Video tutorial coming soon.
Deploy Docmost on Ubuntu — a modern open-source Confluence alternative with real-time collaboration, built-in authentication, spaces, and draw.io diagram support.
Grab the automated bash script from GitHub to follow along with the video.
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mhmdali94/Docker/main/tools/docmost/docmost-ubuntu.sh
chmod +x docmost-ubuntu.sh
sudo bash docmost-ubuntu.shwget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mhmdali94/Docker/main/tools/docmost/docmost-ubuntu.shchmod +x docmost-ubuntu.shScript deploys Docmost with PostgreSQL and Redis via Docker Compose. All services start automatically.
sudo bash docmost-ubuntu.shOpen your browser and navigate to your server IP. Complete the first-run setup wizard to create your admin account and workspace name.
http://<your-server-ip>:3000Create a Space (like a department or project area) and add pages inside it. Invite teammates by email from the Settings panel.
| Port | Purpose |
|---|---|
| 3000 | Web UI |
Docmost is a newer open-source team wiki and collaborative documentation platform designed as a direct Confluence alternative. Unlike Outline Wiki, Docmost includes built-in email/password authentication — no SSO provider required to get started. It uses a rich block editor with slash commands, supports real-time collaboration, and integrates draw.io (diagrams.net) for in-page technical diagrams. Content is organized into Spaces (analogous to Confluence spaces or Notion workspaces), which contain pages and sub-pages. Docmost is actively developed and gaining adoption as teams look for simpler Confluence replacements.
Confluence is expensive per-seat and increasingly bloated. Notion stores data in the cloud. Outline requires SSO configuration before any user can log in. Docmost fills the gap: a modern, Notion-quality editing experience with built-in username/password auth, self-hosted on your own server, with no per-seat cost. Teams can be up and running in minutes without configuring OAuth providers or managing identity infrastructure.
Docmost listens on port 3000 internally, proxied to 80/443 by your reverse proxy. PostgreSQL (5432) and Redis (6379) must remain internal to the Docker network. Never expose port 3000 or database ports directly. Only ports 80 and 443 should be publicly accessible via Nginx or Traefik.
BookStack is more mature with a books → chapters → pages hierarchy that some teams prefer for structured documentation. Outline Wiki has a better Notion-like feel and Slack integration but requires SSO. Confluence Cloud is the enterprise standard with the largest ecosystem but significant cost. GitBook is better for public-facing developer documentation. Docmost wins for teams that want a modern Confluence replacement without SSO complexity and without the maturity tax of Outline's requirements.
Skip Docmost for public-facing product documentation sites — dedicated tools like GitBook, MkDocs, or Docusaurus are better optimized for public docs with versioning and search. If your team already has Google Workspace or Slack and wants seamless SSO, Outline's integrations are deeper. For very large enterprises with complex RBAC requirements, Confluence or a fully managed wiki service may offer better compliance tooling. Docmost is best for small-to-medium teams wanting a fast, simple, self-hosted internal wiki.
PrismaTechWork provides end-to-end infrastructure services — from initial deployment and security hardening to ongoing monitoring, automated backups, and dedicated support. Whether you need a single-server setup or a multi-site network, our team ensures your infrastructure is built right, secured properly, and maintained reliably.
No — Docmost includes built-in email/password authentication. Users register with an email and password, or you invite them via email from the admin panel. SSO (OIDC, SAML, Google, GitHub) can be added as an optional additional authentication method, but it is not required. This is the key difference from Outline Wiki, which requires SSO before any user can log in. Docmost is ready to use immediately after the first-run setup wizard.
BookStack uses a books → chapters → pages hierarchy, which is good for structured reference documentation. Docmost uses a spaces → pages → sub-pages model that is more flexible and closer to Confluence's structure. Docmost has a more modern block-based editor (slash commands, embeds) while BookStack's editor is WYSIWYG/Markdown. Both have built-in auth. Docmost is newer and more actively developed for the Confluence-replacement use case; BookStack is more mature with a larger community and more features.
In any Docmost page, type `/diagram` with a slash command or use the block menu to insert a draw.io diagram block. This opens the draw.io editor inline where you can create flowcharts, network diagrams, ER diagrams, UML, and more. When you save in draw.io, the diagram is embedded in the page as a rendered image with an 'Edit' button. Diagrams are stored in the database alongside the page content — no separate storage configuration needed.
Go to Settings → Members → Invite Member. Enter the email address and select a role (Admin or Member). An invitation email is sent with a link to register. The invited user clicks the link, sets a password, and their account is created. This requires working SMTP configuration — if email is not configured, you can share the registration URL directly and have members register themselves (if open registration is enabled).
Go to a Space → Settings → Permissions. Spaces can be set to: Open (all workspace members can read), Closed (only invited members can see it), or Secret (hidden from the space list unless you are a member). Within a space, you can assign roles: Admin (full control), Editor (create and edit), and Viewer (read only). Use closed or secret spaces for HR policies, salary information, or other sensitive content.
Yes — the editor supports Markdown shortcuts. Type `**` around text for bold, `#` for headings, ``` for code blocks, `- ` for lists, and so on. The editor renders Markdown formatting in real time. Documents can be exported as Markdown. The underlying storage is also compatible with Markdown, making content portable. Full raw Markdown mode (editing the source directly) is not available — the editor always shows rendered output.
Docmost is working on import functionality — check the latest release notes for current importer support. Community members have shared scripts that parse Confluence HTML exports and create Docmost pages via the API. For Notion exports (Markdown + ZIP), you can import Markdown files via the API or upload them manually. As Docmost matures, native importers for major platforms are expected. Check the Docmost GitHub releases and Discord for current status.
Run `docker compose pull && docker compose up -d` in your Docmost directory. PostgreSQL data and uploaded files are stored in named volumes and are not affected by image updates. Check the Docmost GitHub releases page before updating — as a young project, database migration steps are sometimes required for major version upgrades. Always backup the database before updating: `docker exec docmost_db pg_dump -U docmost docmost > pre_update_backup.sql`.