Wikiless is a privacy-respecting, open-source alternative frontend for Wikipedia that eliminates tracking, minimizes data collection, and provides a clean reading experience. Built with Node.js and Express, it serves as a secure proxy between users and Wikipedia content while preserving all essential functionality.

• Zero Tracking Architecture:
  • No Google Analytics, ads, or user profiling
  • Server-side request anonymization
  • Stripped referral headers and metadata
• Minimal Logging:
  • Only essential operational logs (errors, system events)
  • No IP address storage
  • Configurable log retention period

• Multi-layer Caching:
  • Redis-based page caching (default 1 hour TTL)
  • Media asset caching (images, videos - 24 hour TTL)
  • In-memory hot cache for frequent requests
• Efficient Parsing Engine:
  • Node-html-parser for fast DOM manipulation
  • Selective content extraction (removes tracking scripts)
  • Compressed response handling

• Visual Themes:
  • Dark mode (default)
  • Light mode
  • High contrast accessibility theme
• Language Support:
  • 300+ Wikipedia language editions
  • Automatic language detection
  • Manual language override
• UI Customization:
  • Adjustable font sizes
  • Article width control
  • Custom CSS injection points

• Core Stack:
  • Node.js runtime (ES modules)
  • Express web server
  • Redis caching layer
  • Got HTTP client
• Modular Design:
  • Plugin-based middleware system
  • Decoupled parsing logic
  • Extensible API endpoints

• Node.js 16.x or higher
• Redis 6.0 or higher
• 1GB RAM minimum (2GB recommended)
• 100MB disk space (plus cache storage)

# Basic deployment with volume for Redis persistence
docker run -d \
  --name wikiless \
  -p 8180:8180 \
  -v wikiless-data:/var/lib/redis \
  -e REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379 \
  -e PAGE_CACHE_EXPIRE=3600 \
  -e THEME=dark \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  metastem/wikiless:latest

# Cluster deployment with Redis Sentinel
docker run -d \
  --name wikiless \
  -p 8180:8180 \
  -e REDIS_URL=sentinel://sentinel-host:26379/mymaster \
  -e REDIS_SENTINEL_PASSWORD=yourpassword \
  metastem/wikiless:latest

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/Metastem/wikiless.git
cd wikiless

# Install dependencies
npm install --production

# Configure environment
cp wikiless.config.example wikiless.config
nano wikiless.config  # Edit configuration

# Start Redis service
redis-server --daemonize yes

# Launch application
npm start

# Verify running status
curl -I http://localhost:8180

# Clone and install
git clone https://github.com/Metastem/wikiless.git
cd wikiless
npm install

# Start development server with hot-reload
npm run dev

# Run test suite
npm test

# Build production assets
npm run build

# Lint code
npm run lint

{
  // Network settings
  "domain": "wikiless.org",
  "port": 8180,
  "bind": "0.0.0.0",
  
  // Content settings
  "language": "en",
  "theme": "dark",
  "content": {
    "cleanSocial": true,     // Remove social media links
    "cleanPrint": true,      // Remove print-specific elements
    "cleanReferences": false // Keep reference links
  },
  
  // Redis configuration
  "redis": {
    "url": "redis://localhost:6379",
    "password": "",
    "tls": false,
    "pool": {
      "min": 2,
      "max": 10
    }
  },
  
  // Cache settings
  "cache": {
    "pageExpire": 3600,      // 1 hour
    "imageExpire": 86400,    // 24 hours
    "searchExpire": 300,     // 5 minutes
    "maxSize": "500mb"       // Disk cache limit
  },
  
  // Security settings
  "security": {
    "rateLimit": 100,
    "trustProxy": false,
    "blockedPrefixes": ["Special:", "User:"]
  }
}

http://your-instance.com/w/Article_Title
http://your-instance.com/w/Article_Title?lang=fr
http://your-instance.com/w/Article_Title?theme=white

src/
├── app.js              # Express application setup
├── wikiless.js         # Core middleware
├── parsers/            # Content processing
│   ├── article.js      # Article parser
│   ├── search.js      # Search results
│   └── utils.js       # DOM utilities
├── routes/             # API endpoints
├── cache/              # Redis integration
├── config/             # Configuration loader
└── static/             # Frontend assets

# Install development dependencies
npm install --include=dev

# Transpile TypeScript
npm run build

# Run production build
NODE_ENV=production node dist/app.js

# Unit tests
npm test:unit

# Integration tests
npm test:integration

# End-to-end tests
npm test:e2e

# Coverage report
npm run coverage

1. Fork the repository
2. Create feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open pull request

• 2 space indentation
• ES module syntax
• Async/await preferred over callbacks
• JSDoc documentation for all functions
• TypeScript type definitions
• Prettier code formatting

1. Source Availability: Any modified version must provide complete source
2. Network Interaction: SaaS deployments must provide source to users
3. License Preservation: All copies must include license and copyright notices
4. Patent Protection: Grants explicit patent rights to all users

• Can be used commercially
• Modifications must be open-sourced
• Network services must provide user access to source
• No warranty or liability protection

Full license text: LICENSE.md

• Vulnerability disclosure process in SECURITY.md
• Regular dependency updates
• Automated security scanning

• No persistent user identifiers
• No third-party requests
• All external requests anonymized
• Optional Tor hidden service support

# Recommended security flags for production
docker run -d \
  --read-only \
  --cap-drop=ALL \
  --security-opt no-new-privileges \
  --pids-limit 100 \
  metastem/wikiless

GET /healthz
Response: {"status":"ok","redis":true,"cacheHitRatio":0.97}

// Available log levels:
// error, warn, info, verbose, debug, silly
{
  "level": "info",
  "format": "json",
  "rotation": {
    "size": "10m",
    "keep": 7
  }
}

# Prometheus metrics endpoint
GET /metrics

# Example metrics:
wikiless_requests_total 1423
wikiless_cache_hits 923
wikiless_response_time_ms_bucket{le="100"} 843

• GitHub Discussions: Feature requests and Q&A
• Matrix Chat: #wikiless:matrix.org
• IRC: #wikiless on Libera.Chat

• Available through Metastem
• Custom deployment consulting
• White-label solutions
• High-availability configurations

• GitHub Sponsors program
• OpenCollective funding
• Bitcoin/Ethereum donations accepted