# BookStack

> BookStack: a simple wiki for documentation, on nginx, PHP and MariaDB.

BookStack organises documentation into shelves, books, chapters and pages, with a WYSIWYG or Markdown editor. We install it as its guide describes (the release branch, Composer, PHP 8.2 or later and MariaDB) in /var/www/bookstack, served by nginx and PHP-FPM. The database password is in /root/bookstack-db.txt and the admin login in /root/bookstack-admin.txt.

## Details

- Installs on: Ubuntu and Debian (Not on Ubuntu 22.04: it ships PHP 8.1, and BookStack needs PHP 8.2 or later.)
- Smallest plan: Budget (1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM)
- Public ports: 80/tcp, 443/tcp
- Project site: https://www.bookstackapp.com/

## After the server is ready

1. Run `cat /root/bookstack-admin.txt`, open `http://<your IPv4>/` and log in.
2. Change the admin's email and name in My Account, and turn on multi-factor authentication.
3. Point a domain at the server and run `vps9-https docs.example.com`: Certbot gets a certificate (it asks for your email address) and BookStack moves to https://docs.example.com.

## Questions

### Why BookStack and not Outline?

Outline has no email-and-password login of its own: every install needs Slack, Google, Microsoft, an OpenID Connect provider or an email service for magic links, set up before the first login. BookStack works with its own accounts from the start, and can add LDAP, SAML 2.0 or OpenID Connect later.

### Which systems does it install on?

Ubuntu 24.04 and 26.04, and Debian 12 and 13. BookStack needs PHP 8.2 or later, and Ubuntu 22.04 ships 8.1. BookStack's own install scripts target Ubuntu; on AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux and Fedora we'd need PHP from outside the default repositories, so we don't offer it there.

### Can I export my documentation?

Yes. Pages, chapters and books export as PDF, contained HTML, plain text or Markdown, and BookStack has a REST API for scripted exports.

## Order it

Pick BookStack in the order form, or use `"app": "bookstack"` in the API or `vps9 servers create --app bookstack`. See [all one-click apps](https://vpsnine.com/apps) and [plans](https://vpsnine.com/plans).