License

We recommend indicating the license that governs the Wikimedia contents being surfaced in external platforms and, where possible, linking to the full license text. License transparency is core for attribution and responsible distribution, as it helps audiences understand the terms of reuse of the content they are consuming.

While the text content from Wikimedia projects is typically available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license, it's worth keeping in mind that media files (images, audio, video) on Wikimedia Commons carry individually assigned licenses. These should be respected and expressed in external contexts, especially if any restrictions apply.

Including the license (and linking to its full text) makes permissions explicit, educates users about open source, and helps sustain a healthy, transparent knowledge ecosystem.

Data sources

This section identifies where and how license information can be obtained. It points to the relevant Wikimedia APIs that content reusers can rely on to implement the signal accurately and consistently.

Wikimedia Attribution API Beta Recommended

The Wikimedia Attribution API returns a single license name for the reused article or media file, together with a URL to the corresponding license deed when available. This is intended to provide a clear default value for attribution. In some cases, especially for media files, multiple rights or licensing conditions may apply. For complete licensing details, reusers should consult the file’s description page on Wikimedia Commons.

Reference documentation can be found in any wiki's REST API sandbox, such as the REST API sandbox on English Wikipedia →

Share feedback on this beta API →

Wikimedia Enterprise API Recommended

Wikimedia Enterprise On-demand API may be used to:

1. Fetch an article's Structured Contents: This includes the license information for a given article, in either the main Article Lookup or Article Structured Contents endpoints. Using either endpoint, the information can be found within the license property.

See the Wikimedia Enterprise API documentation →

2. Retrieve an object with information about the License relevant to an article (See in Wikimedia Enterprise’s Data Dictionary).

See the Wikimedia Enterprise API documentation →

MediaWiki Action API

To retrieve a project’s global license, use the siteinfo query specifying the rightsinfo property. The request will return a link to get more information about the license, as well as a license display name.

See the MediaWiki Action API documentation →

To pull the license information for individual media files, use the imageinfo query action providing the necessary file properties.

See the MediaWiki Action API documentation →

MediaWiki REST API

Global license information is returned on all GET /page/ endpoints. If the specific page contents are not already in use, the /bare endpoint is recommended to get basic page metadata, including license information (for example, English Wikipedia). License information for individual media files is not available through the MediaWiki REST API at this time.

See the MediaWiki REST API documentation →

Visual assets

If you wish to represent licenses visually, Creative Commons makes available a library of logos and badges.

Implementation guidance

Minimum requirements

• License information must be included whenever required by the applicable license (e.g., CC BY or CC BY-SA). Even where not legally required (e.g., CC0 or content in the public domain), specifying the license status is recommended to promote transparent and fair reuse.

• For reused text content, you may verify and include a licensing notice that states that the work is released under an open license (commonly CC BY-SA 4.0 for Wikimedia projects) and provide a link to the license text.

• When sharing media from Wikimedia Commons (e.g., images, videos, sounds, or 3D models), display the specific file's license as indicated at the source (e.g., CC BY, CC BY-SA, CC0) and ensure that end users can reach license details (which are always available in the original file page).

Best practices

• Use human-readable labels to clarify the license code (e.g., “Freely licensed (CC BY-SA 4.0)”), and link the license name to its deed in Creative Commons.

• You might use Creative Commons badges to express the content's license in a more compact and visual way.

• Place license information near the reused content:

  • Text: Show the license with the attribution block or in a visible “About this content” or credits area.
  • Images and media: Show the license alongside the asset (e.g., in a caption, overlay, or credit line), and link to the Wikimedia Commons file page (which exposes author, source, and license in a single location) or directly to the license deed from the context of reuse.

• In multi-source experiences (e.g., AI assistants), allow users to access individual license information for each item. Flexible placement is allowed to overcome space constraints.

Reuse scenarios

Search

Required

Displaying license information clarifies reuse conditions, fostering the responsible distribution of content and media in search results.

Learn more about attribution in this context →

AI assistants

Required

Displaying license information clarifies reuse conditions, fostering responsible AI outputs.

Learn more about attribution in this context →