TiddlyWiki & TiddlyWiki5

TiddlyWiki has been a quiet superpower since 2004 — a complete personal wiki that lives in a single HTML file. Pair with pkm-overview-methodologies; see also pkm-evergreen-digital-garden, pkm-trilium-silverbullet, selfhost-notes-wiki.

What it is

• ★ ★ Free OSS (BSD); created by Jeremy Ruston in 2004.
• ★ One file, one wiki. A single wiki.html is a complete app + your data. Email it. Drop it on a USB stick. It still works in 2050.
• ★ Tiddlers — atomic, named units of content; tagged, transcluded, queried.
• Two flavours: TiddlyWiki Classic (vintage; still works) and TiddlyWiki5 (modern, the default since 2014).
• https://github.com/Jermolene/TiddlyWiki5

Single-file vs. Node server

• ★ Single-file — index.html you save back to itself; perfect for a personal wiki you carry, or a public garden you publish.
• ★ TiddlyWiki on Node — server-shape; auto-saves; multi-user via plugins; great for self-host.
• Bob / TiddlyDesktop — desktop wrappers around TW5.
• Quine — TiddlyWiki's mind-bending property is that it's a wiki that contains its own engine. Save the file, you have everything.

Why people still use it in 2026

• ★ Zero infra. Most other PKM tools assume an app or server. TiddlyWiki is just a webpage.
• ★ Extremely portable. Email it; host it on Neocities; back it up to GitHub.
• ★ Programmable — TiddlyWiki has its own DSL (filters, transclusions, widgets); deep customisation possible.
• Personal database. Custom fields, tag-based queries, relational tiddlers; rivals what Notion / TriliumNext can do.
• The OG digital garden. Predates the term. Maggie Appleton, Tom Critchlow, Andy Matuschak all reference it.

Getting started in 2026

• tiddlywiki.com — open in browser, click "save"; you have a wiki.
• Stroll edition — community fork with sensible defaults for note-taking and links.
• Notebook edition — pre-configured for journaling.
• GitHub Pages publish — push the saved HTML to a repo; instant public garden.
• Neocities — drag-and-drop free hosting.

Plugins / community editions

• Stroll — link-graph view, inline references; "Roam-shape on TiddlyWiki."
• Projectify — task / project management.
• TiddlyMap — graph visualisation.
• Streams — outliner-shape.
• Tiddlypedia — bigger personal wikis.
• Bob / Solist — newer experimental flavours.

Sync options

• Single file in iCloud / Dropbox / Syncthing — the simplest; works.
• Self-host TiddlyWiki on Node for multi-device — see selfhost-notes-wiki.
• TiddlyWeb / TiddlySpot — hosted; some are dormant.
• GitHub-backed save — community plugins commit on save.

Strengths vs. Obsidian / Logseq

• ★ Truly portable. No app dependency.
• ★ Self-contained quine — file + engine in one.
• Long history — runs in old browsers; will work in new ones.
• Customisable at the engine level.

Weaknesses

• Steep ramp-up. Filters / widgets / macros are a custom DSL.
• Mobile editing is awkward with the single-file flavour; Node-flavour is fine.
• Smaller community than Obsidian / Logseq.
• No real markdown — TiddlyWiki uses its own wiki syntax; markdown plugin exists but isn't native.
• Aesthetics — dated UI by default; community themes help.

Use cases that fit best

• Public personal wiki / digital garden — see pkm-evergreen-digital-garden.
• Highly customised personal database — recipe wiki, tabletop campaign wiki, fan wiki.
• Long-term archive — when you want one file you can hand to your grandkids.
• Embedded knowledge artifact — TiddlyWiki shipped with a project as its docs.

Pick this if…

• You want one file, no infra, ever: TiddlyWiki, no contest.
• You're publishing a public personal wiki: TiddlyWiki + Neocities or Quartz — see pkm-publishing-digital-gardens-quartz.
• You want markdown-on-disk: Obsidian / Logseq — see pkm-obsidian-deep, pkm-logseq-deep.
• You want a team wiki: Outline / BookStack / Wiki.js — see selfhost-notes-wiki.
• You like tinkering with custom DSLs: TiddlyWiki rewards this more than any modern tool.