it costs

It is a standard PHP application with a MySQL or MariaDB database, light on resources: a few hundred megabytes of RAM is enough for a small team. Back up the database and the uploads folder, which holds images and attachments.

It supports local accounts, LDAP, SAML and OIDC, so it can join a single sign-on setup later. Keep it updated, as with any PHP web app, and keep it private unless the content is meant to be public.

## Reach for it when

- you want a wiki that non-technical people can use without training
- you document procedures, manuals or homelab setups
- you need page level permissions and single sign-on options

## Watch out for

- the fixed shelf, book, chapter and page hierarchy does not suit every kind of content
- there is no real-time co-editing, two people editing one page can clash
- the project is largely led by one maintainer, so its direction depends on that person

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