🌿 LeafWiki

Self-hosted wiki. Single Go binary. SQLite + Markdown stored on disk.

For engineers and self-hosters who want structured, long-lived documentation. No Node.js, no Redis, no Postgres — just a binary and a data directory.

If you've looked at Wiki.js or Outline and thought "this is too much to operate for what I need" — this could fit for you.

→ Try it without installing: demo.leafwiki.com · Ctrl+E edit · Ctrl+S save · resets hourly
→ If it fits, a star helps others find it.

docker run -p 8080:8080 -v ~/leafwiki-data:/app/data \
  ghcr.io/perber/leafwiki:latest \
  --jwt-secret=yoursecret --admin-password=yourpassword --allow-insecure=true

→ All install options (Docker Compose, Linux installer, binary)

Features

Operations:

Single Go binary — no external database, no runtime dependencies
Markdown on disk — page content is readable outside the app, backup is cp -r (stop the app first)
Runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, Raspberry Pi (x86_64 and ARM64)
Reverse-proxy friendly with --base-path
Reverse-proxy authentication via trusted HTTP header (v0.10+)
Public read-only mode with authenticated editing
Roles: admin, editor, viewer

Core functionality:

Tree navigation — explicit hierarchy, not flat note feeds
Full-text search across titles and content, with tag-based filtering
Tags on pages — searchable and filterable across the wiki
Backlinks and link status per page (incoming, outgoing, broken links)
Built-in Markdown editor with live preview, keyboard shortcuts, and autocomplete for internal page links
Optimistic locking for concurrent edits
Markdown: tables, task lists, footnotes, callouts (:::info / :::warning), Mermaid diagrams, sanitized inline HTML

Customization:

Custom stylesheet (--custom-stylesheet, v0.8.5+)
Inject HTML/JS into <head> for analytics or custom CSS
Branding: logo, favicon, site name
Dark mode and mobile-friendly UI

Opt-in via feature flags:

Revision history (--enable-revision)
Automatic link rewriting when pages are renamed or moved (--enable-link-refactor)

Markdown import:

ZIP-based importer for editors and admins
Supports Obsidian-style wiki link rewriting on import
Best results with a reasonably clean folder structure; not a fully automatic converter for all source formats

Mobile:

Good fit / not a fit

Good fit:

Personal wikis, engineering notebooks, and runbooks
Internal team or homelab documentation
Existing Markdown or Obsidian vaults that need a structured wiki UI
Small teams that want tree navigation over flat note feeds
Self-hosted environments with low operational overhead

Probably not a fit:

Organizations needing complex enterprise permissions or approval workflows
Real-time collaborative editing
Teams looking for a Confluence or Notion replacement

LeafWiki is intentionally narrower than those systems. That focus is part of the value.

Install

Docker

docker run -p 8080:8080 \
    -v ~/leafwiki-data:/app/data \
    ghcr.io/perber/leafwiki:latest \
    --jwt-secret=yoursecret \
    --admin-password=yourpassword \
    --allow-insecure=true

--allow-insecure=true is required for plain HTTP. Omit it when serving over HTTPS (make sure your reverse proxy forwards X-Forwarded-Proto: https).

Non-root:

docker run -p 8080:8080 \
    -u 1000:1000 \
    -v ~/leafwiki-data:/app/data \
    ghcr.io/perber/leafwiki:latest \
    --jwt-secret=yoursecret \
    --admin-password=yourpassword \
    --allow-insecure=true

The data directory must be writable by the specified user.

Docker Compose

services:
  leafwiki:
    image: ghcr.io/perber/leafwiki:latest
    container_name: leafwiki
    user: 1000:1000
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    environment:
      - LEAFWIKI_JWT_SECRET=yourSecret
      - LEAFWIKI_ADMIN_PASSWORD=yourPassword
      - LEAFWIKI_ALLOW_INSECURE=true  # Required for plain HTTP. Omit for HTTPS (ensure `X-Forwarded-Proto: https` is forwarded).
    volumes:
      - ${HOME}/leafwiki-data:/app/data
    restart: unless-stopped

Linux installer

sudo /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/perber/leafwiki/main/install.sh)"

Installs LeafWiki as a system service. Tested on Ubuntu, Debian, and Raspbian.

Update:

sudo /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/perber/leafwiki/main/update.sh)"

Only works if you installed with the script above. Not compatible with Docker or binary installs.

Non-interactive mode:

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your configuration
sudo ./install.sh --non-interactive --env-file ./.env

Security: in interactive mode, environment variables are written in plain text to /etc/leafwiki/.env. Restrict access to that file.

Deployment examples:

Binary

chmod +x leafwiki
./leafwiki --jwt-secret=yoursecret --admin-password=yourpassword --allow-insecure=true

The server binds to 127.0.0.1:8080 by default. To expose it on the network:

./leafwiki --jwt-secret=yoursecret --admin-password=yourpassword --host=0.0.0.0 --allow-insecure=true

Default data directory is ./data. Change with --data-dir.

