The MediaWiki logo (since 2021)

This wiki is for the documentation, discussion, and development of the MediaWiki software, the software which powers websites like Wikipedia and other projects of the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation, as well as many other wikis around the world. It is kindly hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation.

All textual content of MediaWiki.org is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License (CC BY-SA) and the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL), except for pages that explicitly state that their contents are in the public domain. See Project:Copyrights for full details.

MediaWiki.org has only one topic: the wiki engine MediaWiki and connected software, such as extensions and skins. It includes documentation for some related software that runs externally but connects to and relies on a MediaWiki installation.

This site includes descriptions of and tutorials for the MediaWiki software. If you are looking to write a free manual for other software, have a look at Wikibooks, which is a sister-project that is suited for such things.

Discussion about Wikimedia projects in general should go to Meta-Wiki.

Even though there are some pages in other languages, English is the main language on this site. Translation efforts are needed.

MediaWiki.org is not Wikipedia
You are currently at a website called MediaWiki.org. Unless you are a software developer or someone who installs computer software, you probably ended up here accidentally. MediaWiki.org is not the free encyclopedia Wikipedia. Please read this article if you are confused about the names. Wikipedia is a wiki running the software documented by this site. If you're interested in working on the free encyclopedia, check it out directly.
MediaWiki is not Wikimedia Wikitech
MediaWiki.org is not intended for Wikimedia-specific technical documentation. Please read this article if you are confused about the names and scope. Wikimedia is a group of wikis running some of software documented on this site. Please see wikitech:Main Page.
MediaWiki.org is not a free host or webspace provider
This site is not meant to store private, commercial or any other content that is unrelated to the MediaWiki software. It is also not meant to be used as a test wiki e.g. to try out formatting (only use our Project:Sandbox for that or have a look at our test wiki) or to create valid XHTML contents for foreign projects.
You may not host your own website, homepage, blog, or wiki at MediaWiki.org. If you are interested in using the wiki technology for a collaborative effort on something else, even if it is just a single page, there are many websites that provide wiki hosting, either free or for money. You can also install wiki software on your server; see the Wiki science wikibook for information on doing this.
Of course, users can have their own personal pages, but they are used for information relevant to working on MediaWiki.org. If you are looking to make a personal webpage that is not related to MediaWiki, please make use of one of the many free homepage providers on the Internet or find a suitable blog. Advertising, especially external links, may be removed from a user's page when there are no relevant contributions related to MediaWiki.
MediaWiki.org is not a repository of links, images, or media files
This site is neither a mirror nor a repository of links, images, or media files. Please upload only files that are useful for MediaWiki.org and provide full information on source and a free license; everything else will be deleted. Read the upload instructions carefully and consider uploading media files to the Wikimedia Commons, where they can be linked from all Wikimedia projects.
All content added to MediaWiki.org may have to be edited mercilessly, and can be redistributed at will. By submitting any content, you agree to release it for free use under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License (CC BY-SA) or if it is stated explicitly, as Public Domain.
MediaWiki.org is not a vehicle for advertising
This site is not to be used for commercial promotion, advertising, propaganda or advocacy - other than for MediaWiki itself and the Wikimedia projects.
MediaWiki.org is not an indiscriminate collection of information
This site is not an indiscriminate collection of items relating to every project utilizing MediaWiki software. Articles dealing with other software issues, or issues with individual wikis, are not suitable for this site. Please try to stay on the task of creating contents concerning the MediaWiki software itself.
MediaWiki.org is not a forum or a chatroom
Don't (mis)use this site, especially user pages and talk pages, as a forum, bulletin board or chatroom. We have an IRC channel for that: #mediawiki connect.
Also see the recommended communications channels.

The first edit in the current wiki on this site happened in August 2004. All the content still is and, of course, will be work in progress. For more about the software history see MediaWiki history.

Please see Communication.

Introduction — multi-page intro to MediaWiki with navigation box

Content is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 unless otherwise noted.