How to Install Wiki.js on Ubuntu 24.04

Wiki.js on Ubuntu 24.04 – A Modern, Extensible Wiki Platform for the LTS Generation

Wiki.js is an open-source, Node.js-based wiki platform that prioritizes performance, customizability, and modern collaboration features. When paired with Ubuntu 24.04, an enterprise-grade LTS release supported until 2029, it becomes a reliable and feature-rich solution for teams and organizations seeking a self-hosted documentation platform with a sleek UI and extensive integration capabilities.

What Is Wiki.js?

Wiki.js is designed to be a modern documentation and knowledge base system, ideal for internal wikis, developer documentation, collaborative notes, and public-facing help centers. It features:

A clean, responsive interface built with Vue.js
A Markdown-first editor with support for WYSIWYG and HTML blocks
Real-time collaboration (in active development)
Authentication integrations (LDAP, OAuth2, SAML, GitHub, etc.)
Modular architecture with over 30 integrations including Git, S3, Google Drive, Azure
Built-in versioning, access control, and localization

Ubuntu 24.04 – A Stable Foundation for Wiki.js

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS is a strategic choice for Wiki.js hosting due to its updated packages, long-term support lifecycle, and excellent hardware/software compatibility.

Feature	Advantage for Wiki.js
Linux Kernel 6.8+	Improved I/O and network stack for backend applications
Node.js and NPM support	Up-to-date LTS Node.js versions easily installable via Snap, NVM, or APT
PostgreSQL 16 availability	Native support for Wiki.js’ preferred database backend
NGINX 1.24+	Optimal reverse proxy and TLS termination options
Systemd 255+	Advanced process supervision for the Node.js server
AppArmor and UFW	Robust access control and firewall configuration

Ubuntu also benefits from strong community support and active documentation for open-source software, including Wiki.js modules.

System Architecture

Wiki.js on Ubuntu typically involves:

Component	Technology	Role
Backend	Node.js	API, authentication, content management
Frontend	Vue.js (via Nuxt)	Browser interface, rich editing features
Database	PostgreSQL	Stores content, users, settings, and logs
Web Server	NGINX or Apache	TLS proxying, routing, caching
Optional Auth	LDAP, GitHub, SAML	Centralized user management for teams

Wiki.js is modular—authentication, storage, backup, notifications, and editor types can all be enabled or replaced via a user-friendly admin interface.

Practical Use Cases

Wiki.js on Ubuntu 24.04 is a great fit for:

DevOps or engineering teams maintaining infrastructure documentation
Internal knowledge bases for businesses and academic institutions
Public documentation sites for open-source or commercial software
Team onboarding manuals with fine-grained access control
IT departments with LDAP-backed authentication for internal wikis
Compliance & SOP repositories where versioning is important

It is also suited for organizations transitioning away from legacy wikis like MediaWiki or Confluence due to its simplicity and Git integration.

Benefits of Ubuntu 24.04 for Wiki.js

Area	Benefits on Ubuntu 24.04
Node.js Runtime	Supports LTS builds (e.g., 18.x, 20.x) via Snap or NodeSource
TLS Setup	Native Certbot (Let’s Encrypt) support with NGINX and systemd timers
Package Consistency	APT repository maturity for PostgreSQL, Git, NGINX, etc.
Security	Full AppArmor profiles, strong kernel hardening, and UFW firewall
Service Management	`systemctl` integration for persistent Wiki.js process control

Ubuntu also supports containerized workflows (Docker, LXD) and cloud-native deployments, making it ideal for scalable Wiki.js instances.

Performance Considerations

Wiki.js performs well on modest hardware. A typical medium-scale deployment might include:

1 vCPU / 2 GB RAM minimum for small teams
300–500 MB RAM for the Node.js process under typical load
PostgreSQL memory tuning for faster indexing and queries
Reverse proxy caching (via NGINX) for static assets and Markdown previews
Optional Git-based syncing, which offloads content versioning to external storage

Ubuntu 24.04’s updated kernel and system libraries provide efficient I/O, memory management, and TLS performance, especially under concurrent sessions.

Git & External Integration Support

One of Wiki.js’s standout features is Git-backed content storage, allowing you to:

Use GitHub, GitLab, or self-hosted repositories
Sync Markdown files automatically or on a schedule
Track changes using Git history
Enable external CI/CD workflows or static site publishing

Other integrations supported:

Authentication: LDAP, SAML, Azure AD, GitHub
Storage: AWS S3, GCP, Dropbox, OneDrive, WebDAV
Notifications: Email, Slack, Discord, Microsoft Teams
Backups: Schedule file exports or PostgreSQL dumps

These modules are configurable via a web interface, no code editing required.

