How do I set up my own wiki
Do you really need a wiki?
That is, don't overcomplicate the start.
The thing that you keep doing is the best thing, whatever that is.
Maybe the thing that motivates you most is fiddling with Obsidian (standalone app that does links), a then want to write self-contained articles instead.
Maybe that's easier to host elsewhere, and just as productive for you.
Maybe you like the style of blog posts, and to self-host them.
Say, consider the style of e.g. jvns. Conceptually,
- each of those articles is its own text file (specifically Markdown as it allows structure and basic markup),
- and every now and then you say 'done with a new one, re-generate the site'
Which generates a bunch of completely static files.
No database, no installation, no dependency on a specific site's hosting. You can put on any web host, and self-host if you wish.
If this suits your needs, this is more portable and, after the initial setup, more lightweight and low-maintenance.
Maybe you also want to organize your thoughts offline
Doing this from Markdown might be nice if you also organize your thoughts offline in something like Obsidian, as that eases posting the subset you want public.
When do you really want a wiki?
Generally, a wiki is preferred if you want one or more of:
- collaborative editing
- that is, where the primary copy is online, and editable, rather than with one person
- cross-linked structure
- that is handled more or less automatically
- specific features that specific wiki software
- e.g. if you want source code to be processed and shown colorized
- public facing
- e.g. obsidian can check most of the boxes - for private/group use.