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Self-host Semantic MediaWiki

7.3.1

Structured data and semantic queries for MediaWiki wikis

ReleaseOpen SourceOther
Updated6 days ago
LanguagePHP
Setup difficultyModerate
Stars
632
Requires
MediaWiki, PHP
Install with Linux

What is Semantic MediaWiki?

Semantic MediaWiki (SMW) is a MediaWiki extension — free and open-source — that lets a wiki store and query structured data within its pages, turning it into a flexible knowledge management system. Editors annotate pages with wikitext markup so links and values become meaningful properties; that data can then be queried and rendered as dynamic tables, lists, timelines or maps, searched and organized, and published as Semantic Web / linked data so other systems can consume it. A compatibility matrix governs supported stacks: SMW 7.3.x runs on PHP 8.1-8.5 with MediaWiki 1.43-1.46 and gives full SQL support to MySQL 5.7.0+, SQLite 3.24.0+ and PostgreSQL 10+, with an optional ElasticStore index on Elasticsearch 7.10.2 or OpenSearch 1.3.x+, plus triplestore backends such as Fuseki, Blazegraph and Sesame. You install it with Composer inside an existing MediaWiki, then enable it in LocalSettings.php, run the update script and rebuild the semantic data; SMW has no container image of its own. The master branch already carries a 7.4.0-alpha version number, and prebuilt file releases are no longer published — you generate your own when a host lacks command line access. Most user documentation lives on the project wiki at semantic-mediawiki.org, which was unreachable during this research pass.

Should you self-host Semantic MediaWiki?

Semantic MediaWiki scores 57/100 on selfhost.directory (how scoring works) and ranks #14 of 31 in Wikis. It has 632 GitHub stars.

It shipped 6 stable releases in the past year. The latest, 7.3.1, came out on 28 September 2026. New versions land roughly every 4 weeks.

Setup is moderate: expect some configuration beyond a single command. It is Other-licensed and written mostly in PHP.

Its closest alternative on selfhost.directory is outline (78/100, 41 096 stars). It scores higher overall, so compare the two before you pick. See Semantic MediaWiki vs outline side by side.

Features

  • Custom namespaces for properties, concepts and schemas
  • Extension framework / ecosystem
  • Granular user permissions
  • Linked data / Semantic Web export
  • Maintenance scripts for data rebuilds
  • Pluggable storage backendsTriplestore support was documented for SMW 3.2.x and older in the compatibility matrix.
  • Result formats
  • Semantic queries
  • SPARQL support
  • Structured data annotations

Semantic MediaWiki README

How to install Semantic MediaWiki

Install Semantic MediaWiki with Linux

Create your individual file release using the respective script. Please pay attention to the MediaWiki version used in the script and adapt to your setup if necessary.

Transfer the code thus compiled to the appropriate folders on your webspace.

Add the following line to the end of your "LocalSettings.php" file:

wfLoadExtension( 'SemanticMediaWiki' );

Log in as a user with administrator permission to your wiki and go to the "Maintenance" tab on special page "Special:SemanticMediaWiki":

Click on the "Initialise or upgrade tables" button in the "Database maintenance" section to setup the database.

For hosts without command line access; SMW no longer provides prebuilt file releases.

Semantic MediaWiki releases & version history

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