The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →To clear a MediaWiki page cache, open the page URL with ?action=purge, submit MediaWiki’s confirmation form, and reload the page. That operation discards the cached rendered output and makes MediaWiki build the page again from its current source. It is the right first step when an edit, template change, or configuration change is not visible.
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For automation, use the Action API’s purge module with a POST request. Administrators with shell access can run maintenance/purgePage.php, which also handles configured external caches. A purge is not a universal rebuild: link tables, search indexes, template dependents, browser caches, and CDN or proxy copies may require separate invalidation.
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MediaWiki stores rendered HTML so that every request does not have to parse wikitext and execute every applicable hook from scratch. Its ParserCache keeps rendered output for the latest revision. The page’s page_touched timestamp is used to invalidate that output when the page changes; dependency changes, such as an edited template, can trigger invalidation asynchronously.
A purge tells MediaWiki to throw away the cached rendering for a title and regenerate it from the current source. MediaWiki’s purge documentation describes this as clearing the cached version so the page is redisplayed from its source or scripts restart. The result is a fresh render inside MediaWiki, not necessarily a fresh response from every cache between the server and the reader.
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Purge scope matters. A normal page purge refreshes rendered output for the requested title. It does not automatically rebuild every derived dataset. Link tables, pages that transclude a changed template, search indexes, and other secondary data can have their own update paths. Use the options or maintenance jobs intended for those datasets instead of assuming that a visual refresh rebuilt them all.
What is and is not refreshed
| Layer or data | Result of a normal page purge | What may need separate work |
|---|---|---|
| ParserCache rendered HTML | Rebuilt for the requested title | Nothing, unless another cache serves an older copy |
Page metadata and page_touched |
Updated as part of the purge process | None for the target page |
| Link tables | Not necessarily rebuilt | Request forcelinkupdate through the API or use the relevant maintenance job |
| Pages that use the title as a template | Not necessarily reparsed immediately | Use forcerecursivelinkupdate where appropriate, then allow queued work to run |
| Search indexes and other derived data | Not rebuilt by a page purge | Run the indexer or job designed for that data |
| Browser, Squid, Varnish, or CDN responses | Only reached if the installation is configured to notify or purge them | Check proxy/CDN invalidation settings and purge mechanisms |
Purge one page in a browser
This method is suitable for an editor or administrator who needs to refresh one title and has permission to perform the action.
- Open the exact wiki page that is showing old output. For example, the canonical URL might be
https://example.org/wiki/Main_Page. - Append
?action=purgeto the URL, producinghttps://example.org/wiki/Main_Page?action=purge. - If the URL already contains a query string, use an ampersand instead of a second question mark. For example,
https://example.org/wiki/Main_Page?oldformat=true&action=purge. - Press Enter. MediaWiki displays a confirmation form rather than silently purging the page. This confirmation prevents an ordinary GET link from triggering a state-changing operation.
- Submit the confirmation form.
- Reload the page and verify the specific change you expected: the new text, template output, category membership, or image thumbnail.
Purging an image description page also purges cached thumbnails associated with that image. If a thumbnail still looks old, check whether the file itself was replaced under a new revision and whether an external proxy is returning an older image response.
When the browser method is refused
The purge action is permission-controlled. If MediaWiki reports that you do not have the required right, ask an administrator or use an authenticated API account with the necessary permissions. A hard refresh in the browser does not replace a server-side purge: it can bypass some local browser data while leaving ParserCache, file-cache, or proxy content untouched.
Purge through the Action API
The Action API is the practical choice for scripts, deployment hooks, and workflows that must purge several titles. Send a POST request to the wiki’s API endpoint with action=purge, one or more titles, and a response format such as JSON.
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action=purge&titles=Main_Page&format=jsonAdapt the endpoint, authentication, CSRF handling, and transport code to the installation. Do not build automation around an unauthenticated GET request: the purge module is intended for POST requests and requires the relevant read and write rights. The API response should be checked for per-title errors rather than treating an HTTP response alone as proof that every title was purged.
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Purging multiple titles
Pass the titles in the format accepted by the installation’s API documentation. A script can submit several titles in one request, but it should still record which titles succeeded and retry transient failures. Normalize title spelling and namespace names before sending the request; a correctly purged title in the wrong namespace does not refresh the page a reader is viewing.
Updating link data as part of the request
Add forcelinkupdate=true when the page’s link tables and related secondary data must be updated along with the rendered output. This is a secondary operation, so completion of the purge does not mean every dependent job has already finished.
Use forcerecursivelinkupdate=true when pages that use the target as a template also need their link-related data updated. Recursive work can be substantially broader than a single-page render; use it deliberately and monitor the job queue on a busy wiki.
API verification
- Confirm that the response identifies the requested title and does not contain a permission or title-resolution error.
- Request the page again through the normal viewing path, not only through an API response that may use different headers.
- If the output is correct for logged-in users but stale for anonymous visitors, investigate file-cache or proxy layers rather than repeatedly submitting the same purge.
Purge from the server with purgePage.php
Administrators with shell access can run maintenance/purgePage.php. This maintenance script is designed to purge both MediaWiki’s internal caches and configured external caches. It reparses the page’s wikitext, writes the current time to page.page_touched, and purges canonical URLs from the file cache and from configured Squid or Varnish proxies.
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Run the script from the MediaWiki installation’s maintenance environment and follow the exact options supported by the version deployed there. The script’s location is maintenance/purgePage.php; the command-line arguments and authentication context can differ between MediaWiki releases, so use the help output and the release’s maintenance documentation rather than copying options from an unrelated version.
When the maintenance script is preferable
- A deployment changes a page and must invalidate internal and configured proxy caches in one administrative operation.
