Wikibase/Quick start

Getting started

Wikibase is a powerful piece of software for managing structured data, and it's an extension to an even more powerful piece of software: MediaWiki .

Then add the query service, Elasticsearch and QuickStatements, and you've got a complex suite of software that can be intimidating to manage, let alone to install.

But what if you just want to take Wikibase for a test drive, to see how it works and whether it's right for your project's needs?

For that situation -- and many people starting out with Wikibase find themselves here -- we offer two easy ways to start using Wikibase.

Wikibase.cloud

Wikibase.cloud is Wikimedia Deutschland's cloud-based service offering hosted Wikibase instances.

No hardware is required -- just your data and your data-modeling expertise.

Early access to the newly launched service is currently invite-only. You can request access during the launch phase using this application.

Docker suite

For a little more control and customisation, we offer a suite of Docker images that provide either a basic Wikibase setup or a full complement of services, all of which can be running on your own machine in a matter of minutes -- thanks to Docker and docker-compose.

If you're familiar with Docker, and once you have it installed on your machine of choice, you can dive right into the instructions on our Docker install page.

Manual installation

If you would like to manually install Wikibase to your MediaWiki installation, please see Wikibase/Installation.