A number one such models was created by Ward Cunningham in 1995, but given the proportional simplicity of the wiki construct, a prominent total of implementations at present survive, ranging from either super elementary "hacks" implementing only core functionality to extremely sophisticated content management systems. A primary difference between wikis & other complex types of contented management systems is that wiki package tends to focus on a content, at the expense of the extra right control on top layout seen around CMS's rather Drupal and WebGUI.

"Wiki software" can be interpreted when comprising everthing of the software system expected to rerun the wiki, which may include the web server such as Apache, in addition to the "Wiki engine" itself, which implements a wiki technology. Within a few suits, like ProjectForum, or a bit of WikiServers, the web server & wiki engine come bundled together when a single self-contained formulas, which potty typically produce the children more leisurely to set up.

A majority of engines come open source, often available under a GNU General Public License (GPL); large projects like TWiki & the Wikipedia and Wikimedia engine, MediaWiki, are developed collaboratively. Numerous wikis come extremely modular, providing APIs which allow programmers to get freshly features forswearing requiring a two to become acquainted the entire codebase.

These come tough to determine which wiki engines are the virtually all popular, although a listing of leading candidates will include UseMod, TWiki, MoinMoin, PmWiki and MediaWiki. The listing of occasionally of people available is involved beneath, & a second may be witnessed at. Wiki:WikiEngines.

A few wiki software package is non arranged for even collaborative function, however for either contented management or for personalized principles organising. Examples come AcroWiki for PalmOS and ConnectedText and wikidPad for Windows.