Snapshots

MediaWiki snapshots provide the ability to export or import the content of a wiki using an XML data format.

Exporting
The snapshot generation logic is available in two ways:


 * For end-users of the software, via the Special:Export user interface.
 * For developers, via a command-line maintenance script (dumpBackup.php).

See Help:Export and Manual:Parameters to Special:Export for the manual for these.

Importing
The snapshot loading logic is available in three ways:


 * For end-users of the software, via the Special:Import user interface.
 * For scripts and bots operated by users, via API:Import.
 * For developers, via a command-line maintenance script (importDump.php)

See also Manual:Importing XML dumps, and legacy docs at meta:Help:Import.