- The page is difficult to purge through the web interface because of authentication, routing, or request-size constraints.
- You need a server-side operation that records the reparse and timestamp update in an administrative log or deployment run.
The script cannot purge a third-party cache that MediaWiki has not been configured to control. If a CDN sits outside the configured purge path, its own invalidation procedure remains necessary.
Invalidate the entire MediaWiki file cache
Use a site-wide invalidation only when the problem is broad, such as a configuration or rendering change that leaves many pages stale. Set $wgCacheEpoch to a current timestamp to make existing file-cache entries obsolete, or remove the files in the configured file-cache directory.
This operation affects the whole installation. Plan it for available CPU, storage, and traffic: many pages may be rendered again at once, and deleting files can create a sudden regeneration workload. Preserve the directory itself and its permissions unless the installation’s deployment procedure explicitly says otherwise. On a high-traffic wiki, coordinate the change with monitoring so a cache stampede does not overwhelm application servers.
Choosing between the two site-wide approaches
| Approach | Effect | Operational consideration |
|---|---|---|
Advance $wgCacheEpoch |
Existing file-cache entries become invalid according to the new epoch | Configuration deployment and a controlled reload may be required |
| Delete file-cache contents | Removes the stored files immediately | Requires filesystem access, correct ownership, and capacity for regeneration |
Neither approach automatically rebuilds search indexes or every secondary table. They address file-cache validity, not all derived-data pipelines.
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Why a page can still look stale after purging
The wrong title or revision was purged
MediaWiki titles are namespace- and spelling-sensitive. A page in the main namespace, a talk page, and a similarly named file description page have different cache entries. Verify the exact canonical URL, namespace, and revision you expect before escalating to broader invalidation.
A template or dependency is still being invalidated
When a template changes, pages that depend on it may be invalidated asynchronously. The template page can show the new text while a dependent page remains old until queued work completes. For link-related dependencies, request the appropriate API option or run the maintenance process intended for recursive updates; do not treat a single-page visual purge as a complete dependency rebuild.
An external cache is serving old HTML
Squid, Varnish, and CDNs can return a response that was cached outside MediaWiki. MediaWiki is designed to notify configured proxies when a page changes, but that requires correct server settings and purge permissions. Check $wgUseCdn, $wgCdnServers, proxy purge access-control rules, and the CDN’s own invalidation mechanism. Provider-specific commands vary by deployment; the general procedure cannot supply one universal command for every CDN.
A useful test is to compare responses from an authenticated request and an anonymous request, or from the origin and the public hostname, while preserving the same URL. If only the public path is stale, focus on the proxy or CDN layer. If both paths are stale, inspect MediaWiki’s ParserCache, file cache, and job queue.
The browser has a local copy
Browser caching can obscure a successful server purge, but a browser refresh alone is not a reliable substitute for invalidating server-side file or proxy caches. Test in a private window or with a different client only after the server-side method has been completed; otherwise you may mistake a local display difference for a MediaWiki cache problem.
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The visible symptom is derived data, not rendered HTML
A page can display new prose while a category listing, backlink list, search result, or other index remains old. Those views depend on derived tables or indexes with their own update schedules. Use the maintenance job or indexing process for the affected dataset, and allow queued work to complete before judging the result.
Diagnostic checklist
| Symptom | Most likely layer | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| The edited page is old for everyone | ParserCache or file cache | Purge the exact title; if many pages are affected, evaluate $wgCacheEpoch or file-cache invalidation |
| Logged-in editors see new output but anonymous visitors see old output | Proxy, CDN, or anonymous file cache | Inspect CDN/proxy configuration and purge ACLs |
| The page is new but category or backlink data is old | Link tables or queued jobs | Use the API link-update options or the relevant maintenance/indexing job |
| A template edit has not appeared on all transcluding pages | Dependency invalidation queue | Allow jobs to run; request recursive link updates only when that data also needs rebuilding |
| Only one browser shows the old result | Local browser cache | Test privately or in another client after confirming the server response |
| Every page became stale after a broad deployment | File-cache epoch or contents | Plan site-wide invalidation and monitor regeneration load |
Select the least disruptive method
Use the narrowest operation that reaches the layer containing stale data.
- For one ordinary page, use the browser’s
?action=purgeconfirmation. - For repeatable workflows or several titles, send an authenticated POST to the Action API.
- For an administrative deployment that must also notify configured Squid or Varnish instances, run
maintenance/purgePage.php. - For a broad file-cache failure, change
$wgCacheEpochor remove file-cache contents during a planned maintenance window. - For category, backlink, search, or template-dependent discrepancies, schedule the specific derived-data or job-queue work in addition to the page purge.
This approach avoids the two common extremes: repeatedly purging one page while an external CDN remains stale, or deleting the entire file cache when a single ParserCache entry was the only problem.
Operational precautions
- Record the title, URL, time, and method used so another administrator can distinguish a successful purge from a later cache refill.
- Use POST and authenticated credentials for API automation; protect tokens and do not place them in publicly shareable URLs.
- Expect a fresh render to consume more CPU than a cache hit, especially for pages with expensive templates, parser functions, or extensions.
- Check queue processing after recursive or dependency-heavy updates. A submitted invalidation request and a completed rebuild are separate events.
- Coordinate site-wide file-cache invalidation with traffic and storage monitoring because many requests may regenerate simultaneously.
- Keep proxy configuration consistent with the wiki’s canonical host and URL scheme so purge notifications target the same objects that visitors receive.
The practical rule is simple: purge a title for a title-level rendering problem, use the API or maintenance script when automation or proxy notification is required, and reserve whole-cache invalidation for installation-wide changes. Then verify the layer that actually served the stale response.
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