BookStack hosting: a wiki anyone can write in.
Staff handbook, work instructions, onboarding documents. One place, with an ordinary editor and search.
Short answer
BookStack is an internal wiki for handbooks and procedures. Everything is arranged as shelves, books, chapters and pages, with a plain editor, search, page history and permissions per role. It is made for teams without a technical background. We host BookStack in the Netherlands, keep it updated and make backups. It can replace Confluence or Notion.
How BookStack arranges your knowledge
- 01
Shelf
The top layer, for example a department or a subject such as Onboarding or Customer service.
- 02
Book
A coherent document on that shelf, such as the staff handbook or the work instructions for scheduling.
- 03
Chapter
A division inside a book, for when a book gets too long to read in one run.
- 04
Page
Where you write. With headings, images and tables, and a history of who changed what.
When you need a wiki
- The way of working sits in the heads of two people and both go on holiday some day.
- A new colleague asks for the third time how expense claims work.
- Instructions are scattered over folders, emails and a Word file from three years ago.
- You want one department to be able to read another's pages, but not change them.
BookStack next to Confluence or Notion
BookStack does less than Confluence and less than Notion, and that is the point. There are no databases, boards or endless templates. There is a bookcase of pages, and anyone can work with it at once.
If your team mostly plans projects or manages data in tables, another package fits better. For handbooks that are read and kept up to date, calm is an advantage.
Facts about BookStack
- Licence
- MIT. The name BookStack belongs to its maker. Jevana does not work for the project and is not affiliated with it.
- Replaces
- Confluence and Notion
- Permissions
- Per role, down to the level of a shelf, book or page
- Signing in
- With your existing accounts through single sign-on, if that has been set up
- Our role
- The installation, the updates, a daily backup that also sits outside the data centre, and monitoring
Questions
Who is BookStack meant for?
For teams that want to record knowledge and have no time or wish to learn a wiki. The editor resembles a word processor, the structure is a bookcase, and search works the way you expect. It suits staff handbooks, work instructions and onboarding documents. For technical documentation with code beside it, Wiki.js is often handier.
What is the difference between BookStack and Wiki.js?
BookStack has a fixed layout of shelves, books and pages and an editor without code. Wiki.js is looser, works with Markdown and can synchronise with a Git repository. Choose BookStack for colleagues who just want to write, Wiki.js for a technical team. We host both and say honestly which suits your team better.
Can we decide who may read or change which pages?
Yes. You set permissions per role, and you can apply them to a shelf, a book or a single page. That way the HR department can have pages only they see, while everyone else reads the general handbooks. We help set up the roles, so the structure is right before the team starts.
What happens to our texts if we leave?
You can take them with you. BookStack exports pages, chapters and books to PDF, HTML or plain text, and the data sits in an ordinary database. When you leave we hand over a full copy, attachments included. With that you can run BookStack yourself or fill another system.
Goes well with
-
Wiki.js
A wiki in Markdown for technical teams, with content that works together with a Git repository.
-
Paperless-ngx
A document archive that reads, files and finds your scans. The originals are kept.
-
IT management
Workstations, network, servers and licences looked after by two people, for a fixed monthly fee.
-
What do you do with an account, mailbox and laptop when an employee leaves?
What to sort out when someone leaves: access closed, mail redirected, files handed over, laptop returned and licence cancelled.
Tell us what you run.
An introduction costs nothing. You talk straight away to one of the two people who will actually do the work.
or email info@jevana.systems