This document introduces Wikinder, explaining what it is, why it exists, and how it operates as a collaborative wiki platform built on modern static site architecture. This page covers the project's origins, core concepts, and fundamental characteristics. For detailed technical architecture, see System Architecture. For information about specific content categories, see Content Pages.
Wikinder is a collaborative knowledge repository that combines the simplicity of wiki-based content editing with the performance and resilience of static site architecture. It operates as a wiki at github.com/wikinder/wikinder/wiki while simultaneously serving as a multi-platform static website at wikinder.org
The project was founded on September 1, 2005 by bear and has evolved into a modern JAMstack implementation that prioritizes content preservation, collaborative editing, and global accessibility.
Founding Information (from Wikinder.html83-89):
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Founder | bear |
| Founding Date | September 1, 2005 |
| Primary Wiki Host | GitHub |
| Secondary Wiki Host | GitLab (read-only) |
Sources: Wikinder.html83-89 README.md5
The homepage declares itself as "Welcome to Wikinder" index.html67 and provides immediate access to about pages, social networks, and sample content including mathematical formulas rendered with MathJax index.html73
Diagram: Wikinder Project Identity and Core Pages
Sources: index.html67 Wikinder.html1-9 index.html72 index.html89
Wikinder implements a hybrid approach that preserves wiki-style collaborative editing while delivering content as optimized static HTML. The canonical content lives in the GitHub Wiki README.md5 where contributors can edit using GitHub's wiki interface. This content is then converted into static HTML pages and deployed to multiple hosting platforms.
Diagram: Wiki-to-Static-Site Conversion Pipeline
This architecture provides several advantages:
Sources: README.md5 README.md9-12 index.html1 Wikinder.html1
Wikinder deploys to four independent hosting platforms simultaneously, providing redundancy and ensuring availability even if individual platforms experience downtime.
Hosting Platform Matrix (from README.md7-12):
| Platform | URL | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare Pages | wikindergarten.pages.dev | Primary | Domain points here |
| GitHub Pages | wikinder.github.io | Active | GitHub-native hosting |
| GitLab Pages | wikinder.gitlab.io | Active | Cross-platform mirror |
| Vercel | wikinder.vercel.app | Active | Alternative CDN |
The primary domain wikinder.org routes to Cloudflare Pages README.md9 while the other three platforms serve as both backup access points and independent content delivery networks.
Sources: README.md7-12
Beyond active hosting, Wikinder maintains a comprehensive archival strategy using three independent preservation services README.md14-18:
Diagram: Content Preservation and Archival Infrastructure
The three web archives provide point-in-time snapshots and historical versions README.md14-18 while specialized X/Twitter archivers preserve social media discussions Wikinder.html130-131 The #archives section of the GitHub repository README provides a centralized index Wikinder.html124
Sources: README.md14-18 Wikinder.html118-132
All Wikinder content is published under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0). This license appears consistently in:
<link rel="license" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"> index.html15"license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/" index.html35Each page includes an "Edit this page" link in the footer that directs contributors to the corresponding GitHub Wiki page:
https://github.com/wikinder/wikinder/wiki index.html91https://github.com/wikinder/wikinder/wiki/Wikinder Wikinder.html142Sources: index.html89 index.html15 index.html35 index.html91 Wikinder.html142
Wikinder organizes content into several primary categories visible on the homepage navigation index.html57-58:
| Category | Example Pages | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | Math.html, Math-formulas.html, Counting-bears.html | Mathematical concepts, formulas, and educational content |
| Music | Music-notation-on-computers.html | Music theory and digital notation |
| Language & Culture | Chinese-characters-with-the-most-strokes.html, Japanese-titled pages | Linguistic and cultural topics |
| Organizational | Wikinder.html, bear.html, yuuki.html | Project information and contributor profiles |
| Creative | Anemone.html, Japanese creative writing pages | Original creative content |
For detailed information about content organization and individual pages, see Content Pages.
