Web Design & Development Guide

Wiki software

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Wiki software is a type of collaborative software that runs a wiki system. This typically allows web pages to be created and edited using a common web browser. It is usually implemented as a server-side script that runs on one or more web servers, with the content generally stored in a relational database management system, although some implementations use the server's file system instead.

Class

Web-based wiki

The first such system was created by Ward Cunningham in 1995, but given the relative simplicity of the wiki concept, a large number of implementations now exist, ranging from very simple "hacks" implementing only core functionality to highly sophisticated content management systems. The primary difference between wikis and more complex types of content management systems is that wiki software tends to focus on the content, at the expense of the more powerful control over layout seen in CMS software like Drupal, WebGUI, or at the expense of non-wiki features (articles, blogs,..) like in TikiWiki.

"Wiki software" could be interpreted as comprising all of the software required to run a wiki, which might include a web server such as Apache, in addition to the Wiki engine itself, which implements the wiki technology. In some cases, such as ProjectForum, or some WikiServers, the web server and wiki engine are bundled together as one self-contained system, which can often make them easier to install.

The majority of engines are open source, often available under the GNU General Public License (GPL); large projects such as TWiki and the Wikipedia engine, MediaWiki, are developed collaboratively. Many wikis are highly modular, providing APIs which allow programmers to develop new features without requiring them to be familiar with the entire codebase.

It is hard to determine which wiki engines are the most popular, although a list of lead candidates might include TWiki, MoinMoin, PmWiki, DokuWiki and MediaWiki (Google trend history comparison). A list of some of those available is included below, and another can be found at Wiki:WikiEngines.

Personal wiki

Some wiki software is not intended for collaborative work, but for either content management or for personal information organizing. This is sometimes called a Desktop Wiki or a Personal Wiki.

See also

• List of wiki software
• Comparison of wiki software - feature-table comparison of common wiki software
• List of wikis - websites using wiki software, organized by topic

External links

• WikiMatrix: Comparing Multiple Wiki Engines Side-by-Side
• Comparison of different wiki software (Article, November 2004)
• Free Wiki
• How to choose a Wiki
• Extensive list of wiki software
• Wikitext standard — Meta discussion on a proposed standard wikitext format

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This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.