Knowledge Base > IT & Systems > Wiki.js

Wiki.js - Your Personal Knowledge Base [Part 8 of 10]

IT & Systems December 20, 2025

Organize documentation, notes, and knowledge in a beautiful wiki

Need a place to document everything? Store notes? Create guides? Build a knowledge base?

Wiki.js is a modern, powerful wiki platform that makes documentation beautiful and easy.

Features:

  • Beautiful, modern interface
  • Markdown editor with live preview
  • Rich text editor option
  • Full-text search
  • Version history for all pages
  • User permissions and groups
  • Multiple authentication methods
  • Asset management (images, files)
  • Export to PDF, HTML, Markdown
  • Dark mode support

Let's set it up!

What is Wiki.js?

Wiki.js is a modern wiki software built on Node.js.

Perfect for:

  • Personal documentation - How-to guides, notes, references
  • Project documentation - Technical specs, API docs
  • Team knowledge base - Shared information, procedures
  • Learning notes - Study materials, tutorials
  • Recipe collection - Yes, people use it for recipes!

Why Wiki.js?

  • Clean, modern interface
  • Fast and lightweight
  • Easy to use (no complex syntax)
  • Powerful search
  • Version control built-in
  • Free and open source

What You'll Need

Prerequisites

  • Docker and Portainer running (Part 4)
  • Nginx Proxy Manager configured (Part 5)
  • At least 2GB RAM
  • Storage space for wiki content

Ports Required

  • Port 3000 - Wiki.js web interface

Installing Wiki.js

Wiki.js uses two containers:

  • wikijs - Main application
  • PostgreSQL - Database for content storage

We'll deploy them as a stack in Portainer.

Step 1: Create Data Directory

On your Ubuntu server (via SSH):

# Create directory for Wiki.js database
sudo mkdir -p /mnt/storage/docker/wikijs/postgres

# Set ownership (replace 'admin' with your username)
sudo chown -R admin:admin /mnt/storage/docker/wikijs

Step 2: Generate Database Password

Generate a secure password for PostgreSQL:

# Generate a 32-character password (A-Z, a-z, 0-9 only)
openssl rand -base64 32 | tr -dc 'A-Za-z0-9' | head -c 32

Save this password - you'll need it in the next step!

Step 3: Deploy via Portainer

Login to Portainer:

https://portainer.homelab.example.com

Create new stack:

  1. Click Stacks in left sidebar
  2. Click + Add stack
  3. Name: wikijs
  4. Build method: Web editor

Paste this compose configuration:

version: '3.8'

services:
  wikijs:
    container_name: wikijs
    image: ghcr.io/requarks/wiki:2
    environment:
      DB_TYPE: postgres
      DB_HOST: wikijs_postgres
      DB_PORT: 5432
      DB_USER: wikijs
      DB_PASS: ${DB_PASSWORD}
      DB_NAME: wikijs
      TZ: America/New_York  # Find yours: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tz_database_time_zones
    ports:
      - '3000:3000'
    depends_on:
      - database
    restart: unless-stopped
    networks:
      - default
      - portainer-network

  database:
    container_name: wikijs_postgres
    image: postgres:17-alpine
    environment:
      POSTGRES_DB: wikijs
      POSTGRES_USER: wikijs
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD}
    volumes:
      - /mnt/storage/docker/wikijs/postgres:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    restart: unless-stopped
    networks:
      - default

networks:
  portainer-network:
    external: true

Note about timezone:

  • Find your timezone: TZ Database Timezones
  • Examples: America/New_York, America/Los_Angeles, Europe/London, Asia/Tokyo

Step 4: Set Environment Variable

Scroll down to "Environment variables" section:

  1. Click + Add environment variable
  2. Name: DB_PASSWORD
  3. Value: Paste the password you generated in Step 2
  4. Click Add

Step 5: Deploy the Stack

Deploy:

  • Scroll down
  • Click Deploy the stack
  • Wait 2-3 minutes for deployment

Verify deployment:

  • Go to Containers in Portainer
  • Confirm both containers are running:
    • wikijs
    • wikijs_postgres

Step 6: Configure Firewall

On your Ubuntu server (via SSH):

# Allow Wiki.js from LAN
sudo ufw allow from 192.168.1.0/24 to any port 3000 proto tcp comment 'Wiki.js from LAN'

# Check firewall status
sudo ufw status numbered

Note: Replace 192.168.1.0/24 with your network range.

Setting Up Proxy with NPM

Now let's add Wiki.js to Nginx Proxy Manager.

Step 1: Create SSL Certificate

Login to NPM:

https://npm.homelab.example.com

Create certificate:

  1. Go to SSL Certificates
  2. Click Add SSL Certificate > Let's Encrypt
  3. Domain Names: wiki.homelab.example.com
  4. Use a DNS Challenge: Enable (if using DNS challenge)
  5. Email Address: Your email for Let's Encrypt notifications
  6. Agree to Terms: Check
  7. Click Save
  8. Wait for certificate issuance (1-2 minutes)

Step 2: Create Proxy Host

In NPM:

  1. Go to Hosts > Proxy Hosts
  2. Click Add Proxy Host

Details Tab:

  • Domain Names: wiki.homelab.example.com
  • Scheme: http
  • Forward Hostname/IP: wikijs (container name)
  • Forward Port: 3000
  • Cache Assets: Enable
  • Block Common Exploits: Enable
  • Websockets Support: Enable

SSL Tab:

  • SSL Certificate: Select your certificate
  • Force SSL: Enable
  • HTTP/2 Support: Enable
  • HSTS Enabled: Leave unchecked

Click: Save

Step 3: Test Access

Open your browser:

https://wiki.homelab.example.com

You should see the Wiki.js setup wizard!