Reset admin password

./leafwiki reset-admin-password

Dev Setup

Stack: Go · React (Vite) · SQLite

git clone https://github.com/perber/leafwiki.git
cd leafwiki

Terminal 1 — Frontend:

cd ui/leafwiki-ui
npm install
npm run dev

Terminal 2 — Backend:

cd cmd/leafwiki
go run main.go --jwt-secret=yoursecret --allow-insecure=true --admin-password=yourpassword

Vite starts on http://localhost:5173. The backend binds to 127.0.0.1 by default.

See CONTRIBUTING.md for contribution guidelines.

Configuration

Required

Flag	Description
`--jwt-secret`	Secret for signing JWTs. Keep it secure.
`--admin-password`	Initial admin password (only applied if no admin exists yet).

For plain HTTP: add --allow-insecure=true so login and CSRF cookies work.

CLI Flags

Flag	Description	Default	Since
`--host`	Host/IP the server binds to	`127.0.0.1`	–
`--port`	Port the server listens on	`8080`	–
`--data-dir`	Directory where data is stored	`./data`	–
`--public-access`	Allow public read-only access	`false`	–
`--base-path`	URL prefix for reverse proxy setups (e.g. `/wiki`)	`""`	v0.8.2
`--allow-insecure`	⚠️ Enables HTTP for auth cookies (required for plain HTTP)	`false`	v0.7.0
`--disable-auth`	⚠️ Disable all authentication (internal networks only)	`false`	v0.7.0
`--access-token-timeout`	Access token duration (e.g. `24h`, `15m`)	`15m`	v0.7.0
`--refresh-token-timeout`	Refresh token duration (e.g. `168h`, `7d`)	`7d`	v0.7.0
`--max-asset-upload-size`	Max upload size (e.g. `50MiB`, `52428800`)	`50MiB`	v0.8.5
`--custom-stylesheet`	Path to a `.css` file inside the data dir	`""`	v0.8.5
`--inject-code-in-header`	Raw HTML/JS injected into `<head>`	`""`	v0.6.0
`--hide-link-metadata-section`	Hide backlinks and link status panel	`false`	–
`--enable-revision`	Enable revision history	`false`	v0.9.0
`--enable-link-refactor`	Enable link rewriting on rename/move	`false`	v0.9.0
`--max-revision-history`	Max revisions per page; `0` = unlimited	`100`	v0.9.0
`--enable-http-remote-user`	Enable reverse-proxy auth via HTTP header	`false`	v0.10.0
`--http-remote-user-header-name`	Header name carrying the username from the proxy	`Remote-User`	v0.10.0
`--trusted-proxy-ips`	Trusted proxy IPs/CIDRs for remote-user header	`""`	v0.10.0
`--http-remote-user-logout-url`	Logout redirect when reverse-proxy auth is active	`""`	v0.10.0

Docker image default: LEAFWIKI_HOST is set to 0.0.0.0 automatically by the container entrypoint if neither --host nor LEAFWIKI_HOST is provided.

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Default	Since
`LEAFWIKI_HOST`	Host/IP address	`127.0.0.1`	–
`LEAFWIKI_PORT`	Port	`8080`	–
`LEAFWIKI_DATA_DIR`	Data directory path	`./data`	–
`LEAFWIKI_ADMIN_PASSWORD`	Initial admin password (required)	–	–
`LEAFWIKI_JWT_SECRET`	JWT signing secret (required)	–	–
`LEAFWIKI_PUBLIC_ACCESS`	Allow public read-only access	`false`	–
`LEAFWIKI_BASE_PATH`	URL prefix for reverse proxy	`""`	v0.8.2
`LEAFWIKI_ALLOW_INSECURE`	⚠️ HTTP auth cookies	`false`	v0.7.0
`LEAFWIKI_DISABLE_AUTH`	⚠️ Disable authentication	`false`	v0.7.0
`LEAFWIKI_ACCESS_TOKEN_TIMEOUT`	Access token duration	`15m`	v0.7.0
`LEAFWIKI_REFRESH_TOKEN_TIMEOUT`	Refresh token duration	`7d`	v0.7.0
`LEAFWIKI_MAX_ASSET_UPLOAD_SIZE`	Max upload size	`50MiB`	v0.8.5
`LEAFWIKI_CUSTOM_STYLESHEET`	Path to `.css` file inside data dir	`""`	v0.8.5
`LEAFWIKI_INJECT_CODE_IN_HEADER`	HTML/JS injected into `<head>`	`""`	v0.6.0
`LEAFWIKI_HIDE_LINK_METADATA_SECTION`	Hide backlinks and link status panel	`false`	–
`LEAFWIKI_ENABLE_REVISION`	Revision history	`false`	v0.9.0
`LEAFWIKI_ENABLE_LINK_REFACTOR`	Link rewriting on rename/move	`false`	v0.9.0
`LEAFWIKI_MAX_REVISION_HISTORY`	Max revisions per page; `0` = unlimited	`100`	v0.9.0
`LEAFWIKI_ENABLE_HTTP_REMOTE_USER`	Reverse-proxy auth via header	`false`	v0.10.0
`LEAFWIKI_HTTP_REMOTE_USER_HEADER_NAME`	Username header from proxy	`Remote-User`	v0.10.0
`LEAFWIKI_TRUSTED_PROXY_IPS`	Trusted proxy IPs/CIDRs	`""`	v0.10.0
`LEAFWIKI_HTTP_REMOTE_USER_LOGOUT_URL`	Logout redirect URL	`""`	v0.10.0

