How to Install and Run Wiki.js on Ubuntu VPS

This article provides a detailed, step-by-step guide for How to Install and Run Wiki.js on Ubuntu VPS.

What is Wiki.js?

Wiki.js is an open-source, modern wiki software built on Node.js that lets individuals, teams, or organizations create and manage knowledge bases, documentation, and internal wikis in a fast, collaborative way.

🔹 Key Features

• Real-time collaboration – Multiple people can edit at the same time.
• Markdown & rich-text editing – Supports Markdown, WYSIWYG, and code highlighting.
• Multi-language support – Built-in interface translations and multilingual content.
• Role-based access control – Granular permissions for users and groups.
• Multiple authentication providers – Supports local logins, LDAP, SAML, OAuth (Google, GitHub, Microsoft, etc.).
• Version history – Tracks every change so you can roll back to previous versions.
• Media management – Upload and organize images, documents, and other assets.
• Integrated search – Full-text search across the entire wiki.
• Theme customization – Control branding, colors, and layout.
• Extensible – Supports modules for diagrams, math formulas, charts, and more.

🔹 Typical Use Cases

• Company internal documentation
• Public product or API documentation
• Project knowledge bases
• Educational resource hubs
• Personal wikis or research repositories

This guide walks you through installing Wiki.js on an Ubuntu VPS from scratch.

Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have:

• An Ubuntu 20.04/Ubuntu 22.04 VPS with sudo access
• A domain name (optional but recommended)
• A non-root user with administrative privileges
• PostgreSQL database credentials (we’ll set this up below)

Update your system first:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

📚 How to Install and Run Wiki.js on Ubuntu VPS

To install and run Wiki.js on Ubuntu VPS, follow the steps below:

1. Install Required Packages

   Wiki.js requires Node.js, PostgreSQL, and some utilities.

   # Install dependencies
   sudo apt install -y curl gnupg2 software-properties-common apt-transport-https
   

2. Install Node.js (LTS Version)

   Wiki.js recommends Node.js 18 LTS.

   curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_18.x | sudo -E bash -
   sudo apt install -y nodejs
   

   Check the installation:

   node -v
   npm -v
   

3. Install and Configure PostgreSQL

   Wiki.js uses PostgreSQL for data storage.

   sudo apt install -y postgresql postgresql-contrib
   

   Create a database and user for Wiki.js:

   sudo -u postgres psql
   

   Inside the PostgreSQL shell:

   CREATE DATABASE wikijs;
   CREATE USER wikiuser WITH PASSWORD 'StrongPasswordHere';
   ALTER ROLE wikiuser SET client_encoding TO 'UTF8';
   ALTER ROLE wikiuser SET default_transaction_isolation TO 'read committed';
   ALTER ROLE wikiuser SET timezone TO 'UTC';
   GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE wikijs TO wikiuser;
   \q
   

4. Download Wiki.js

   Create a directory and download the latest Wiki.js build:

   mkdir -p /var/www/wikijs
   cd /var/www/wikijs
   curl -sSo- https://wiki.js.org/install.sh | bash
   

5. Configure Wiki.js

   Edit the configuration file to connect to your PostgreSQL database:

   nano /var/www/wikijs/config.yml
   

   Find and modify the database section:

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

   Save and exit (CTRL+O, CTRL+X).

6. Create a Systemd Service

   This ensures Wiki.js runs automatically on boot.

   sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/wikijs.service
   

   Paste:

   [Unit]
   Description=Wiki.js
   After=network.target
   
   [Service]
   Type=simple
   User=www-data
   WorkingDirectory=/var/www/wikijs
   ExecStart=/usr/bin/node server
   Restart=always
   Environment=NODE_ENV=production
   
   [Install]
   WantedBy=multi-user.target
   

   Save and exit.

   Enable and start the service:

   sudo systemctl daemon-reload
   sudo systemctl enable wikijs
   sudo systemctl start wikijs
   

   Check status:

   sudo systemctl status wikijs
   

7. Configure Nginx Reverse Proxy (Optional but Recommended)

   Install Nginx:

   sudo apt install -y nginx
   

   Create a server block:

   sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/wikijs
   

   Example config:

   server {
       listen 80;
       server_name wiki.example.com;
   
       location / {
           proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;
           proxy_http_version 1.1;
           proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
           proxy_set_header Connection 'upgrade';
           proxy_set_header Host $host;
           proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
       }
   }
   

   Enable the config:

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

8. Secure with Let’s Encrypt SSL

   sudo apt install -y certbot python3-certbot-nginx
   sudo certbot --nginx -d wiki.example.com
   

9. Access Wiki.js

   Open your browser and visit:

   https://wiki.example.com
   

   (or your VPS IP if no domain is set) and complete the initial setup wizard.

   

✅ Conclusion

You now know how to install and run Wiki.js on Ubuntu VPS.

This setup ensures your wiki runs securely, starts automatically, and can handle production workloads.