First-Time Setup

Complete Setup Wizard

Step 1: Administrator Account

  • Email: Your email address
  • Password: Choose a strong password
  • Confirm Password: Re-enter password
  • Click Install

Need a strong password?

Step 2: General Settings

  • Site URL: https://wiki.homelab.example.com
  • Site Title: Choose a title (e.g., "My HomeLab Wiki")
  • Click Continue

Step 3: Telemetry

  • Choose whether to send anonymous usage data
  • Click Continue

Step 4: Finish

  • Setup is complete!
  • Click Start to access your wiki

Using Wiki.js

Creating Your First Page

  1. Click: + New Page (top right)
  2. Select editor:
    • Markdown - Simple text formatting (recommended)
    • Visual Editor - Rich text WYSIWYG
    • Code - Raw HTML
  3. Choose path: /home or custom path
  4. Write content
  5. Click: Create (top right)

Markdown Basics

Wiki.js uses Markdown for formatting:

# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3

**Bold text**
*Italic text*

- Bullet point
- Another point

1. Numbered list
2. Second item

[Link text](https://example.com)
![Image](image.jpg)

`inline code`

Live preview shows your formatting as you type!

Organizing Pages

Use paths to organize:

  • /home - Home page
  • /guides/docker - Docker guide
  • /guides/networking - Networking guide
  • /recipes/pizza - Pizza recipe (why not?)

Paths create hierarchy:

  • Parent pages automatically list child pages
  • Breadcrumbs show navigation path
  • Search indexes all pages

Adding Images

  1. Click: Insert > Image
  2. Upload image or paste URL
  3. Add alt text (optional)
  4. Click: Insert

Images are stored in the database - no separate file management needed!

Page History

Every edit is saved:

  1. Click: Page Actions > History
  2. View all versions with timestamps
  3. Compare versions side-by-side
  4. Restore any previous version

Never lose content again!

Search

Full-text search built-in:

  • Search box in top navigation
  • Searches all page content
  • Instant results
  • Highlights matches

User Management

Adding Users

As admin:

  1. Click: Administration (profile menu)
  2. Go to: Users
  3. Click: + New User
  4. Fill in:
    • Email
    • Name
    • Password (or send invite)
    • Group (permissions)
  5. Click: Create

Groups and Permissions

Default groups:

  • Administrators - Full access
  • Guests - Read-only access

Create custom groups:

  1. Go to: Administration > Groups
  2. Click: + New Group
  3. Set permissions:
    • Read pages
    • Write pages
    • Manage pages
    • Upload assets
    • Admin access
  4. Assign users to group

Customization

Change Theme

  1. Go to: Administration > Theme
  2. Choose:
    • Light mode
    • Dark mode
    • Auto (follows system)
  3. Customize colors (optional)
  4. Click: Apply

Add Logo

  1. Go to: Administration > General
  2. Upload logo image
  3. Set logo URL (optional)
  4. Click: Apply

Configure Footer

  1. Go to: Administration > General
  2. Edit footer content
  3. Add links (privacy policy, contact, etc.)
  4. Click: Apply

Maintenance

Check Storage Usage

# Check Wiki.js database size
du -sh /mnt/storage/docker/wikijs/postgres

Backup Wiki

Backup database:

# Backup PostgreSQL database
docker exec wikijs_postgres pg_dump -U wikijs wikijs > wikijs-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).sql

# Compress backup
gzip wikijs-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).sql

Store backups off-site for redundancy!

Restore from Backup

# Decompress backup
gunzip wikijs-backup-YYYYMMDD.sql.gz

# Restore database
cat wikijs-backup-YYYYMMDD.sql | docker exec -i wikijs_postgres psql -U wikijs -d wikijs

Update Wiki.js

Via Portainer:

  1. Go to Stacks > wikijs
  2. Click Editor
  3. Click Update the stack
  4. Select Re-pull image and redeploy
  5. Wait for update to complete

Check for updates quarterly - Wiki.js is stable and updates less frequently than other services.

Use Cases

Personal Documentation

Document your HomeLab:

  • Server configurations
  • Network diagrams
  • Troubleshooting guides
  • Command references
  • Service documentation

Project Notes

Track projects:

  • Project goals and requirements
  • Design decisions
  • Implementation notes
  • Testing procedures
  • Lessons learned

Learning Notes

Study materials:

  • Course notes
  • Tutorial summaries
  • Code examples
  • Reference materials
  • Practice exercises

Recipe Collection

Yes, really:

  • Organize recipes by category
  • Add photos
  • Track modifications
  • Share with family
  • Search by ingredient

TL;DR

  • Wiki.js is a modern wiki platform
  • Features: Markdown editor, version history, search, permissions
  • Installation: Deploy two-container stack via Portainer
  • Setup: Simple wizard, no email required
  • Organization: Use paths to create hierarchy
  • Backup: Export database regularly
  • Next: We'll set up OpenSpeedTest for network monitoring in Part 9
Part 7: Discourse Part 9: OpenSpeedTest
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