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WikkaWiki is a self-hosted wiki engine written in PHP that stores pages in MySQL. It was forked from WakkaWiki and released under the GPL. Its main caveat today is that the project is end-of-life: WikkaWiki 1.4.2, released on 19 April 2020, is the last stable version listed by the project, and its GitHub repository is archived and read-only.
What is WikkaWiki?
WikkaWiki is software for creating and maintaining a wiki on a web server you control. The project describes it as a lightweight PHP wiki engine that uses MySQL to store pages. It says WikkaWiki was forked from WakkaWiki and is released under the GPL. The project describes possible uses ranging from personal wikis to software documentation, intranets, and public websites. WikkaWiki project homepage What is WikkaWiki?
Is WikkaWiki still maintained?
No. The official documentation homepage identifies version 1.4.2, released 19 April 2020, as the latest stable release. The linked GitHub repository calls 1.4.2 end-of-life, says further development is doubtful, and has been archived read-only since 26 August 2021. In the repository README, maintainer Brian Koontz announced, “It is with a heavy heart that I am announcing the end-of-life for WikkaWiki.” Official documentation WikkaWiki repository and README
That status matters more than the historical description of WikkaWiki as lightweight. The available project material does not establish a maintained successor or a current compatibility matrix, so prospective users should not assume that the software receives security updates or works safely with present-day server components.
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What features does the project document?
The project’s feature list describes capabilities for editing, organizing, and controlling wiki content. These are project-documented features, not independent verification of current security, performance, or compatibility. WikkaWiki feature list
- Editing and markup: browser-based page creation and editing, preview, edit notes, search and replace, double-click editing, and rendered, source, or raw-source views.
- Page organization: page history, threaded comments, categories, ownership, cloning, embedding, and search.
- Content types: headings, lists, code blocks, tables, image links, mindmaps, and file uploads and downloads.
- Access and presentation: global and page-level access controls, configurable accounts, modular themes, and SafeHTML filtering.
- Extensions and feeds: plugins, formatters, global and page-level RSS feeds, and statistics.
- Administration: a browser-based installer and upgrader, optional rewrite rules, and referrer blacklist support.
What are WikkaWiki 1.4.2’s documented requirements?
The 1.4.2 upgrade notes list PHP 7.0 and MySQL 5.5 as minimum requirements. They say the release was tested with PHP 7.2.4 and MySQL 5.7.21; they also warn that MySQL 5.7.3 through 5.7.7 causes installation errors. These are historical figures in the project’s documentation for version 1.4.2, not confirmation that the software is compatible with current PHP or MySQL releases. WikkaWiki 1.4.2 upgrade notes
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What should existing users know before upgrading?
WikkaWiki’s upgrade notes call out database backups and several changes that can affect existing installations. The instructions are historical project documentation; evaluate them against your particular installation before making changes.
- Back up first: the project explicitly tells users to back up the database. It also advises users upgrading from older versions to preserve customized themes, templates, and configuration files.
- Password hashes changed: version 1.4.2 moves from MD5 password hashes to PHP’s
password_hash. The notes say both formats coexist in that release. - Review forced links: legacy forced-link syntax that uses a space separator is largely nonfunctional and may require migration. For users on Wikka 1.3.5 or earlier, the notes describe a migration script that requires command-line access.
- Check the older-upgrade issue: the notes identify a persistent MySQL problem with invalid default date strings when upgrading from 1.3.7 to 1.4.2.
Because the project is archived, do not treat the upgrade notes as a guarantee that an upgrade path will work on a modern server. Preserve a restorable backup and validate the procedure in an environment where a failure will not damage the live wiki.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsIs WikkaWiki suitable for a new site today?
For most new sites, the end-of-life status is a substantial reason to choose a maintained alternative. A wiki may hold valuable internal documentation or public content, and an unmaintained application can leave its operator responsible for assessing runtime compatibility and security exposure without project updates. WikkaWiki’s documented feature set may still be relevant to someone assessing an existing installation, but it does not establish current support.
If you are comparing wiki software, put maintenance and security-update status first. Then check supported PHP and database versions, whether you can export or migrate your pages, and whether the access controls, editing tools, and extensions meet your needs. For a legacy WikkaWiki instance, confirm the exact server requirements with your host and test any migration or runtime change before applying it to production.
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