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 a component of Wikidata -- the part that handles the actual storage of data. In 2019, Wikimedia Deutschland realized Wikibase could stand on its own as a project and a product in its own right -- one that many institutions might find very useful -- so that's exactly what we did. Now the storage engine of Wikidata is available in a standalone form.

What does Wikibase consist of?
Wikibase is a MediaWiki extension written in PHP that adds structured-data functionality to MediaWiki. It relies on a relational database backend (currently only MySQL and its workalikes) and is often used with 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?
It might make sense for you to run your own Wikibase. There are many advantages:
 * 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 [mailto:swe_partnerships@wikimedia.de data partnerships team] for a chat.

How can I get started with Wikibase?
Easy! Take a look at our quick start for two easy ways to try out Wikibase.