View source for MediaWiki

{{Breadcrumbs|page=|url=|wikipedia=yes|mediawiki=yes}}{{YouTube video|description=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JnIjpRvgNY|url=Introduction to MediaWiki 2023: Core concepts (Part 1)}}'''MediaWiki''' is a free and {{W|article=open-source}} wiki software platform, originally developed for {{W|article=Wikipedia}}, which now powers numerous wikis around the world.  It's design philosophy emphasizes simplicity for the end-user while providing powerful tools for managing large amounts of content. It's used not just for encyclopedias but for documentation, project management, fan sites, and other scenarios where collaborative content creation is beneficial.

It is a free and open-source wiki software. It was developed for use on Wikipedia in 2002, and given the name "MediaWiki" in 2003.  

It is written in the PHP programming language and stores all text content into a database. The software is optimized to efficiently handle large projects, which can have terabytes of content and hundreds of thousands of views per second.

{{Official URL|text=mediawiki.org|url=https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki}}
==Features==
===Wiki engine===
At its core, MediaWiki is a web-based software that allows users to create, edit, and link web pages easily. This is done through a
*wikitext/a simple markup language ([[Help:Enhanced editor|Enhanced editor]]) or
*a rich-text editor ([[Help:VisualEditor|VisualEditor]])
This makes it accessible even to those who aren't familiar with HTML.
=== Collaborative editing===
One of MediaWiki's key features is its support for collaborative editing. Multiple users can work on the same content simultaneously. Every edit is recorded in [[recent changes]] and [[article history]], which allows for tracking changes, reverting vandalism, or correcting mistakes through its [[version history]] feature.
===Scalability===
MediaWiki is designed to handle large projects with thousands of pages and users, like Wikipedia, but it's also suitable for smaller wikis. Its architecture allows it to scale from small private wikis to large public ones with heavy traffic.
===Extensibility ===
The software can be greatly extended with {{Mw|Article=Manual:Extensions|Label=extensions}} (plugins) and {{Mw|Article=Help:Skins|Label=skins}} (themes). Extensions can add functionalities like enhanced search capabilities, multimedia features, or even complex data structures for specialized wikis. Skins change the look and feel of the wiki.
===Semantic web capabilities===
MediaWiki supports semantic annotations, which means you can tag information in ways that make it easier to query, organize, and reuse across different articles or even different wikis. This moves towards the concept of the Semantic Web, where data can be understood and processed by machines.

USApedia uses [[Help:Cargo|Cargo]] for this functionality.
===User rights and management===
It has a robust system for user rights management, allowing different levels of access and editing capabilities. This can range from anonymous users who can only read content, to administrators who have the power to [[Help:Delete|delete]] pages, block users, and manage the wiki's configuration.
===Multilingual support===
MediaWiki supports content in multiple languages, making it ideal for international collaboration. Each wiki can have multiple language versions, or a single wiki can host content in various languages with proper interwiki links.

USApedia is currently limited to English, however plan to explore this functionality in the future.
===Open source===
Being open-source means that anyone can contribute to its development, report bugs, or customize it for their own needs. This has led to a large community of developers and users who contribute to its ongoing improvement.
=== Security===
It includes features to combat spam and vandalism, like {{W|article=CAPTCHA}}, various anti-spam extensions, and the ability to lock pages from editing when necessary.

== Resources ==
To learn more about MediaWiki, see:
* [[Wikipedia:MediaWiki]] - Wikipedia article about the MediaWiki software
* [[mediawikiwiki:Help:Contents]] - all things about the software, including the living manual
* {{Mw|article=MediaWiki testimonials}}
* [[wikimedia:Main Page|Wikimedia]] - the non profit governing body that overseas the MediaWiki software
The MediaWiki software is used by {{Mw|article=Sites using MediaWiki|label=tens of thousands of websites}} and {{Mw|article=MediaWiki testimonials|label=thousands of companies and organizations}}.

==Signpost==
One of the most interesting ways of staying abreast of Wikipedia and MediaWiki is to read "The Signpost", which is like a newspaper of important topics for Wikipedia.   It comes out about once a week.  You'll receive an email announcement if you subscribe to the Wikimedia-I list below but you can access it on Wikipedia anytime at {{W|Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost}}.

==Useful mailing lists and wiki pages==
* [https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l Wikimedia-I] - Discussion list for the Wikimedia community and the larger network of organizations (Wikimedia Foundation, chapter organizations, affiliates, partners) supporting its work.
* [https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-announce MediaWiki-announce]:  This mailing list announces software releases, which often include security updates.  
* [http://blog.wikimedia.org/ An aggregation of Mediawiki-related blogs] and its [http://blog.wikimedia.org/feed/ RSS feed]
* [[mediawikiwiki:Roadmap|Engineering roadmap]] and an archive of [[mediawikiwiki:Category:Wikimedia engineering reports|monthly engineering reports]].
* List of Wikimedia email lists
 [[mediawikiwiki:Mailing_lists]] (includes IRC channels) 
 {{W|Wikipedia:Mailing lists}}

== Software ==
MediaWiki is powered by:
* {{W|PHP}}
* {{W|MySQL}}

Many of the [[Bots]] are written in {{W|Python (programming language)|Python}}

=== Meza ===
{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oooeETpQ9_w|400|right|The Return of MEZA - NASA's MediaWiki EZ Administration Project}}

{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2EWl7Mn9Ac|400|right|David Meza, 'NASA Knowledge Graphs: An Ever Expanding Universe'}}

{{Mw|article=Meza}} is a MediaWiki administration program which enables the easy install and maintenance of MediaWiki. It is a system for "push button" Knowledge Management using MediaWiki. The name is an acronym that stands for "MediaWiki E-Z Administration". Meza is an Infrastructure as code (IaC), Ansible driven, automated and complete platform for creating, managing and hosting wiki farms.

It was developed by {{W|article=National Aeronautics and Space Administration}}.

See https://meza.wiki/ and https://github.com/nasa/meza for more details.

=== Project Canasta ===
{{Mw|article=Project Canasta}} is a project, begun in late 2020 by a group of MediaWiki consultants and administrators, with the goal of creating a set of MediaWiki-based "products" that can be easily installed. A hardened version was developed by {{W|article=Space Force}}.

== Related ==
* [[USApedia:Extensions]]

== External links ==
* https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki
* [http://wikimediadc.org/wiki/Home Wikimedia DC]
* {{Mw|Project:Support desk}}
* [http://workingwithmediawiki.com/book/ Working with MediaWiki] - Book on [[MediaWiki]]
* [https://doc.wikimedia.org/ MediaWiki core documentation]
* {{Mw|article=Version lifecycle}}

=== Social media ===
* [[YouTube]] - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg4wlhlN8RjP6_e_vMC4CTA
{{USApedia}}

[[Category:Wikis]]