Installing MediaWiki — Set Up Your First Wiki on Localhost

In this tutorial, you'll install MediaWiki on your own computer and see it running for the first time. This is Lesson 2 of our project: Build Your Own Documentation Wiki.

What You'll Build Today

By the end of this lesson, you will have:

• XAMPP running on your computer (Apache + MySQL + PHP)
• MediaWiki downloaded and installed
• A working wiki at http://localhost/<a href="/cms/mediawiki/">MediaWiki</a>
• The LocalSettings.php file configured and protected

Your wiki will be empty — but it will be alive. In Lesson 3, you'll create your first page.

What You Need

• A computer running Windows, macOS, or Linux
• About 20-30 minutes
• Administrative access to install software

Why Installing Locally Matters

You could sign up for a hosted wiki service, but installing locally teaches you:

• How the pieces fit together (web server, database, PHP)
• Where configuration files live
• How to fix things when they break
• How to deploy to a real server later

Plus, it's free and works offline.

Step-by-Step: Install MediaWiki

Step 1: Install XAMPP

XAMPP is a package that gives you everything MediaWiki needs: Apache (web server), MySQL/MariaDB (database), and PHP (the programming language MediaWiki is written in).

Download XAMPP:

1. Go to https://www.apachefriends.org
2. Download the version for your operating system (look for the latest PHP 8.x version)
3. Run the installer — accept all defaults

Start XAMPP:

• Windows: Open the XAMPP Control Panel, click "Start" next to Apache and MySQL
• macOS: Open the XAMPP app and start Apache and MySQL
• Linux: Run sudo /opt/lampp/lampp start

Step 2: Download MediaWiki

1. Go to https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Download
2. Click the link to download the latest stable version (it will be a .tar.gz file, about 50 MB)
3. Wait for the download to finish

Step 3: Extract MediaWiki to Your Web Server

The files need to go in your web server's document root so Apache can serve them.

• Windows: Extract to C:\xampp\htdocs\mediawiki
• macOS: Extract to /Applications/XAMPP/htdocs/mediawiki
• Linux: Extract to /opt/lampp/htdocs/mediawiki

You can extract using any archive tool. The result should be a folder called mediawiki containing files like index.php, api.php, and folders like skins/, extensions/.

cd /opt/lampp/htdocs
wget https://releases.wikimedia.org/mediawiki/1.42/mediawiki-1.42.1.tar.gz
tar -xvzf mediawiki-1.42.1.tar.gz
mv mediawiki-1.42.1 mediawiki

Step 4: Run the Web Installer

1. Open your browser and go to: http://localhost/mediawiki
2. You'll see a welcome page. Click the "set up this wiki" link
3. You're now in the MediaWiki web installer

The installer asks several questions. Here's what to enter:

Wiki language: Choose your language (English is the default)

Database type: Leave as MySQL (or MariaDB)

Database host: Leave as localhost

Database name: Enter mediawiki

Database username: Enter root

Database password: Leave blank (XAMPP's default)

Database table prefix: Leave blank

Wiki name: Enter My Documentation Wiki (you can change this later)

Your name: Enter your name or username

Password: Create an administrator password for your wiki account

Email: Your email address (optional but useful)

User rights profile: Choose "Create a wiki for use by a single person (private wiki)" — this gives you full control. Later you can change it.

License: Choose Creative Commons Attribution (or whichever you prefer)

Install: Click the "Continue" button

The installer will create the database tables and configuration. This takes about 30 seconds.

Step 5: Download and Protect LocalSettings.php

When the installer finishes, you'll see a page with a download link for LocalSettings.php. This file contains your wiki's entire configuration — including database credentials.

1. Click the download link — it will download a file called LocalSettings.php
2. Move this file into your mediawiki folder (the same folder where index.php lives)

Windows: Move to C:\xampp\htdocs\mediawiki\
Linux:   Move to /opt/lampp/htdocs/mediawiki/

3. Protect this file. It contains your database password:

# Linux/macOS
chmod 600 /opt/lampp/htdocs/mediawiki/LocalSettings.php

# Windows: Right-click the file → Properties → Security → 
# Make sure only your user account can read it

Step 6: Visit Your Wiki

Now go to http://localhost/mediawiki again.

You should see your wiki's Main Page — it will say "My Documentation Wiki" at the top and show a welcome message. Your wiki is alive!

Click around:

• Main Page: The default welcome page
• Special pages: A list of administrative tools (link in the sidebar)
• Log in: Sign in with the admin account you created during installation

What You Learned

• XAMPP gives you Apache + MySQL + PHP in one package
• MediaWiki files go in your web server's document root
• The web installer creates the database and generates LocalSettings.php
• LocalSettings.php is the brain of your wiki — protect it
• Your wiki is now running at http://localhost/mediawiki

In the next lesson, you'll customize your wiki's Main Page and learn the basics of wiki markup.

Common Errors

FAQ

Can I install MediaWiki without XAMPP?

Yes, but it's harder. You need a web server (Apache or Nginx), PHP 7.4+, and MySQL/MariaDB installed individually. XAMPP bundles them all and is the easiest way for beginners.

I'm on macOS. Can I use MAMP instead of XAMPP?

Yes, MAMP works the same way. The htdocs folder is at /Applications/MAMP/htdocs/. Use MAMP's MySQL port (often 8889) instead of the default 3306.

I already have a web server running. Can I use that?

Yes. Just make sure it meets the requirements: PHP 7.4.3+ with the following extensions: mbstring, xml, intl, json, fileinfo, gd. The installer will tell you if something is missing.

Do I need a domain name?

No. Localhost is fine for learning. When you're ready to put your wiki online, you'll need a domain and web hosting. That's a separate topic.

How do I know if PHP has the right extensions?

Create a file called info.php in your htdocs folder with this content: <?php phpinfo(); ?>. Visit http://localhost/info.php in your browser. Look for the extensions listed above.

What's Next

Your wiki is installed and running. Now let's give it some content.

Continue to Lesson 3: Your First Wiki Page — Creating Content — you'll edit the Main Page, learn wiki markup, and create your first real content.