The fastest way to check a wiki’s MediaWiki version is to open Special:Version. The page shows the running MediaWiki release and the PHP, database, extensions, skins, libraries, parser extension tags, and parser-function hooks installed on that wiki. For automation, use the API:Siteinfo data. If you administer the server, run the Version.php maintenance script from the MediaWiki installation directory.
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Choose the right version-checking method
Use the method that matches your access and purpose. A browser check is usually best for a one-time lookup, while the API and command line are better for inventories, monitoring, and upgrade work.
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| Method | Access needed | What it is best for | What you receive |
|---|---|---|---|
Special:Version |
Browser access to the wiki; sign-in may be required | Quick manual checks and compatibility troubleshooting | MediaWiki version plus dependency, extension, skin, library, and hook information |
| API:Siteinfo | Access to the wiki’s API and its documentation | Scripts, monitoring, support reports, and repeatable inventory | The version information exposed by the site-information API |
| Version.php maintenance script | Command-line or SSH access and the MediaWiki installation directory | Server-side checks and upgrade verification | MediaWiki version and, where available, build information such as patch or build-date details |
The command syntax depends on the release family. Current documentation recommends invoking maintenance scripts through maintenance/run.php; MediaWiki 1.39 and earlier use the older direct-script form.
Check the version in a browser with Special:Version
Special:Version is the simplest route when you can open the wiki but do not have shell access. MediaWiki’s Help:Version documentation describes it as the special page that displays the MediaWiki version and its dependencies, and lists installed skins, extensions, libraries, parser extension tags, and parser-function hooks.
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- Sign in if necessary. Some wikis restrict special pages or system information to logged-in users or particular user groups. Use an account that is permitted to view the page.
- Open the special page using the wiki’s normal URL pattern. Common forms are
/wiki/Special:Versionand/w/index.php?title=Special:Version. Keep the site’s existing host name and path; do not assume that every installation uses the same format. - Read the version near the top of the page. Copy the complete value, including its patch component. A major or minor number alone is not enough for an upgrade, extension, or support report.
- Capture the surrounding environment when compatibility matters. Record the PHP version, database type and version, installed extensions, skins, and libraries shown on the page. Also note parser extension tags and parser-function hooks if an issue involves templates, parsing, or an extension.
For a simple “what version is this wiki running?” question, the number near the top is the answer. For troubleshooting, save the complete page details instead of copying only the MediaWiki number: an extension can require a particular PHP release, database capability, or MediaWiki branch.
Understand what Special:Version reports
MediaWiki release
The primary value identifies the release running on the wiki. Preserve every numeric component and any release-status marker shown with it. If the page displays an LTS marker, include that marker in your notes rather than inferring support status from the number alone.
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The page can show the PHP version and database type or version used by the installation. These details are useful when an upgrade appears successful but an extension, skin, or maintenance task behaves differently: the MediaWiki number is only one part of the compatibility picture.
Extensions, skins, and libraries
Installed extensions and skins identify code that may impose its own version requirements. Libraries provide additional dependency information. When preparing a support ticket or upgrade plan, copy the names and versions as displayed instead of creating a separate list from memory.
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Parser extension tags and parser-function hooks
Special:Version also lists parser features supplied by installed extensions. This information matters when pages use custom tags or parser functions and a change in parsing behavior must be traced to a particular component.
Use API:Siteinfo for scripts and monitoring
The information shown by Special:Version is also available through MediaWiki’s API:Siteinfo interface. This is the appropriate approach when a browser visit is impractical or when you need a repeatable inventory across several wikis.
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- Request the site-information data used for version reporting. Include the version information needed by your inventory or support report. If you also need dependency or extension data, request the corresponding site-information fields documented for that release.
- Store the complete result with a timestamp. Keep the full version string and the wiki identity together. A version number without the site name or collection time is difficult to interpret in a multi-wiki environment.
- Compare later responses to the stored record. A changed MediaWiki value indicates that the reported software version changed; changed extension, skin, or dependency entries can explain a compatibility change even when the core version is unchanged.
API output is useful for automation because the same request can be scheduled and parsed consistently. Do not treat an API check as an upgrade operation: it reports the installation’s state and does not modify files or the database.
Check the version from the server command line
Use the maintenance script when you have shell or SSH access to the server. Run it from the MediaWiki installation directory, where the maintenance directory is present.
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MediaWiki 1.40 and later
Current MediaWiki documentation recommends indirect invocation through run.php. From the installation directory, run:
php maintenance/run.php Version.phpThe script reports the version on which it is running. Its documented output begins with MediaWiki version:. Depending on the release and build, it can also show build information such as patch or build-date details.