Custom Stylesheet

Place a .css file inside your data directory and pass its path:

./leafwiki \
  --data-dir=./data \
  --custom-stylesheet=custom.css \
  --jwt-secret=yoursecret \
  --admin-password=yourpassword

File must exist at ./data/custom.css
Served as /custom.css (or ${base-path}/custom.css with --base-path)
The endpoint is publicly accessible

Reverse-Proxy Authentication

Available since v0.10.0. Use when an upstream proxy authenticates users and forwards the username via HTTP header.

./leafwiki \
  --jwt-secret=yoursecret \
  --admin-password=yourpassword \
  --enable-http-remote-user=true \
  --http-remote-user-header-name=X-Forwarded-User \
  --trusted-proxy-ips=127.0.0.1,172.18.0.0/16 \
  --http-remote-user-logout-url=https://auth.example.com/logout

Only trusts the header from IPs listed in --trusted-proxy-ips
If the forwarded username doesn't exist in LeafWiki, the request is rejected
Do not enable without configuring --trusted-proxy-ips

Security

Enabled by default since v0.7.0:

Secure, HttpOnly cookies for session handling
CSRF protection on all state-changing requests
Rate limiting on auth endpoints
Role-based access: admin, editor, viewer

--disable-auth removes all authentication. Only use for local development, trusted internal networks, or isolated environments.

# Safe local-only example:
./leafwiki --disable-auth --host=127.0.0.1

For most setups, prefer --public-access for read-only public access and the viewer role for restricted accounts.

Operations notes

Default bind: 127.0.0.1 (binary) / 0.0.0.0 (Docker image)
Default data dir: ./data (binary) / /app/data (container)
Defaults are intentionally conservative — a fresh install does not become network-exposed by accident

Keyboard Shortcuts

Action	Shortcut
Edit mode	`Ctrl + E` / `Cmd + E`
Save	`Ctrl + S` / `Cmd + S`
Search	`Ctrl + Shift + F` / `Cmd + Shift + F`
Navigation pane	`Ctrl + Shift + E` / `Cmd + Shift + E`
Go to page	`Ctrl + Alt + P` / `Cmd + Option + P`
Bold	`Ctrl + B` / `Cmd + B`
Italic	`Ctrl + I` / `Cmd + I`
Headline 1–3	`Ctrl + Alt + 1–3` / `Cmd + Alt + 1–3`

Ctrl+V / Cmd+V for pasting images and files works in the editor.
Esc closes modals, dialogs, and edit mode.

Support this project

If it's useful to you:

⭐ Star the repo — helps others find it
💛 Sponsor on GitHub — supports ongoing maintenance, bug fixes, and new features

Contributing

Contributions, discussions, and feedback are welcome.
Open an issue or start a discussion on GitHub. Follow the repository to get notified about new releases.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 867 Commits
.github		.github
.vscode		.vscode
assets		assets
cmd/leafwiki		cmd/leafwiki
docs		docs
e2e-proxy		e2e-proxy
e2e		e2e
hacks/proxy-auth		hacks/proxy-auth
internal		internal
releases		releases
scripts		scripts
ui/leafwiki-ui		ui/leafwiki-ui
.dockerignore		.dockerignore
.env.example		.env.example
.gitignore		.gitignore
.golangci-lint		.golangci-lint
.trivyignore		.trivyignore
.trivyignore.yaml		.trivyignore.yaml
CHANGELOG.md		CHANGELOG.md
CODEOWNERS		CODEOWNERS
CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md		CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
CONTRIBUTING.md		CONTRIBUTING.md
Dockerfile		Dockerfile
Dockerfile.builder		Dockerfile.builder
LICENSE		LICENSE
Makefile		Makefile
docker-entrypoint.sh		docker-entrypoint.sh
go.mod		go.mod
go.sum		go.sum
install.sh		install.sh
readme.md		readme.md
update.sh		update.sh

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🌿 LeafWiki

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🌿 LeafWiki

Features

Good fit / not a fit

Install

Docker

Docker Compose

Linux installer

Binary

Reset admin password

Dev Setup

Configuration

Required

CLI Flags

Environment Variables

Custom Stylesheet

Reverse-Proxy Authentication

Security

Operations notes

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Support this project

Contributing

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