Wiki.js vs Other Platforms on Ubuntu 24.04

Feature	Wiki.js	MediaWiki	BookStack	Confluence (self-hosted)
Backend Stack	Node.js + PG	PHP + MySQL	PHP + MySQL	Java + PostgreSQL
UI/UX	Modern, clean	Classic	Simple	Enterprise-tier
Git Integration	Built-in	Manual plugin	No	Limited
Custom Authentication	Full	LDAP optional	Partial	Full
Markdown Support	First-class	Poor	Partial	Limited
System Requirements	Low to moderate	Low	Low	High
Open Source	Yes	Yes	Yes	No

Running Wiki.js on Ubuntu 24.04 offers a powerful, reliable, and secure solution for knowledge management and documentation systems. Ubuntu’s long-term support, ecosystem richness, and excellent compatibility with open-source tools make it a natural fit for hosting modern Node.js applications like Wiki.js.

Whether you’re setting up a small internal team wiki or scaling to hundreds of users with LDAP and Git integrations, Wiki.js on Ubuntu 24.04 is well-positioned to deliver a performant and future-proof experience.

Step 1: Create a Shape.Host VPS instance

Visit https://shape.host and sign in

Click Create → Instance

Choose a server location near you

Select Ubuntu 24.04 (64-bit) as your OS

Choose a plan with minimum 2 CPUs, 2 GB RAM

Click Create Instance

Copy the IP address from the “Resources” section once the instance is ready

Step 2: Connect to your VPS

On Linux/macOS:

ssh root@your_server_ip

On Windows:

Download and install PuTTY
Open it, enter your_server_ip as hostname
Keep port 22, click Open
Log in with root and password

Step 3: Update system packages

apt update

Step 4: Install required packages

apt install -y curl gnupg2 ca-certificates software-properties-common apt-transport-https unzip wget nginx nodejs npm postgresql

Installs Node.js, Nginx, PostgreSQL, and dependencies needed by Wiki.js.

Step 5: Set up PostgreSQL for Wiki.js

Create the database user and the database:

su - postgres -c "psql -c \"CREATE USER wikijs WITH PASSWORD 'StrongPasswordHere';\""
su - postgres -c "psql -c \"CREATE DATABASE wikijs OWNER wikijs;\""

(Optional: Test DB connection)

psql -U wikijs -d wikijs -h localhost -W

Step 6: Create a system user for Wiki.js

useradd -r -m -d /opt/wikijs -s /usr/sbin/nologin wikijs

Step 7: Download Wiki.js

mkdir -p /opt/wikijs
cd /opt/wikijs
wget https://github.com/Requarks/wiki/releases/latest/download/wiki-js.tar.gz
tar -xzf wiki-js.tar.gz
chown -R wikijs:wikijs /opt/wikijs

Step 8: Configure Wiki.js

Copy and edit the config file:

cp config.sample.yml config.yml
nano config.yml

Update the following section:

db:
  type: postgres
  host: localhost
  port: 5432
  user: wikijs
  pass: StrongPasswordHere
  db: wikijs
  ssl: false

bindIP: 127.0.0.1
port: 3000

Step 9: Create a systemd service for Wiki.js

nano /etc/systemd/system/wikijs.service

Paste:

[Unit]
Description=Wiki.js
After=network.target postgresql.service

[Service]
Type=simple
User=wikijs
WorkingDirectory=/opt/wikijs
ExecStart=/usr/bin/node server
Restart=always
Environment=NODE_ENV=production

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Step 10: Enable and start Wiki.js

systemctl daemon-reexec
systemctl daemon-reload
systemctl enable --now wikijs

Step 11: Configure Nginx reverse proxy

nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/wikijs

Paste:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name wiki.example.com;

    access_log /var/log/nginx/wikijs.access.log;
    error_log  /var/log/nginx/wikijs.error.log;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3000;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
}

Then enable the config:

ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/wikijs /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
nginx -t
systemctl reload nginx

Step 12: Enable HTTPS with Let’s Encrypt

apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx
certbot --nginx -d wiki.example.com --redirect --agree-tos --email you@example.com

Make sure DNS is pointing to your server IP before running the command.

Step 13: Access Wiki.js

Now open:

http://wiki.example.com
or https://wiki.example.com if SSL is enabled

Now create the administrator user for Wiki.js and input your email address and password. Then, click INSTALL to confirm the installation.

Once the installation is finished, you should be redirected to your Wiki.js login page. Input your admin email address and password, then click LOGIN.

If your installation is successful, you should see the welcome page of Wiki.js. From here, you can create a new home page or access the Wiki.js administration dashboard.

If you click the ADMINISTRATION, you should see the Wiki.js administration page like this:

This guide was tested on a Shape.Host Linux SSD VPS, offering fast and reliable servers ideal for Wiki.js.
Start with Shape.Host today and deploy in minutes!

Cloud Instances

Storage & Networking