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Older releases use the direct maintenance-script form. The documented command is typically:
php maintenance/version.phpUse this form when the installation belongs to the 1.39-and-earlier release family. Do not substitute the old command automatically on a newer installation; the current supported invocation is through maintenance/run.php.
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What the command-line result proves
The command reports the version from the installation whose files you invoked. That makes it valuable on a server hosting more than one wiki, but it also means you must start in the correct installation directory. A successful command against a different directory is still a valid version report—just not for the wiki you intended to inspect.
Record a version report that others can use
For a quick personal check, the MediaWiki release may be sufficient. For an extension investigation, upgrade review, or support request, record the following items together:
| Item | How to capture it | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Complete MediaWiki version | Copy the full value from Special:Version, API output, or the command result | Patch-level differences can affect fixes and compatibility |
| LTS marker, if shown | Include the marker exactly as displayed | It distinguishes the release designation reported by the installation |
| Build or patch date, if shown | Copy the date from the Version.php output or page details | It helps identify the precise build under discussion |
| PHP version | Read it from Special:Version | Extensions and newer MediaWiki releases may depend on PHP compatibility |
| Database type and version | Read it from Special:Version | Database capabilities can affect upgrades and extension behavior |
| Extensions and skins | Copy the installed entries and their displayed versions | Problems often originate in an extension or skin rather than core MediaWiki |
| Libraries and parser features | Record libraries, parser extension tags, and parser-function hooks when relevant | These entries identify additional code involved in rendering or parsing |
| Wiki identity and check time | Save the site name or URL internally with the date and time of the check | It prevents records from different wikis or upgrade stages being mixed |
Verify the version after upgrading MediaWiki
Version checking is a verification step, not the upgrade itself. After the upgrade process has completed:
- Open the same wiki’s
Special:Versionpage. Use the site’s established URL pattern and sign in if required. - Confirm the expected release and patch level. Compare the displayed value with the version you intended to install.
- Review dependencies and extensions. Check that the PHP and database details, extensions, skins, and libraries are the expected ones for the upgraded installation.
- Use the command line or API as a second check when available. A server-side Version.php result should correspond to the wiki you upgraded, and an API inventory can provide a timestamped record for multiple sites.
If you do not have shell access, MediaWiki’s upgrade documentation identifies the web updater as the browser-based route for running the update process. After it finishes, return to Special:Version to confirm the active version. Opening the page alone does not update the database or replace MediaWiki files.
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Troubleshoot a missing or unexpected version
The special page does not open
- Check that you used the wiki’s own URL pattern. Try the form based on the site’s existing links: either the short
/wiki/form or the/w/index.php?title=form. - Sign in with an account that can view special pages. A permission response is an access issue, not evidence that the wiki has no version information.
- If you still cannot view the page, ask a wiki administrator to provide the complete Special:Version output or run the maintenance command on the server.
The command cannot find Version.php
- Change to the MediaWiki installation directory before running the command. The maintenance scripts are inside that installation’s
maintenancedirectory. - For a current release, use
php maintenance/run.php Version.php. For MediaWiki 1.39 and earlier, use the documented direct formphp maintenance/version.php. - Confirm that the shell is using the PHP executable available to that installation. The command must run in an environment with command-line or SSH access.
The displayed version is not the one you expected after an upgrade
- Check Special:Version again on the exact wiki you upgraded, not another site in the same server or wiki farm.
- Run Version.php from the installation directory associated with that wiki and compare its result with the browser value.
- Review the extension, skin, PHP, and database entries as well as the core version; an incomplete or incompatible component can explain why the environment does not match the upgrade plan.
- If you used the web updater, treat its completion as a process result and use Special:Version for the independent version check.
A practical decision workflow
For most administrators, the following sequence gives a reliable answer without unnecessary work:
- Start with Special:Version. It is the fastest way to identify the running release and see the dependency and extension inventory in one place.
- Use API:Siteinfo when the check must repeat. Choose it for scheduled monitoring, fleet-wide inventories, or support tooling that cannot depend on a person opening a browser.
- Use Version.php when you control the server. It confirms the version associated with a particular MediaWiki directory and can provide build details.
- Preserve the full record. Include patch level, LTS or build information when displayed, dependencies, extensions, skins, the wiki identity, and the check time.
- After an upgrade, check again. The expected version must appear on Special:Version; only then should you treat the software-version portion of the upgrade as verified.
Official description of the Version page
“Version is a special page that displays the version of MediaWiki and its dependencies and lists the installed skins, extensions and libraries, as well as the parser extension tags and parser function hooks provided by the installed extensions.”
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That description explains why Special:Version is more useful than a bare version-number lookup during compatibility work: it shows the surrounding software inventory that can influence whether an upgrade or extension will function correctly.
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