Data flow diagram
Data Flow Diagram: Understanding MediaWiki Server Architecture
Welcome to this tutorial on understanding the data flow within a MediaWiki 1.40 server environment. This article will detail the key components and how data moves between them, providing a foundational understanding for both administrators and developers. A clear understanding of this data flow is crucial for performance tuning, troubleshooting, and scalability planning.
Overview
A MediaWiki installation isn't a single monolithic application. Instead, it’s a complex interaction between several key components. Understanding how these interact is essential. The primary components are: the web server (typically Apache or Nginx), the PHP interpreter, the MySQL/MariaDB database, and the MediaWiki software itself. This article will illustrate the path data takes when a user requests a page.
Basic Data Flow: Page Request
When a user requests a page via their web browser, the following steps occur:
1. The browser sends an HTTP request to the web server. 2. The web server receives the request and passes it to the PHP interpreter. 3. PHP processes the request, querying the database for necessary data. 4. The database returns the requested data to PHP. 5. PHP formats the data into HTML. 6. The HTML is sent back to the web server. 7. The web server sends the HTML to the user's browser for rendering.
Component Specifications
Here's a breakdown of typical specifications for each component in a medium-sized MediaWiki deployment. These are guidelines; actual requirements depend on traffic volume and content size.
| Component | Specification | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Web Server | Apache 2.4 or Nginx 1.20+ | Choose based on preference and performance testing. Nginx generally handles static content more efficiently. |
| PHP Version | PHP 7.4 or 8.1 | Ensure the version is supported by MediaWiki 1.40. PHP 8.1 offers performance improvements. |
| Database Server | MySQL 8.0 or MariaDB 10.6+ | MariaDB is often preferred due to its open-source nature and performance. |
| Operating System | Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS) | Linux provides stability and performance. |
| RAM (Server) | 16GB - 64GB | Dependent on wiki size and traffic. |
| Storage (SSD) | 500GB - 2TB | SSD significantly improves database performance. |
Detailed Data Flow: Edit Operation
An edit operation is more complex than a simple page request.
| Step | Description | Component Interaction |
|---|---|---|
| 1. User Initiates Edit | User clicks the 'Edit' button on a page. | Browser -> Web Server |
| 2. Edit Form Loaded | The web server serves the edit form (PHP code). | Web Server -> PHP -> Database (for page content) -> PHP -> Web Server -> Browser |
| 3. User Submits Edit | User enters changes and clicks 'Save Page'. | Browser -> Web Server |
| 4. Edit Processed | PHP processes the edit, validating input and preparing the database query. | Web Server -> PHP |
| 5. Database Update | PHP updates the relevant database tables (e.g., `page`, `revision`). | PHP -> Database |
| 6. Revision History Update | The database revision history is updated. | PHP -> Database |
| 7. Cache Invalidation | The parser cache and other caches are invalidated. | PHP -> Cache System (e.g., Memcached, Redis) |
| 8. Page Rendered | PHP renders the updated page. | PHP -> Database (for related data) -> PHP |
| 9. Updated Page Displayed | The updated page is sent to the user's browser. | PHP -> Web Server -> Browser |
Caching Mechanisms
MediaWiki utilizes multiple caching layers to improve performance. These include:
- Parser Cache: Caches the output of the parser, reducing the need to re-parse pages frequently.
- Object Cache: Caches database query results. Memcached or Redis are commonly used.
- Transformer Cache: Caches transformed output (e.g., mobile views).
- Web Server Cache: Caching of static assets by the web server (images, CSS, JavaScript).
The data flow is significantly impacted by caching. When a page is served from the cache, steps 3-6 in the "Detailed Data Flow: Edit Operation" table are bypassed, resulting in faster response times.
Database Schema Considerations
The database schema is critical for performance. Proper indexing of key tables (e.g., `page`, `revision`, `categorylinks`) is essential. Regular database maintenance, including vacuuming and analyzing tables, is also important.
| Table | Description | Importance |
|---|---|---|
| page | Stores page content metadata (title, namespace, etc.) | High |
| revision | Stores page revision history. | High |
| text | Stores the actual page content. | High |
| categorylinks | Stores relationships between pages and categories. | Medium |
| user | Stores user account information. | Medium |
Further Reading
- Configuration settings
- Performance benchmarking
- Database administration
- Extending MediaWiki
- Security best practices
Intel-Based Server Configurations
| Configuration | Specifications | Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Core i7-6700K/7700 Server | 64 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2 x 512 GB | CPU Benchmark: 8046 |
| Core i7-8700 Server | 64 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2x1 TB | CPU Benchmark: 13124 |
| Core i9-9900K Server | 128 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2 x 1 TB | CPU Benchmark: 49969 |
| Core i9-13900 Server (64GB) | 64 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe SSD | |
| Core i9-13900 Server (128GB) | 128 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe SSD | |
| Core i5-13500 Server (64GB) | 64 GB RAM, 2x500 GB NVMe SSD | |
| Core i5-13500 Server (128GB) | 128 GB RAM, 2x500 GB NVMe SSD | |
| Core i5-13500 Workstation | 64 GB DDR5 RAM, 2 NVMe SSD, NVIDIA RTX 4000 |
AMD-Based Server Configurations
| Configuration | Specifications | Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 5 3600 Server | 64 GB RAM, 2x480 GB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 17849 |
| Ryzen 7 7700 Server | 64 GB DDR5 RAM, 2x1 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 35224 |
| Ryzen 9 5950X Server | 128 GB RAM, 2x4 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 46045 |
| Ryzen 9 7950X Server | 128 GB DDR5 ECC, 2x2 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 63561 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/1TB) | 128 GB RAM, 1 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/2TB) | 128 GB RAM, 2 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/4TB) | 128 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (256GB/1TB) | 256 GB RAM, 1 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (256GB/4TB) | 256 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 9454P Server | 256 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe |
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⚠️ *Note: All benchmark scores are approximate and may vary based on configuration. Server availability subject to stock.* ⚠️