Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Doxygen VS DokuWiki

Compare Doxygen VS DokuWiki and see what are their differences

Doxygen logo Doxygen

Generate documentation from source code

DokuWiki logo DokuWiki

DokuWiki is a simple to use and highly versatile Open Source wiki software that doesn't require a database.
  • Doxygen Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-30
  • DokuWiki Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-16

Doxygen features and specs

  • Comprehensive Documentation
    Doxygen supports a wide range of languages and can generate detailed, organized documentation for various types of codebases, including class hierarchies, collaboration diagrams, and more.
  • Automatic Code Parsing
    Doxygen automatically parses the code and extracts relevant comments, which helps in creating accurate and up-to-date documentation without much manual intervention.
  • Customizable Output
    Doxygen allows customization of the output format with several templates, enabling developers to generate documentation in HTML, LaTeX, RTF, and other formats.
  • Integration with Other Tools
    Doxygen integrates well with other tools such as Graphviz for generating diagrams, and it can be incorporated into continuous integration pipelines to ensure documentation is always current.
  • Open Source
    Doxygen is open-source software, meaning it is free to use and has a community of contributors that may add features or fix issues over time.

Possible disadvantages of Doxygen

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Due to its extensive features and customization options, Doxygen can be quite complex to set up and use effectively, especially for beginners.
  • Performance Issues
    For very large codebases, Doxygen can be slow in processing and generating the documentation, which might be a limitation for some projects.
  • Limited Support for Non-Standard Code Constructs
    Doxygen may have difficulties interpreting non-standard code constructs or highly complex code, which could lead to incomplete or inaccurate documentation.
  • Dependency on Code Comments
    The quality and usefulness of the generated documentation heavily depend on the thoroughness and clarity of the comments within the code, requiring disciplined commenting practices.
  • Outdated Documentation
    If not regularly maintained and regenerated, the produced documentation can become outdated as the codebase evolves, leading to potential misinformation.

DokuWiki features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    DokuWiki is known for its simple and straightforward installation process. It does not require a database, making it easy for users to set up and manage.
  • File-based Storage
    Instead of using a database, DokuWiki stores its data in text files. This makes it easy to backup, transfer, and maintain.
  • Extensibility
    DokuWiki has a wide range of plugins and templates available, which allows users to extend its functionality and customize its appearance.
  • Built-in Access Controls
    DokuWiki provides built-in access controls and authentication mechanisms, allowing administrators to manage user permissions effectively.
  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Friendly
    DokuWiki is designed to be SEO-friendly, making content more discoverable by search engines.
  • Open Source
    Being open-source, DokuWiki is free to use and benefits from community contributions and support.

Possible disadvantages of DokuWiki

  • Limited Scalability
    Due to its file-based storage, DokuWiki may face performance issues as the amount of content grows significantly.
  • Learning Curve
    Though it is user-friendly, users without technical knowledge might still find it challenging to utilize advanced features or customize their wiki.
  • Basic Features
    While it covers the basics well, some users may find DokuWiki lacking in advanced features compared to other wiki software.
  • Plugin Dependency
    While extensibility is a pro, relying on plugins for additional functionality can lead to maintenance issues, especially if plugins become outdated or incompatible.
  • Less Professional Support
    As an open-source project, professional support is limited compared to commercial options. Users primarily rely on community support.

Analysis of Doxygen

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Doxygen is considered a good tool, especially for projects where maintaining documentation is crucial. Its ability to integrate with various development environments and version control systems, along with its configurability and range of output formats, makes it a robust choice for automatically generating up-to-date project documentation.

Why this product is good

  • Doxygen is a widely used tool for generating documentation from annotated C++ sources, and it supports other programming languages including C, Objective-C, C#, PHP, Java, Python, IDL (Corba and Microsoft flavors), Fortran, VHDL, and D. It is valuable for its ability to extract code structure and comments to produce comprehensive documentation in various formats like HTML, LaTeX, and RTF. It also has support for generating diagrams and cross-references, which improves documentation readability and navigation.

Recommended for

  • Developers working in medium to large codebases that need robust documentation.
  • Teams using C++ or any of the supported languages who want to ensure their code documentation is consistently updated and accessible.
  • Projects where it is crucial to have an easily navigable documentation site with features like search, diagrams, and cross-references.
  • Open source projects that want to maintain high-quality, automatically generated documentation.

