wikibase-mixed-methods-research

Setting Up a Wikibase Instance on Wikibase.cloud

This guide walks you through creating your own Wikibase instance using Wikibase.cloud, the hosted platform by Wikimedia Deutschland. No installation or technical setup is required — everything runs in your browser.

What is Wikibase.cloud?

Wikibase.cloud is a free hosted service that lets you create your own collaborative knowledge base using the same open-source software that powers Wikidata. Each instance comes with:

A full Wikibase wiki for creating items and properties
A SPARQL Query Service for querying your data
QuickStatements for batch importing data
A REST API for programmatic access
Support for images from Wikimedia Commons
The ability to import entities from Wikidata

The service is currently in Open Beta and is free to use.

Step 1 — Create an account

Go to https://www.wikibase.cloud
Click Sign up
Enter your email address and choose a password
Verify your email address via the confirmation link sent to your inbox

Step 2 — Create a Wikibase instance

Once logged in:

Click Create a Wikibase
Fill in the form:
- Wikibase name — this becomes part of your URL (e.g. my-research.wikibase.cloud)
- Username — the admin username for your wiki (separate from your wikibase.cloud login)
- Purpose — briefly describe what you intend to use it for (e.g. “workshop practice instance for mixed-methods research”)
- Expected lifespan — how long you plan to use it
- Target audience — e.g. researchers, students
Click Create and wait a minute or two for provisioning to complete
A few seconds after creation you will receive an email with a temporary password and a link to reset it — check your inbox and set a permanent password before logging in to your wiki

Choose your Wikibase name carefully — it cannot be changed after creation.

Step 3 — Access your instance

Once created, your instance is available at:

Service	URL pattern
Wikibase wiki	`https://<your-name>.wikibase.cloud`
SPARQL Query Service	`https://<your-name>.wikibase.cloud/query`
QuickStatements	`https://<your-name>.wikibase.cloud/tools/quickstatements`

Step 4 — Explore your instance

Once logged in to your wiki, you can:

Create items — go to Special:NewItem to add your first entity
Create properties — go to Special:NewProperty to define relationships
Run SPARQL queries — open the Query Service at /query and write queries against your data
Import from Wikidata — use the built-in import tool to pull existing entities

Key things to know

Wikibase.cloud instances are publicly visible by default — do not store sensitive or private data
The service is operated by Wikimedia Deutschland and governed by their Terms of Use and Hosting Policy
Instances that violate the hosting policy (e.g. spam, private data, inactivity) may be suspended
This is a beta service — do not rely on it for production or archival purposes without a backup strategy