MediaWiki Hosting: A UK Guide

By Pete White
Reading Time: 2 minutes

MediaWiki is the open-source wiki software originally built for Wikipedia, and it’s widely used for knowledge bases, documentation sites, and collaborative community wikis. It’s free, supports multiple contributors editing simultaneously, and keeps a full version history of every change.

What MediaWiki offers

Collaborative editing with version control: Multiple contributors can edit the same content, with a full history of changes and the ability to roll back.
User permissions: Control who can view, edit, or administer different parts of the wiki.
Extensions: A large extension library covering everything from visual editing to advanced search.

What MediaWiki needs from hosting

MediaWiki runs on PHP with a MySQL or MariaDB database, similar to most CMS platforms. Wikis with a long edit history or heavy media use benefit from adequate storage and database performance, since every revision is stored rather than overwritten. Check the specific PHP version required by the MediaWiki release you’re installing, since requirements vary between versions.

Setting up MediaWiki

Most UK hosts offer one-click MediaWiki installation. After installation, you’ll configure user permissions, install any extensions you need, and set up your wiki’s structure through MediaWiki’s own admin interface.

FAQs about hosting MediaWiki

Is MediaWiki suitable for a small internal knowledge base?

Yes, MediaWiki scales down well. A small team knowledge base or documentation site runs comfortably on shared hosting; the platform’s resource demands only become significant with a large edit history, heavy media use, or high traffic.

Can I restrict who can edit or view the wiki?

Yes, MediaWiki’s permissions system allows you to restrict editing, viewing, or both, down to individual pages or namespaces if needed, making it suitable for internal documentation as well as public wikis.

Getting started

Switchweb provides UK-based hosting with one-click MediaWiki installation, free SSL, daily backups, and free migration assistance. View our web hosting plans to get started.

Last updated 3 August 2026, originally posted on 5 March 2024

Looking to get started on Switchweb? Take a look at our website hosting plans or message us about a free trial.

Pete White

Pete White has worked in the UK web hosting industry for over 20 years, supporting businesses, charities, grassroots campaigns, and non-profit organizations to launch their digital presence with secure, high-performance hosting.

1 Comment

Casey
16 April 2024

Just read this article, guys. Open source MediaWiki seems like a game changer for collaborative knowledge. But, is it really user-friendly for those not so tech-savvy? Any non-techies here whove tried it?

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   Les Ellingham 
 4 days ago
 
 
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   Eric B 
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 5 days ago
 
 
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For an additional fee, Pete at Switchweb then converted it to be in a WordPress environment, and he gave us novices a tutorial on how to edit and add to the pages. He has been very helpful in answering promptly all our questions.
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 53 days ago
 
 
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 108 days ago
 
 
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