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Data Storage Best Practices

# Data Storage Best Practices

This article details best practices for data storage when running a MediaWiki 1.40 installation. Proper storage configuration is vital for performance, reliability, and scalability. We will cover database selection, file storage options, and considerations for various deployment sizes. This guide is aimed at system administrators and those responsible for maintaining a MediaWiki instance.

Database Selection

The database is the heart of your MediaWiki installation. Choosing the right database and configuring it correctly is paramount. MediaWiki supports several database backends.

Database Supported Notes
MySQL/MariaDB Yes Most commonly used. Well-documented and widely available. MariaDB is often preferred due to its open-source nature and performance improvements. See Manual:Configuration settings for specific settings.
PostgreSQL Yes A robust and feature-rich database. Often favored for its adherence to SQL standards. Requires specific configuration, see Manual:PostgreSQL.
SQLite Yes Suitable for small installations or testing environments. Not recommended for production use due to concurrency limitations. See Manual:SQLite.
Oracle Yes Supported, but generally requires significant expertise and licensing costs.

For most installations, MySQL/MariaDB is the recommended choice. Ensure you use a recent version of either database. Regular database backups are *critical*. Use tools like `mysqldump` or database-specific backup solutions. See Manual:Backups for more information. Proper indexing is also important; review the Manual:Database performance page.

File Storage Options

MediaWiki stores uploaded files (images, documents, etc.) in a designated directory. The performance of this storage directly impacts page load times.

Storage Option Performance Scalability Notes
Local Filesystem Good Limited Simplest to set up. Suitable for small to medium-sized wikis. Ensure sufficient disk space and appropriate file permissions. See Manual:Configure file uploads
Network File System (NFS) Moderate Moderate Can be used to share files between multiple servers. Performance can be affected by network latency.
Amazon S3 / Object Storage Excellent Excellent Highly scalable and reliable. Requires configuring the Manual:S3 storage extension. Offers cost-effective storage for large files.
GlusterFS Good Good A distributed filesystem offering scalability and redundancy. Requires more complex setup.

For larger wikis, using object storage like Amazon S3 is highly recommended. This provides scalability, redundancy, and cost-effectiveness. Regardless of the storage option, regularly monitor disk space usage. Consider using a MediaWiki:Extension:FileSaver to automatically archive older revisions of uploaded files to reduce storage requirements.

Hardware Considerations

The underlying hardware significantly influences MediaWiki performance. Here's a breakdown of recommended specifications based on wiki size:

Wiki Size CPU RAM Storage Notes
Small ( < 10,000 pages) 2 Core 4 GB 100 GB SSD Suitable for a personal or small community wiki. Focus on SSD for faster database access.
Medium (10,000 - 100,000 pages) 4-8 Cores 8-16 GB 500 GB - 1 TB SSD Requires more processing power and memory to handle increased traffic and database load.
Large ( > 100,000 pages) 8+ Cores 32+ GB 1 TB+ SSD (RAID recommended) Requires a dedicated server with high-performance hardware. Consider using a load balancer and multiple database servers. See Manual:Scaling

Always use Solid State Drives (SSDs) for both the database and file storage. SSDs provide significantly faster read/write speeds compared to traditional Hard Disk Drives (HDDs). RAID configurations can provide redundancy and improve performance. Monitor server resource usage regularly using tools like `top` or `htop`. Consider utilizing a caching system like MediaWiki:Extension:CacheHitmen to reduce database load.

Monitoring and Maintenance

Regular monitoring and maintenance are crucial for maintaining a healthy MediaWiki installation.

⚠️ *Note: All benchmark scores are approximate and may vary based on configuration. Server availability subject to stock.* ⚠️

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