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MediaWiki

mediawiki.org

Free plan WebWindowsmacOSLinuxAPISelf-hosted
Visit mediawiki.org
Spec score 8.5 #36 of 138 in Knowledge base software

What it is

MediaWiki is free, server-based wiki software for collecting, organizing, and sharing knowledge. Contributors edit pages in wikitext without needing HTML or CSS, and previous page versions remain available for reverting. Administrators can customize appearance and behavior with extensions; caching supports large, high-traffic wikis. Its REST API provides HTTP access to wiki content and functions such as search, page transformations, and history, with JSON or HTML output and extension-specific endpoints. MediaWiki is self-hosted under GNU GPL version 2 or later and is provided without warranty to the extent permitted by law. The latest stable version requires PHP 8.3.0 or later, a web server, and MariaDB 10.3.0+, MySQL 5.7.0+, PostgreSQL 10.0+, or SQLite 3.31.0+. Each release receives security updates for one year, and developers recommend subscribing to the low-traffic mediawiki-announce list. Third-party extensions may be unmaintained, vulnerable, incompatible with some versions, or unreliable together. Documentation, FAQs, community channels, and a support desk are available through the MediaWiki site.

Spec sheet

Purpose
MediaWiki is server-based wiki software for collecting, organizing, and sharing knowledge.Read 3 Oct 2026 · mediawiki.org
Publishing audience
bothRead 20 Sep 2026 · mediawiki.org
Free plan
YesRead 20 Sep 2026 · mediawiki.org
API
The REST API provides HTTP access to wiki content and functions, including searching, transforming pages, and accessing page history.Read 3 Oct 2026 · mediawiki.org
Support
The MediaWiki site directs users with questions to its community support desk and offers documentation, FAQs, and community communication channels.Read 3 Oct 2026 · mediawiki.org
Headquarters
San Francisco, California, United StatesRead 28 Sep 2026 · mediawiki.org
API formats
The REST API can return JSON or HTML and can expose extension-specific endpoints.Read 3 Oct 2026 · mediawiki.org
Audience fit
The manual says MediaWiki may not suit wikis needing partial access restrictions, smaller sites constrained by disk or memory, or projects seeking dedicated forum or blogging software.Read 3 Oct 2026 · mediawiki.org
Content analytics
YesRead 20 Sep 2026 · mediawiki.org
Custom domain
YesRead 20 Sep 2026 · mediawiki.org
Customization
Extensions let administrators customize MediaWiki's appearance and behavior, and developers can write or contribute extensions.Read 3 Oct 2026 · mediawiki.org
Editing
Pages use wikitext, which lets users edit without knowing HTML or CSS, and previous page versions remain available for reverting edits.Read 3 Oct 2026 · mediawiki.org
Extension risk
Third-party extensions may be unmaintained, vulnerable, incompatible with some MediaWiki versions, or unreliable together.Read 3 Oct 2026 · mediawiki.org
License and warranty
MediaWiki is free software under GNU GPL version 2 or later, and the download page states that it is provided without warranty to the extent permitted by law.Read 3 Oct 2026 · mediawiki.org
Platform setup
The installation requirements page describes software bundles such as XAMPP for Linux, Windows, and Mac, and MAMP for Windows and Mac.Read 3 Oct 2026 · mediawiki.org
Requirements
The latest stable version requires PHP 8.3.0 or later, a web server, and MariaDB 10.3.0+, MySQL 5.7.0+, PostgreSQL 10.0+, or SQLite 3.31.0+.Read 3 Oct 2026 · mediawiki.org
Scale
MediaWiki was designed for high-traffic websites and supports caching for large wikis.Read 3 Oct 2026 · mediawiki.org
Security updates
The developers recommend subscribing to the low-traffic mediawiki-announce list, and each release receives security updates for one year.Read 3 Oct 2026 · mediawiki.org
SSO support
YesRead 20 Sep 2026 · mediawiki.org
Version history
YesRead 20 Sep 2026 · mediawiki.org

Plans and prices

MediaWiki Free Free software under GNU GPL version 2 or later · self-hosted software Read 3 Oct 2026 · mediawiki.org

Every MediaWiki plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Wikitext editing does not require HTML or CSS knowledge.
  • Previous page versions can be restored.
  • Extensions customize appearance and behavior.
  • REST API supports search, page transformations, and history.
  • Free software under GNU GPL version 2 or later.

Limits

  • Self-hosting requires a web server and supported database.
  • Latest stable version requires PHP 8.3.0 or later.
  • Third-party extensions may be vulnerable or incompatible.
  • Each release receives security updates for one year.

Who it suits

MediaWiki suits organizations or communities that want to host and maintain a customizable knowledge wiki. It may not fit projects needing partial access restrictions, small sites constrained by disk or memory, or dedicated forum or blogging software.

Verdict

MediaWiki offers versioned editing, extensions, caching, and an API for self-hosted wikis. Users need to meet its server and database requirements and assess third-party extensions carefully.

Where Specifiction places it

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