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A wiki (/ˈwɪki/ ⓘ WI-kee) is a form of online hypertext publication that is
collaboratively edited and managed by its own audience directly through a web
browser. A typical wiki contains multiple pages that can either be edited by the
public or limited to use within an organization for maintaining its internal
knowledge base.
Wikis are enabled by wiki software, otherwise known as wiki engines. A wiki engine,
being a form of a content management system, differs from other web-based systems
such as blog software or static site generators, in that the content is created
without any defined owner or leader, and wikis have little inherent structure,
allowing structure to emerge according to the needs of the users.[1] Wiki engines
usually allow content to be written using a simplified markup language and
sometimes edited with the help of a rich-text editor.[2] There are dozens of
different wiki engines in use, both standalone and part of other software, such as
bug tracking systems. Some wiki engines are free and open-source, whereas others
are proprietary. Some permit control over different functions (levels of access);
for example, editing rights may permit changing, adding, or removing material.
Others may permit access without enforcing access control. Further rules may be
imposed to organize content.
There are hundreds of thousands of wikis in use, both public and private, including
wikis functioning as knowledge management resources, note-taking tools, community
websites, and intranets. Ward Cunningham, the developer of the first wiki software,
WikiWikiWeb, originally described wiki as "the simplest online database that could
possibly work".[3] "Wiki" (pronounced [wiki][note 1]) is a Hawaiian word meaning
"quick".[4][5][6]
The online encyclopedia project Wikipedia is the most popular wiki-based website,
as well being one of the most popular websites on the entire internet, having been
ranked consistently as such since at least 2007.[7] Wikipedia is not a single wiki
but rather a collection of hundreds of wikis, with each one pertaining to a
specific language. The English-language Wikipedia has the largest collection of
articles, standing at 6,835,514 as of June 2024.[8]
Characteristics
Ward Cunningham
In their 2001 book The Wiki Way: Quick Collaboration on the Web, Ward Cunningham
and co-author Bo Leuf described the essence of the Wiki concept:[9][10]
"A wiki invites all users—not just experts—to edit any page or to create new pages
within the wiki web site, using only a standard 'plain-vanilla' Web browser without
any extra add-ons."
"Wiki promotes meaningful topic associations between different pages by making page
link creation intuitively easy and showing whether an intended target page exists
or not."
"A wiki is not a carefully crafted site created by experts and professional writers
and designed for casual visitors. Instead, it seeks to involve the typical
visitor/user in an ongoing process of creation and collaboration that constantly
changes the website landscape."
A wiki enables communities of editors and contributors to write documents
collaboratively. All that people require to contribute is a computer, Internet
access, a web browser, and a basic understanding of a simple markup language (e.g.
MediaWiki markup language). A single page in a wiki website is referred to as a
"wiki page", while the entire collection of pages, which are usually well-
interconnected by hyperlinks, is "the wiki". A wiki is essentially a database for
creating, browsing, and searching through information. A wiki allows non-linear,
evolving, complex, and networked text, while also allowing for editor argument,
debate, and interaction regarding the content and formatting.[11] A defining
characteristic of wiki technology is the ease with which pages can be created and
updated. Generally, there is no review by a moderator or gatekeeper before
modifications are accepted and thus lead to changes on the website. Many wikis are
open to alteration by the general public without requiring registration of user
accounts. Many edits can be made in real-time and appear almost instantly online,
but this feature facilitates abuse of the system. Private wiki servers require user
authentication to edit pages, and sometimes even to read them. Maged N. Kamel
Boulos, Cito Maramba, and Steve Wheeler write that the open wikis produce a process
of Social Darwinism. "... because of the openness and rapidity that wiki pages can
be edited, the pages undergo an evolutionary selection process, not unlike that
which nature subjects to living organisms. 'Unfit' sentences and sections are
ruthlessly culled, edited and replaced if they are not considered 'fit', which
hopefully results in the evolution of a higher quality and more relevant page."[12]
Editing
"Wikitext" redirects here. For the Wikipedia help page, see Help:Wikitext.
Source editing
Some wikis have an edit button or link directly on the page being viewed if the
user has permission to edit the page. This can lead to a text-based editing page
where participants can structure and format wiki pages with a "lightweight markup
language", sometimes known as wikitext, wiki markup or wikicode (it can also lead
to a WYSIWYG editing page; see the paragraph after the table below). For example,
starting lines of text with asterisks could create a bulleted list. The style and
syntax of wikitexts can vary greatly among wiki implementations,[example needed]
some of which also allow HTML tags.
Layout consistency
Wikis have traditionally employed plain-text editing, utilizing simpler conventions
than HTML to denote style and structure. Restricting access to HTML and Cascading
Style Sheets (CSS) within wikis hinders users from modifying content layout and
formatting. However, this restriction offers advantages. It fosters uniformity in
appearance by curbing CSS modifications and ensures that users cannot introduce
JavaScript code that might impede access for others.
Basic syntax

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A wiki (/ˈwɪki/ ⓘ WI-kee) is a form of online hypertext publication that is

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