Raneto is a Markdown-powered knowledge base for Node.js — a static site generator with a browser, in the project’s own framing. Pages are .md files in a content directory, there is no database to run or query, and the site is built from those files as it is served. Documentation, a staff handbook, a support FAQ or an internal wiki all fit; writers edit text files in their own editor, and the result is deployed with the app.

Content and navigation

• Everything lives in a content directory: a page is a Markdown file, a category is a folder, and pages are ordered through their front matter.
• GitHub Flavored Markdown throughout, with Highlight.js syntax highlighting for code blocks.
• Full-text search over page titles and contents, powered by Lunr, reachable from the header search box.
• The default template is a responsive Bootstrap layout driven by Mustache, so the chrome can be swapped for your own template without touching the content.

Editing and access

• A Markdown editor in the browser can be enabled for writers who would rather not push to git, and a login system protects editing when it is on.
• Credentials and the session secret come from config/config.js or, with higher priority, from environment variables — ADMIN_USERNAME, ADMIN_PASSWORD and a SESSION_SECRET of at least 32 characters.
• Authentication and the editor are separate switches (AUTHENTICATION, ALLOW_EDITING), so a public read-only documentation site needs no login at all.

Running it

• Published on npm as raneto — 0.18.1, released in March 2026. Install the package, point CONTENT_DIR at the Markdown folder and start it; the default listener is 127.0.0.1:8080, and ADDRESS and PORT move it.
• A Dockerfile ships in the repository for a container build, and BASE_URL, SITE_TITLE, LOCALE and a Google Analytics ID are all settable as environment variables.
• With no database in the picture, a deployment is the app plus a directory of text files — easy to version, review in a pull request or back up with rsync.

Alternatives

• LeafWiki — single Go binary serving a Markdown-file wiki with tree navigation
• Pepperminty Wiki — complete wiki engine in a single PHP file
• Docmost — collaborative docs with a database-backed editor