Minecraft Wiki:Wiki host comparison

This page is a rough overview of the discussion between different host options (wiki.gg, Bulbagarden, ABXY, and RuneScape Wiki) and various considerations to take into mind.

Ads
All platforms will be monetized by ads in some form. For the semi-independent hosts (Bulba and ABXY), the number and type of ads will depend on negotiations between said host and ad networks.
 * wiki.gg: Ads above and below the article, as well as right sidebar for content pages other than the main page. Only shown to anonymous users and restricted to games published by its parent company, Freedom Games, and associated companies (those with wikis on the platform)
 * Bulba: Sidebars (left and right); floating video; floating ad banner (bottom); in-article ads (recognizable as such, unlike some of Fandom's)
 * ABXY: One ad at the very top and bottom of the page
 * RuneScape Wiki: One ad below the fold, this ad is not shown to people in the EU, and it is not shown on mobile

You may visit wikis hosted by the four host options to get a better sense of how ads function under each respective host:
 * Terraria Wiki - Wiki.gg
 * Bulbapedia - Bulba
 * Zelda Wiki - ABXY
 * RuneScape Wiki - RuneScape Wiki

For all four hosts, logged in users will not see any ads.

Cookie notice

 * wiki.gg: Small banner
 * Bulba: Screen blocking, with a button to decline all cookies and dismiss the popup with a single click
 * ABXY: Screen blocking, with a button to decline all cookies and dismiss the popup with a single click

CDN around the globe
The wiki has readers from across the globe, so global CDN is necessary to ensure reasonable response times.
 * Fandom: Pages have a global CDN. Images are hosted from US and Germany.
 * wiki.gg: Yes
 * Bulba: Yes
 * ABXY: Images have a global CDN. Pages are hosted from US.
 * RuneScape Wiki: Yes

Policy control (legal)
Wiki.gg will not allow control of legal policies such as the Terms of Use on the wiki, whereas Bulba, ABXY, and RuneScape Wiki allow partial control.

Legal responsibility
For wiki.gg, ABXY, and RuneScape Wiki all legal responsibility would be placed on the host. For Bulba, who the legal responsibility is placed on will depend on the specific legal issue. If, for example, the issue is pertaining to the enforcement of the wiki's policies then legal responsibility would be placed on the staff of the wiki. If, for example, the issue is pertaining to advertisements then legal responsibility would be placed on the host, Bulba.

Skin control
Amount of control wiki community members have over the skin (appearance of the wiki).
 * wiki.gg: Limited to Vector 2010; see also wiki.gg's customization policy. Less restrictions than Fandom.
 * Bulba/ABXY/RuneScape Wiki: Full control over the skin

Mobile support

 * wiki.gg: There is no official mobile skin; wikis are capable of making their content responsive on their own terms. An official responsive skin is on the to-do list but with no ETA.
 * All other platforms have a mobile skin, or allow one to be created.

Custom domain

 * Wiki.gg does not allow custom domains (i.e. the wiki will be at minecraft.wiki.gg).
 * For Bulba, ABXY, and RuneScape Wiki, the wiki will have its own custom URL.

International support
Having people in place to act as international tech support is important for helping language wikis with technical issues or enquires.
 * wiki.gg: Tech support available in several other languages but not all
 * Bulba: Tech support not available for other languages
 * ABXY: Tech support available for French
 * RuneScape Wiki: Tech support available in select languages

Anonymous editing
Allowing logged-out users to edit lowers the barrier to entry and can encourage more people to contribute, but also increases the amount of vandalism.
 * wiki.gg: Can be enabled upon request
 * Bulba: Will be disabled, as ad networks require to strictly follow COPPA, similarly to Fandom
 * ABXY: Can be enabled
 * RuneScape Wiki: Can be enabled

Extension control

 * wiki.gg generally allows wikis to request extensions given they are currently maintained, have no security vulnerabilities, do not conflict with existing default extensions, and do not require a completely separate software stack to support (the BlueSpice extensions are a notable example).
 * Additionally, extensions which would need to be enabled across the platform generally require more review/work to implement.
 * Notably, notifications in any form were previously completely unavailable on wiki.gg. Echo was added on July 5, 2023.
 * Bulba and ABXY will allow almost any extension unless it creates major issues like server instability or privacy concerns.
 * Widgets will not be available on ABXY.
 * RuneScape Wiki is stricter with what extensions it allows, this is because of concerns that such extensions will cause issues.

Change config
Wiki.gg will generally allow MediaWiki config variables to be edited (through requests to staff); ABXY, Bulba, and RuneScape Wiki will always allow them to be edited.

Miser mode
Miser mode disables certain database-intensive features to reduce server load. This results in certain effects like special page reports being updated slower or never.

Wiki.gg, ABXY, and RuneScape Wiki will have it disabled; and the status on Bulba is unknown (depending on server resources).

Extensions
The table below shows the availability of various MediaWiki extensions used or considered for use by the wiki. Not all of them are of equal importance. Some of the extensions of note include:


 * Widgets – used for spritesheets as well as a few other places. Most usages could potentially be replaced by other extensions such as TemplateStyles.
 * CirrusSearch – advanced search functionality allowing e.g. searching within specific categories or using regular expressions. Particularly useful for searching archived wiki discussions located in subpages of certain talk pages