User:Dan Shick (WMDE)/Drafts/Wikibase/What is Wikibase

What is Wikibase?

Wikibase is a robust extension to MediaWiki that lets you store data in a structured and queryable way.

If that sounds like a database to you, that's because Wikibase *is* a database -- one that can interact and share data with other Wikibases, including Wikidata.

Where did Wikibase come from?

Wikibase started life as the data-storage backend for Wikidata. Then we realized that many people and organizations wanted to build their own Wikidata and join the Linked Open Data web, a network of specialized data sources that share with and learn from each other. So in 2019 we made Wikibase a product in its own right.

What elements make up Wikibase?

Wikibase is a MediaWiki extension written in PHP that adds structured-data functionality to MediaWiki. It uses a relational database backend (MySQL and its workalikes) and often also includes instances of Elasticsearch, QuickStatements and the Wikidata Query Service.

For more information, refer to the Wikibase architecture overview and its accompanying diagram.

Why would I want to use Wikibase?

• Perhaps you want a knowledge base that's like Wikidata, but you want to have control over exactly who can edit it.
• Perhaps you have a body of data you wouldn't define as general-purpose, making it unsuitable to add to Wikidata.
• Perhaps you're familiar with Wikibase and want to try it out, but you lack the resources or expertise to set it up locally. A cloud-based Wikibase might suit your needs.
• Perhaps you're looking for a suite of software, or a cloud-based service, with which you can easily set up a Linked Open Data demo using your data, so that you can attract attention and/or investment for your full project.

If you have more data than you know what to do with and more questions than a trial run can answer, we welcome you to contact our data partnerships team for a chat.

How can I get started with Wikibase?

Easy! Take a look at our quick start for two quick ways to try out Wikibase.