# BookStack

Opinionated documentation wiki (shelves, books, chapters, pages) with .env config and a token REST API.

BookStack is a PHP/Laravel documentation platform that organizes content as shelves, books, chapters, and pages with WYSIWYG and markdown editors, roles and permissions, and many auth methods. Its REST API, documented at /api/docs on every instance, covers content, search, users, permissions, attachments, and audit log with token auth. MIT; development now lives on Codeberg.

Alternative to: Confluence, Notion

- Capabilities: adaptable, operable
- Vertical: notes-knowledge
- Shape: business-app
- Form factor: web-app
- Execution model: deterministic
- Provenance: human-written (recorded, never ranked)
- Repo: https://github.com/BookStackApp/BookStack (MIT), 19018 stars, last commit 2026-09-02
- Last activity: 2026-09-02
- Page: apps/bookstackapp--bookstack.html
- JSON: apps/bookstackapp--bookstack.json

## Use it when

- you need an internal manual or client documentation site with roles and SSO, without a per-seat price
- you want an agent to write and file runbooks into books and chapters over a token API

## Gotchas

- Primary development moved to codeberg.org/bookstack/bookstack; GitHub is a mirror, and issues go to Codeberg
- Needs PHP and MySQL/MariaDB; the docker-compose.yml in the repo is for development, and Docker images are community-maintained (linuxserver.io, solidnerd)
- API tokens need the Access System API permission; default rate limit 180 requests per minute

## Editions

- Free: Free, open source
  - source: https://codeberg.org/bookstack/bookstack
  - installable: see installation scripts for Ubuntu and Debian

## Adaptable: make it yours

Effort: config-only (17 things to edit)

.env.example names the surface: APP_KEY, APP_URL, DB_HOST, DB_DATABASE, DB_USERNAME, DB_PASSWORD, MAIL_* for email, STORAGE_TYPE for uploads; the docs add AUTH_METHOD (standard, ldap, saml2, oidc), LDAP_*, OIDC_*, and theming through a themes folder. No code edits for a standard deployment; visual and logic overrides go through the documented theme system.

- Env vars: APP_KEY, APP_URL, DB_HOST, DB_DATABASE, DB_USERNAME, DB_PASSWORD, MAIL_DRIVER, MAIL_HOST, MAIL_PORT, MAIL_USERNAME, MAIL_PASSWORD, MAIL_FROM, MAIL_FROM_NAME, MAIL_ENCRYPTION, STORAGE_TYPE, AUTH_METHOD
- Config files: .env
- Prompt files: none
- Accounts you'll need: LDAP, SAML2, or OIDC provider (optional)

## Operable: what an agent can drive

Operability: official. Interface: api at https://demo.bookstackapp.com/api/docs (published by the builder, local).

### Reach (partial coverage)

- Create and edit pages, chapters, books, and shelves: reachable. api/docs resource groups Pages, Chapters, Books, Shelves
- Search content: reachable. Search resource
- Attachments and image gallery: reachable. Attachments and Image Gallery resources
- Users, roles, and content permissions: reachable. Users, Roles, Content Permissions resources
- Tag content: reachable. Tags resource plus tags on content payloads
- Comments: reachable. Comments resource listed in api/docs
- Export pages and books (HTML, PDF, text, markdown): reachable. export endpoints on pages, chapters, books
- Audit log and recycle bin: reachable. Audit Log and Recycle Bin resources
- Import content: reachable. Imports resource
- Diagrams (diagrams.net drawings) and WYSIWYG editing: not reachable. editor-side features; API takes HTML or markdown only

## Code stack

- Languages: PHP, JavaScript
- Frameworks: Laravel
- Package manager: composer
- Database: MySQL, MariaDB
- Hosting target: linux, docker (community images)

## Evidence and confidence

- formFactor: README: Laravel web app; installation docs (confidence 0.95)
- executionModel: no model in the stack (confidence 0.95)
- operability: demo.bookstackapp.com/api/docs: official API with token auth and resource groups (confidence 0.95)
- effort: .env.example names; docs admin section (confidence 0.9)
- editions: MIT; no paid edition; sponsors only (confidence 0.95)
- active: GitHub mirror pushed 2026-09-02
- provenance: 2015 project, no agent markers (confidence 0.6)
- reach:  (confidence 0.9)

## Open questions

- If the Curator wants an MCP entry point: pnocera/bookstack-mcp-server (84 stars, MIT, pushed 2026-08-22) leads on stars and breadth; ttpears/bookstack-mcp (31 stars, pushed 2026-08-27) is the runner-up with the more recent push

## Sources

- https://github.com/BookStackApp/BookStack (sourcing:notes-knowledge:github)
- https://demo.bookstackapp.com/api/docs (analysis)