API:Changing wiki content

This page is part of the MediaWiki action API documentation.

MediaWiki APIsAPI:Main page

• Web APIs showcaseAPI:Web APIs hub
• REST content API
• Wikidata query APIWikidata query service

MediaWiki action API

• Introduction and quick startAPI:Main page
• FAQAPI:FAQ
  • Etiquette and usage limitsAPI:Etiquette
• FormatsAPI:Data formats
• Error reportingAPI:Errors and warnings
• Restricting usageAPI:Restricting API usage
• Cross-site requestsAPI:Cross-site requests
• Authentication
  • LoginAPI:Login
  • LogoutAPI:Logout
  • Account creationAPI:Account creation
• QueriesAPI:Query
  • Meta informationAPI:Meta
  • PropertiesAPI:Properties
  • ListsAPI:Lists
• Searching (by title, content, coordinates...)API:Search and discovery
• Parsing wikitext and expanding templatesAPI:Parsing wikitext
• Purging pages' cachesAPI:Purge
• Parameter informationAPI:Parameter information
• Changing wiki contentAPI:Changing wiki content
  • Create and edit pagesAPI:Edit
  • Move pagesAPI:Move
  • Merge pagesAPI:Mergehistory
  • RollbackAPI:Rollback
  • Delete pagesAPI:Delete
  • Restore deleted revisionsAPI:Undelete
  • (Un)protect pagesAPI:Protect
  • (Un)block usersAPI:Block
  • (Un)watch pagesAPI:Watch
  • Mark revisions of watched pages as visitedAPI:SetNotificationTimestamp
  • Send emailAPI:Email
  • Patrol changesAPI:Patrol
  • Import pagesAPI:Import
  • Change user group membershipAPI:User group membership
  • Upload filesAPI:Upload
  • User optionsAPI:Options
  • TokensAPI:Tokens
  • Page languageAPI:SetPageLanguage
  • More...API:Changing wiki content
• Watchlist feedAPI:Watchlist feed
• WikidataWikibase/API
• ExtensionsAPI:Extensions
• Using the API in MediaWiki and extensionsAPI:Calling internally
• MiscellaneousAPI:Other services
• ImplementationAPI:Implementation Strategy
  • LocalisationAPI:Localisation
• Client codeAPI:Client code
• AssertingAPI:Assert

Changing wiki content through the API is enabled by default as of MediaWiki 1.14; it can be disabled by setting $wgEnableWriteAPI = false;Manual:$wgEnableWriteAPI in "LocalSettings.php". In MediaWiki 1.13 and earlier, you have to explicitly enable the write API with $wgEnableWriteAPI = true;

In MediaWiki 1.31 configuration parameter $wgEnableWriteAPI was deprecated and in future versions of MediaWiki it will no longer be possible to disable API access to the software.

Please see the appropriate subsection for detailed information for each module. Write modules generally require a POST method, where read modules usually use GET methods. Exceptions are noted on individual pages.

Read Modules

Write Modules

Changeauthenticationdata ⧼apihelp-changeauthenticationdata-description⧽ ChecktokenAPI:Checktoken ⧼apihelp-checktoken-description⧽ ClientloginAPI:Login ⧼apihelp-clientlogin-description⧽ CompareAPI:Compare Get the difference between 2 pages. ExpandtemplatesAPI:Expandtemplates ⧼apihelp-expandtemplates-description⧽ FeedcontributionsAPI:Feedcontributions ⧼apihelp-feedcontributions-description⧽ FeedrecentchangesAPI:Feedrecentchanges ⧼apihelp-feedrecentchanges-description⧽ FeedwatchlistAPI:Feedwatchlist ⧼apihelp-feedwatchlist-description⧽ HelpAPI:Help ⧼apihelp-help-description⧽ Linkaccount ⧼apihelp-linkaccount-description⧽ LoginAPI:Login Log in and get authentication cookies. LogoutAPI:Logout ⧼apihelp-logout-description⧽ OpensearchAPI:Opensearch ⧼apihelp-opensearch-description⧽ ParaminfoAPI:Paraminfo ⧼apihelp-paraminfo-description⧽ ParseAPI:Parse Parses content and returns parser output. QueryAPI:Query Fetch data from and about MediaWiki. Removeauthenticationdata ⧼apihelp-removeauthenticationdata-description⧽ RsdAPI:Rsd ⧼apihelp-rsd-description⧽ StasheditAPI:Stashedit Prepare an edit in shared cache. TokensAPI:Tokens Get tokens for data-modifying actions. Unlinkaccount ⧼apihelp-unlinkaccount-description⧽

BlockAPI:Block Block a user. ClearhasmsgAPI:Clearhasmsg Clears the hasmsg flag for the current user. CreateaccountAPI:Createaccount Create a new user account. DeleteAPI:Delete Delete a page. EditAPI:Edit Create and edit pages. EmailuserAPI:Email Email a user. FilerevertAPI:Filerevert Revert a file to an old version. ImagerotateAPI:Imagerotate Rotate one or more images. ImportAPI:Import Import a page from another wiki, or from an XML file. ManagetagsAPI:Managetags Perform management tasks relating to change tags. MergehistoryAPI:Mergehistory Merge page histories. MoveAPI:Move Move a page. OptionsAPI:Options Change preferences of the current user. PatrolAPI:Patrol Patrol a page or revision. ProtectAPI:Protect ⧼apihelp-protect-description⧽ PurgeAPI:Purge Purge the cache for the given titles. ResetpasswordAPI:Resetpassword ⧼apihelp-resetpassword-description⧽ RevisiondeleteAPI:Revisiondelete ⧼apihelp-revisiondelete-description⧽ RollbackAPI:Rollback Undo the last series of edits to a page by the last user. SetnotificationtimestampAPI:Setnotificationtimestamp Update the notification timestamp for watched pages. TagAPI:Tag ⧼apihelp-tag-description⧽ UnblockAPI:Unblock ⧼apihelp-unblock-description⧽ UndeleteAPI:Undelete Restore revisions of a deleted page. UploadAPI:Upload Upload a file, or get the status of pending uploads. UserrightsAPI:User group membership ⧼apihelp-userrights-description⧽ WatchAPI:Watch ⧼apihelp-watch-description⧽

Possible errors

Some wikis restrict the use of these modules to certain groups of users, or disallow it altogether. All aforementioned modules can return the following errors:

Code	Info
noapiwrite	Editing of this wiki through the API is disabled. Make sure the $wgEnableWriteAPI=true; statement is included in the wiki's LocalSettings.php file.
writeapidenied	You're not allowed to edit this wiki through the API.