Top 10 MediaWiki Extensions You Shouldn’t Live Without

Why extensions matter

MediaWiki’s core is lightweight, but the real power comes from its ecosystem of extensions. A well‑chosen set can turn a plain wiki into a collaborative knowledge hub, improve security, and make editing painless for newcomers.

1. VisualEditor

Provides a WYSIWYG editing experience that removes the barrier of wikitext syntax. Ideal for teams that prefer a word‑processor feel.

2. Cite

Enables footnotes and reference lists – a must‑have for any encyclopedia‑style site. Supports named references, grouped citations, and <ref> tags.

3. Semantic MediaWiki (SMW)

Turns wiki pages into a structured data store. You can query, visualise and export data without leaving the wiki.

4. ParserFunctions

Adds logic to templates – conditionals, string manipulation, math, and date handling. The backbone of most advanced infoboxes.

5. ConfirmEdit

Protects open wikis from spam bots using CAPTCHAs (reCAPTCHA, QuestyCaptcha, etc.). Essential for public or community‑run sites.

6. MultimediaViewer

Provides a fullscreen, lightbox‑style image viewer with navigation, captions, and download options. Improves the visual experience dramatically.

7. EmbedVideo

Lets you embed YouTube, Vimeo, Twitch and dozens of other video services directly in wiki pages. No need to host large media files.

8. CategoryTree

Interactive, AJAX‑driven tree view of categories. Great for navigating deep taxonomies without leaving the page.

9. Maps

Integrates Leaflet or Google Maps, supports markers, polygons, clustering and KML/GeoJSON import. Perfect for geodata‑rich projects.

10. PageForms

Creates custom forms that feed data into templates (often used together with SMW or Cargo). Makes data entry user‑friendly and consistent.

Putting it together

For a typical knowledge‑base you might enable VisualEditor, Cite, SMW, ParserFunctions, ConfirmEdit, and PageForms. Add MultimediaViewer, EmbedVideo, CategoryTree, Maps, and a security‑focused extension like OATHAuth for two‑factor authentication if you need tighter access control.

Each extension is actively maintained (most are bundled with MediaWiki 1.43+), well‑documented, and works together without major conflicts. Test them on a staging instance before rolling out to production, and keep an eye on the ExtensionDistributor download statistics for future upgrades.

Choosing the right mix will save you time, improve user experience, and keep your wiki secure – the hallmarks of a healthy MediaWiki deployment.