Wikipedia

API

Free open data API for Wikipedia encyclopedia content

Overview

The Wikipedia API (powered by MediaWiki) provides programmatic access to Wikipedia’s vast encyclopedia content, including articles, revisions, user data, and metadata. It uses action-based endpoints (e.g., action=query for page details, action=parse for formatted text) and returns responses primarily in JSON. Use cases include retrieving article summaries for educational apps, fetching revision history for research, integrating Wikipedia content into websites, or extracting metadata for data analysis. Read operations are accessible without authentication, while write actions require OAuth.

Example Integration (JavaScript)

script.js JS


fetch('https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Main_page')
  .then(res => res.json())
  .then(data => console.log(data))
  .catch(err => console.error(err));

Key Features

Action-based endpoints
JSON response format
Multilingual content access
No auth for read operations
Supports article and revision queries

Frequently Asked Questions

? Is Wikipedia API free to use?

Yes, the Wikipedia API is completely free for both non-commercial and commercial use, subject to Wikimedia’s terms of service.

? Does it require an API Key?

No, most read operations do not require an API key. However, write operations or high-volume requests may need authentication via OAuth or a bot password.

? What is the response format?

The default response format is JSON, but it also supports XML, PHP, and JSONP upon request.

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Tool Info

Pricing Free

Category Open Data

Platform Public API

Pros

⊕ Free and open access
⊕ Vast multilingual content library
⊕ Well-documented with examples
⊕ Active developer community

Cons

⊖ Rate-limited for high-volume requests
⊖ Complex syntax for advanced queries
⊖ No official SLA
⊖ Write operations need authentication