Sources: index.html57-58
Wikinder pages share a common technical foundation:
<header>, <main>, <article>, and <footer> elements index.html54-94/assets/css/style.css index.html9The homepage demonstrates mathematical rendering capability with the formula $(a + b)^2 = a^2 + 2ab + b^2$ index.html73 showcasing the site's technical and educational focus.
Diagram: Common Page Technical Architecture
For detailed information about these systems:
Sources: index.html1-96 Wikinder.html1-147
Wikinder maintains presence on 11+ social media platforms, providing multiple channels for community engagement and content distribution Wikinder.html102-116:
Social Network Registry:
| Platform | URL | Region |
|---|---|---|
| Bluesky | bsky.app/profile/wikinder.bsky.social | Global |
| Discord | discord.gg/bgEXkwxnQp (+ discord.gg/qPE8DyuVw5 for Japan) | Global + Japan |
facebook.com/wikinder | Global | |
instagram.com/wikindergarten | Global | |
linkedin.com/company/wikinder | Global | |
| Mastodon | mastodon.social/@wikinder | Global |
| Scratch | scratch.mit.edu/users/wikinder | Global |
| Threads | threads.net/@wikindergarten | Global |
| TikTok | tiktok.com/@wikinder | Global |
| X/Twitter | x.com/wikinder (+ x.com/wikinderjp for Japan) | Global + Japan |
| YouTube | youtube.com/@wikinder | Global |
The homepage provides quick links to primary platforms index.html72 while the Wikinder about page lists all platforms comprehensively Wikinder.html104-116
Sources: Wikinder.html102-116 index.html72
Wikinder tracks authorship through Git commits. The HTML metadata includes author attribution:
<meta name="author" content="Wikinder"> index.html16<meta name="author" content="yuuki"> Wikinder.html12The structured data includes detailed author information linking to specific commits Wikinder.html39-43:
"author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "yuuki", "url": "https://github.com/wikinder/wikinder/commit/437010d509f25b95a84e3c4b354dd874902a0986" }
Key contributors documented in the site:
The homepage also acknowledges donors index.html76-81:
For detailed contributor information, see People Pages.
Sources: index.html16 Wikinder.html12 Wikinder.html39-43 Wikinder.html84 index.html76-81
The homepage implements a comprehensive navigation bar listing all major content pages index.html57-58:
堕落天‐4 · ブレインロッド五体合成したら(シークレット) · Music notation on computers ·
Are 111, 1111, and 11111 prime? · Math formulas proofs · Math formulas ·
Chinese characters with the most strokes · Math · Anemone · 青空 · Counting bears ·
人格形成 · yuuki · bear
This flat navigation structure provides direct access to all content without deep hierarchies, reflecting the wiki philosophy of interconnected knowledge. Individual pages use simpler navigation:
Sources: index.html57-58 Wikinder.html56-62
This wiki provides comprehensive technical documentation for the Wikinder codebase. Major areas covered include:
| Section | Pages | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | 2 | Overall system design and decisions |
| Content Management | 3 | Wiki-to-HTML workflow |
| Deployment | 4, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 | Multi-platform deployment and archives |
| Page Structure | 5 | HTML templates and semantic structure |
| Metadata & SEO | 6 | Open Graph, Schema.org, sitemaps |
| Content Pages | 7 and subsections | Individual page documentation |
| Client-Side Systems | 8, 8.1, 8.2 | CSS, JavaScript, MathJax |
| Assets & Configuration | 9 and subsections | Static files and configs |
| Licensing | 10 | CC BY-SA 4.0 license details |
Summary: Wikinder is a collaborative wiki platform that combines GitHub Wiki-based content editing with multi-platform static site deployment. Founded in 2005, it serves educational and creative content under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license, with comprehensive archival and social media integration. The technical implementation emphasizes resilience through redundant hosting, performance through static site generation, and accessibility through rich metadata and semantic HTML.
This wiki is featured in the repository
Refresh this wiki
This wiki was recently refreshed. Please wait 7 days to refresh again.