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Build Guide

Build a Wiki Without WordPress

WordPress wiki plugins are glorified page hierarchies. Build a real wiki with bidirectional links, version diffs, and collaborative editing.

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The Old Way

The WordPress Approach

Required Plugins

1BetterDocs ($59-149/year) — wiki-style docs
2WordPress Wiki Plugin ($59 one-time) — basic wiki
3Knowledge Base for Documents & FAQs ($49-89/year) — knowledge base
4Encyclopedia / Glossary ($59 one-time) — glossary wiki
5YadaWiki (free) — simple wiki

Limitations

No real collaborative editing — just WordPress post editor for single users
Version history is basic WordPress revisions with no visual diffs
Cross-referencing between wiki articles requires manual linking
No table of contents auto-generation from headings
Search across wiki articles uses WordPress's poor built-in search

Typical Cost

$50-150/year in plugins + hosting

The Modern Way

The Modern Approach

Astro Starlight (or Next.js + MDX) + Git-based workflow

Use Astro Starlight for a documentation-focused wiki with built-in search, sidebar navigation, and version control via Git. For collaborative wikis with non-technical editors, pair Next.js with a CMS like Sanity or Outline (open-source wiki).

Version history via Git with full diff view for every change
Auto-generated table of contents from headings
Cross-referencing with bidirectional links
Full-text search with Pagefind — client-side, zero cost
Collaborative editing via CMS or Git-based workflow

WordPress vs. Modern Stack

WordPress

  • No real collaborative editing — just WordPress post editor for single users
  • Version history is basic WordPress revisions with no visual diffs
  • Cross-referencing between wiki articles requires manual linking
  • No table of contents auto-generation from headings
  • $50-150/year in plugins + hosting

Modern Stack

  • Version history via Git with full diff view for every change
  • Auto-generated table of contents from headings
  • Cross-referencing with bidirectional links
  • Full-text search with Pagefind — client-side, zero cost
  • Collaborative editing via CMS or Git-based workflow

Recommended Tools

Outline

Open-source wiki with real-time collaboration and search

Free (self-hosted) or $10/user/month cloud

Astro Starlight

Static wiki/docs framework with search and navigation

Free and open-source

Pagefind

Client-side full-text search

Free and open-source

GitHub

Version control with PR-based review for wiki edits

Free for public repos

Vercel

Hosting with automatic deploys on Git push

Free hobby tier

Step-by-Step Build Guide

1

Choose your approach — Outline for collaborative team wikis or Astro Starlight for public knowledge wikis

2

Set up the project and organize your wiki structure with categories and nested pages

3

Write initial wiki content in Markdown with proper headings, cross-references, and code examples

4

Add full-text search (Pagefind for Starlight, built-in for Outline)

5

Configure the sidebar navigation with collapsible categories and search

6

Set up a review workflow — Pull Requests for Starlight, or permissions for Outline

7

Deploy and create a contribution guide so team members can add and edit wiki pages

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I use Outline or Astro Starlight?
Outline is best for internal team wikis where non-technical people need a Google Docs-like editing experience. Astro Starlight is best for public-facing knowledge bases where content is managed by developers in Markdown.
Can I migrate from Confluence or Notion?
Yes. Export your Confluence spaces or Notion pages as Markdown. Both tools support Markdown export. Import the files into your Starlight project or Outline workspace.
How do I handle permissions for internal wikis?
Outline has built-in permission groups for team, department, and individual access. For Starlight, deploy on a private Vercel project with Vercel Authentication, or use Cloudflare Access for team-only access.

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