Wikibase
| Wikibase | |
|---|---|
| Developer | Wikimedia Foundation / Professional Wiki |
| Type | MediaWiki Extension Suite |
| Initial release | 2012 |
| Operating system | Web (SaaS), Linux |
| Written in | PHP, JavaScript |
| License | GPL 2.0+ |
| Website | wikiba.se |
| Contents | |
Wikibase is an open-source MediaWiki extension suite that enables structured, linked data to be stored and queried within a wiki. It is the technology behind Wikidata — the world's largest open knowledge graph — and is used by organisations worldwide to build sovereign, interoperable knowledge graphs.
Key Features
- Entity-based data model — knowledge is stored as items (entities) with typed statements (property–value pairs)
- Rich property types — supports strings, numbers, dates, quantities, geographic coordinates, URLs, and references to other items
- Multilingual — labels, descriptions, and aliases for every entity in any number of languages
- SPARQL endpoint — structured data is exposed as linked data and queryable via a full SPARQL interface
- Linked Data — data can be linked to external knowledge bases such as Wikidata, DBpedia, and domain-specific ontologies
- MediaWiki integration — items are wiki pages; changes are tracked, versioned, and discussable like any other wiki content
- REST API — programmatic access to all entities and statements
How It Works
Wikibase separates the structured data layer from the wiki prose layer. Each entity (a person, organisation, product, concept) gets its own item page, on which editors add statements using defined properties. For example, a software item might have statements for its developer, release date, and programming language. These statements are stored in a dedicated database and exposed via SPARQL and the REST API, while remaining fully editable through the wiki interface.
Enterprise Use
Wikibase is deployed in a wide range of enterprise and institutional contexts:
- National libraries and archives building authority files and bibliographic knowledge graphs
- Pharmaceutical and life sciences organisations managing chemical compounds, clinical trials, and research data
- Government bodies and the European Commission using Wikibase for open data and interoperability
- Research institutions managing scientific datasets with full provenance tracking
- Enterprises building internal knowledge graphs for product catalogues, ontologies, and master data management
Professional Wiki provides enterprise Wikibase consulting, deployment, data modelling, and development services under the Wikibase Consultancy brand.
Relationship to Other Technologies
- Wikidata
- The largest public Wikibase instance, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Contains over 100 million items covering people, places, organisations, and concepts, all freely reusable.
- Semantic MediaWiki
- An older, alternative approach to structured data in MediaWiki. Wikibase uses a more formal entity-statement data model; Semantic MediaWiki annotates inline wiki text with properties. Both serve similar use cases but suit different deployment contexts.
- NeoWiki
- NeoWiki is a successor project by Professional Wiki that targets enterprise knowledge management with a simpler user experience, drawing on lessons from both Wikibase and Semantic MediaWiki.