Analysis of DokuWiki

Overall verdict

  • DokuWiki is a well-regarded choice, particularly for users who need a straightforward and reliable wiki solution without the overhead of a database. It is suitable for both personal use and small to medium-sized enterprises seeking an efficient documentation system.

Why this product is good

  • DokuWiki is considered a good option for its simplicity and ease of use. It is a versatile and lightweight wiki software that doesn't require a database, making it easy to install and maintain. It uses plain text files, which simplifies backups and data portability. DokuWiki also supports a range of plugins and templates, allowing for customization, and it includes features like version control, access control lists, and multilingual support.

Recommended for

    DokuWiki is recommended for individuals or organizations looking for a simple, no-database wiki system. It is especially suitable for small teams, educational projects, personal knowledge management, and internal company documentation that prioritizes ease of use and low maintenance.

Doxygen videos

Doxygen

DokuWiki videos

Dokuwiki Tutorial: Overview

More videos:

  • Review - Dokuwiki: Quick Walk Through

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Doxygen and DokuWiki)
Documentation
100 100%
0% 0
WiKis
0 0%
100% 100
Documentation As A Service & Tools
Note Taking
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Doxygen and DokuWiki

Doxygen Reviews

Best 25 Software Documentation Tools 2023
Doxygen is a popular documentation generator tool that is commonly used in software development projects to automatically generate documentation from source code comments.
Source: www.uphint.com
Introduction to Doxygen Alternatives In 2021
Doxygen is the software application for developing paperwork from illustrated C++ sources, but other programming languages like C, C#, Objective-C, UNO/OpenOffice, PHP, Java, IDL of Corba, Python, and Microsoft, VHDL, Fortran are also supported. From a collection of recorded source files, user can develop an HTML online documents web browser and an offline referral manual....
Source: www.webku.net
Doxygen Alternatives
Doxygen is the software for creating documentation from illustrated C++ sources, but other programming languages like C, C#, Objective-C, UNO/OpenOffice, PHP, Java, IDL of Corba, Python, and Microsoft, VHDL, Fortran are also supported. From a collection of documented source files, user can create an HTML online documentation browser and an offline reference manual. It also...
Source: www.educba.com
Doxygen Alternatives
Since the documentation is directly extracted from the sources, it is a lot less difficult to maintain the compatibility between the source code and the documentation. Having said that, this tax has a few problems with it. Therefore, I have compiled a list of some of the other options available to you besides Doxygen.

DokuWiki Reviews

Top 12 Self-hosted Wiki Engines for 2024: A Comprehensive Guide
DokuWiki is an open-source wiki software that stands out for its simplicity and versatility. Key features include ease of installation and use, low system requirements, built-in access control lists, support for over 50 languages, and device independence. It doesn't require a database, making it easier to maintain and back up. DokuWiki is extensible with a large variety of...
Source: medevel.com
The 10 Best Self-hosted Wiki Software for Linux System
Dokuwiki is a highly flexible and easy-to-use open source wiki software that does not require a database. Many users love it due to its ease to use and fluent syntax. The lack of limitations, backup, and installation make it the favorite of any user who wishes to maintain a collaborative website.
Best 11 Open-source Free Wiki Engines for teams and enterprise in 2022
DokuWiki is a popular PHP-based open-source wiki that has been standing for years. It offers a multilingual support as it packed by a large community of experienced users and developer from all over the world.
Source: medevel.com
The Best 20 Wiki Software For Your Business& Internal Knowledge for 2022
DocuWiki is a versatile open-source wiki tool that is noted for its clean and readable syntax. Feature-packed and easy to install, this software can be used to build a corporate wiki, private notebook, and software manual. Its built-in access controls and authentication connectors make it a perfect choice for enterprises looking for a solid security system. Creating a...
17 open source wiki engine/software
DokuWiki is a lightweight, standards compliant free PHP Wiki engine that allow you to create any kind of documentation. It has a simple yet powerful syntax which makes sure the data files remain readable outside the Wiki and eases the creation of structured texts. All data stored in plain text files – no database backend are required.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Doxygen and DokuWiki, you can also consider the following products

GitBook - Modern Publishing, Simply taking your books from ideas to finished, polished books.

MediaWiki - MediaWiki is a free software wiki package written in PHP, originally for use on Wikipedia.

DocFX - A documentation generation tool for API reference and Markdown files!

TiddlyWiki - a non-linear personal web notebook

MkDocs - Project documentation with Markdown.

XWiki - A powerful Open Source collaborative platform enhancing collaboration and communication.