⚡ 60-Second Quick Start
Installing Standalone Qwiki requires no database setup, no Docker container, and no composer build step. Follow these 3 copy-paste steps:
-
Download the latest release package:
wget https://github.com/FrancoBenedetti/standalone-qwiki/releases/latest/download/standalone-qwiki.zip -
Extract into your web directory (root or any subfolder):
unzip standalone-qwiki.zip -d /var/www/html/docs -
Set directory permissions:
chmod -R 775 /var/www/html/docs chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/docs
💡 Auto-Setup Engine: When you open your deployment URL in any browser, Qwiki automatically detects the fresh installation, creates your
qwiki.json, initializes the user store, and loads initial demo categories. Log in withadmin/adminto start creating!
🎬 See Qwiki in Action
Qwiki includes native single-line video auto-embedding. Simply drop a standalone YouTube, Vimeo, Loom, or direct MP4 link on its own line in Markdown, and Qwiki renders a responsive, high-performance player with privacy safeguards:
Quick Tour: 60-Second Installation, In-Browser Editing & Dynamic Theming
Why Qwiki? The 4 Core Pillars
Most modern documentation tools force a painful tradeoff between over-engineered database apps and rigid static site generators. Qwiki delivers the best of both worlds.
Zero Database, Zero Lock-In
Operates completely standalone with plain JSON configuration (qwiki.json) and raw Markdown/HTML files. Back up your entire knowledge base with a simple zip, sync with rsync, or track changes in Git.
100% Subfolder Agnostic
Deploy in any folder (/docs, /kb, /help) or as a root domain. All navigation, asset URLs, and API endpoints use smart relative paths with zero hardcoded URLs and zero server rewrite headaches.
Multi-Format Freedom
Mix and match Markdown (.md) with Parsedown, sandboxed HTML (.html) with SunEditor, embedded PDF manuals, published Google Docs, and auto-embedded videos under a single navigation tree.
Collaborative Soft-Locking
Multi-tab and multi-user advisory leases prevent overwrite collisions with background heartbeats and instant BroadcastChannel tab sync. Includes role-based access control (Admin vs. Viewer) and 1-click updates.
How Does Qwiki Compare?
See how Standalone Qwiki compares with traditional wiki software, database-driven documentation tools, and static site generators:
🌟 Built-in Capabilities & Developer Experience
- 🌓 Zero-Flicker Theming: Server-side cookie sync paired with synchronous head script execution completely eliminates Flash of Unstyled Theme (FOUC). Switch between Light and Dark mode with instantaneous persistence.
- 🔍 Full-Text Server-Side Search: Instant real-time search across titles, descriptions, and file contents across all registered page types, with category visibility enforcement.
- ✨ Agentic Visual & Chart Generator: Integrated utility producing vector Bar Charts, Line Trends, Pie/Donut Charts, Process Flows, and Status Badges. Generates standalone SVG files saved directly to
uploads/with 1-click Markdown insertion. - 🖐️ Drag-and-Drop Tree Management: Admins can reorder documents, nest items into subfolders, and sort categories using intuitive visual drag handles (
⣿) that sync immediately toqwiki.json. - ↔️ Resizable Sidebar: Drag the sidebar border to any preferred width (
200pxto550px), preserved automatically inlocalStorage. - 📡 RSS Feed Syndication: Category-level full-text RSS feeds (
/api/feed.php?category=blog), ready for feed readers and automation webhooks. - 🧩 Drop-In Extension Engine: Add custom page types or admin tools in
assets/extensions/without touching core code.
Live Showcase: Test Drive Qwiki
Explore live Qwiki deployments right now. Jump into our official product documentation or try out full admin capabilities in our interactive, self-resetting sandbox:
Test drive full Admin powers! Edit Markdown & HTML live, drag-and-drop tree items, and test theming with zero risk (periodically auto-reset).
Complete user manual, API references, configuration guides, and extension walkthroughs.
Clean Parsedown rendering with inline Toast UI editor, video embeds, and table-of-contents tracking.
Interactive custom HTML dashboards with SunEditor WYSIWYG editing and raw code view toggle.
Embedded PDF reader with download controls, responsive viewport scaling, and search integration.
🎯 Who is Qwiki For?
- Web Agencies & Freelancers: Deliver modern documentation, client handoff wikis, and project manuals on existing hosting accounts without setting up additional databases or managing migrations.
- Homelabbers & Self-Hosters: Minimal RAM footprint, runs blazingly fast on low-spec VPS servers, shared cPanel hosts, or Raspberry Pi environments.
- Open-Source Maintainers: Eliminate heavy CI/CD build steps. Just update your Markdown files or edit directly in the browser.
- SaaS & Product Teams: Maintain public documentation or private internal knowledge bases with role-based access control and collaborative soft-locking.
Ready for documentation that just works?
Standalone Qwiki is 100% free, MIT-licensed open source software. Star the repository, download the ZIP, or test the full admin suite in our live sandbox.