Does TiddlyWiki need a server?
No. The single HTML file opens in any browser and saves to disk from there, and Node.js is only needed when you want a copy served over the network that several people can edit.
TiddlyWiki: Personal Wiki in a Single File
TiddlyWiki holds a whole wiki in one HTML file, or serves it from Node.js so the household can edit the same notebook. The notes are plain files on your own disk, and the wiki runs without a database.
Compare with similar apps
How TiddlyWiki stacks up against other productivity apps. Add or remove apps to change the comparison.
| Requirement | TiddlyWiki | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Web UI | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Architecture | x86 + ARM | x86 + ARM | x86 + ARM | x86 + ARM |
| Containers | NoneRuns locally | 1The app alone | 1The app alone | 1The app alone |
| Database | file only | SQLite | file only | SQLite |
| Runtime | Node.js | Node.js | Go | Go |
| Docker | – | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Linux package | Yes | Yes | Yes | – |
| Windows | – | Yes | Yes | – |
| macOS | Yes | Yes | Yes | – |
| Node.js | Yes | – | – | – |
| iOS | – | – | Yes | – |
| Android | – | – | Yes | – |
| macOS | – | Yes | – | – |
| Windows | – | Yes | Yes | – |
| Linux | – | Yes | – | – |
| Full comparison | This app | TiddlyWiki vs Trilium Notes | – | – |
Common questions
How do I run TiddlyWiki on Node.js?
Install it with npm install -g tiddlywiki, create a wiki with tiddlywiki mywiki --init server, then start it with tiddlywiki mywiki --listen. It listens on 127.0.0.1:8080 by default, and the listen command takes username and password parameters to keep it to yourself.
Where does TiddlyWiki store my notes?
One file per tiddler in the wiki folder when you run the Node.js server edition, so a normal file backup covers the whole wiki. The browser edition keeps everything inside the single HTML file instead.
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