Self-hosted docs platform – 4 PHP files, no database, free GitBook alternative

We are a small web agency and we were paying for GitBook for every client docs site. $65/month per site + $12/user. It adds up fast.

So I built a replacement. Took a while, but the result is something I'm genuinely happy with — and I figured others might find it useful too, so I open-sourced it.

What it is: A self-hosted documentation platform. Think GitBook, but you own it.

What makes it different: - 4 files — `index.php`, `api.php`, `auth.php`, `.htaccess`. That's the entire thing. Upload to any PHP hosting and you're done. - No database — everything is stored as JSON files. No MySQL, no Postgres, no Docker, no nothing. - No build process — no npm, no webpack, no React. Just upload and it works.

What's inside: - Block editor with 14 block types (code with syntax highlighting, tables, cards, timeline, callouts, collapsible sections...) - Slash commands — type `/` to insert blocks, just like Notion - Full-text search (Ctrl+K) - Dark & light mode, custom accent colors, logo, favicon - Spaces, tree navigation, drag & drop pages - Cover images with gradients - Auto-generated OG images for social sharing - Code blocks with Prism.js (200+ languages) and copy button - Undo/redo, drag & drop block reordering - Mobile responsive - Setup wizard with bcrypt password hashing - i18n ready (English + Slovak built-in)

Live demo: https://docs.web-studio.sk (password: DemoPassword@123)

GitHub: https://github.com/webstudio-ltd/docs

MIT licensed. Free forever. We're also working on a premium version with advanced features for teams, but the open-source version is fully functional and will stay free.

Would love to hear your feedback. What would you add? What's missing?