How to Install Mediawiki on Windows 10

Mediawiki is a popular open-source software that powers many wiki websites, including Wikipedia. Installing Mediawiki on your Windows 10 computer can be a bit intimidating, but this tutorial will walk you through each step to ensure a successful installation.

Prerequisites

Before we start the installation process, you will need the following:

• A web server such as Apache or IIS installed on your computer.
• PHP version 5.5.9 or later installed on your computer.
• MySQL or MariaDB installed on your computer.

Note: This tutorial assumes you are using Apache as your web server and MySQL as your database. If you are using a different web server or database, adjust the steps appropriately.

Step 1: Download Mediawiki

First, you need to download the latest version of Mediawiki from their website https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki.

Step 2: Extract the Files

Once the download is complete, extract the files to the web server directory. If you are using Apache, the default directory is C:\xampp\htdocs\.

Step 3: Create a Database

Open your web browser and navigate to http://localhost/phpmyadmin. Create a new database for your Mediawiki installation.

Step 4: Configure the Database Connection

In the extracted files, locate the LocalSettings.php file and open it in a text editor. Locate the following lines:

$wgDBtype = 'mysql';
$wgDBserver = 'localhost';
$wgDBname = 'database_name';
$wgDBuser = 'username';
$wgDBpassword = 'password';

Replace database_name, username, and password with the name of the database you created in Step 3 and the login credentials you will use to access it. Save the changes and close the file.

Step 5: Configure the Web Server

Open the httpd.conf file in the Apache/conf directory and add the following lines to the end of the file:

Alias /mediawiki/ "C:/xampp/htdocs/mediawiki/"
<Directory "C:/xampp/htdocs/mediawiki/">
    Options Indexes FollowSymLinks MultiViews
    AllowOverride All
    Order deny,allow
    Allow from all
</Directory>

This sets up an alias for your Mediawiki installation.

Step 6: Install Mediawiki

Open your web browser and navigate to http://localhost/mediawiki/. You will see the Mediawiki installation screen. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Mediawiki on your Windows 10 computer. You can now create and manage your own wiki website.