Wikimedia Commons Page History Scraper

Wikimedia Commons Page History Scraper

Scrape the full revision history of any Wikimedia Commons page, from the first edit to the latest. Every revision includes the editor, timestamp, edit summary, and revision ID, returned as a flat dataset. No API key or login required. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

Wikimedia Commons stores the edit history of every file and project page, but the web interface only shows 50 revisions at a time and offers no bulk export. This Actor reads the public Wikimedia Commons API directly, pulling every revision for a single page title you provide. It returns the complete history in one structured dataset, ready for analysis or archival.

Who uses it	What they scrape Wikimedia Commons for
Digital archivists	Preserve the complete edit trail of a Commons file or policy page before it is altered or deleted.
Wikimedia researchers	Analyze editing patterns, contributor activity, and content disputes on high-traffic Commons pages.
Content moderators	Audit the revision history of a page to identify vandalism, revert wars, or policy violations.
Data journalists	Reconstruct the evolution of a controversial image description or project discussion over time.

What it does

This Actor collects the full revision history for a specified Wikimedia Commons page and returns each revision as a flat row with editor, timestamp, edit summary, and revision ID.

• 📄 Single page focus: provide one page title and get every revision from the first edit to the latest.
• 📊 Flat row output: each revision is one row with editor name, timestamp, edit summary, and revision ID.
• 🔢 Configurable volume: set a max items limit to cap the number of revisions returned, up to 1,000,000 for paid users.
• 📁 Multi-format export: download your dataset as CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML directly from Apify.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

What you can do with Wikimedia Commons data

📚 Archive a page history.

A digital archivist runs the Actor on a Commons file page to capture its full edit trail before the file is nominated for deletion.

🔍 Audit contributor activity.

A Wikimedia researcher scrapes the history of a policy page to map which editors made the most changes and when edit wars occurred.

🛡️ Investigate vandalism.

A moderator pulls the revision history of a frequently targeted page to identify the timestamps and summaries of reverted edits.

📈 Track description changes.

A data journalist extracts the revision history of a controversial image to see how its description evolved over several years.

Why choose this scraper

	What you get
No API key needed	The Wikimedia Commons API is public and requires no authentication or registration.
Complete history	Retrieves every revision, not the most recent 50 shown on the web page.
Structured data	Returns a clean dataset with consistent fields, ready for spreadsheets or databases.
Free tier available	Preview up to 10 revisions on the free plan before scaling to full history.

What a Wikimedia Commons record looks like

Every record returns as one flat JSON row. Here is a real one from a run:

{
 "revid": 1271976223,
 "parentid": 1271975919,
 "user": "~2026-47855-47",
 "timestamp": "2026-09-04T01:47:50.000Z",
 "comment": "/* Painting Issue */",
 "pageTitle": "Commons:Help_desk",
 "scrapedAt": "2026-09-04T01:54:34.004Z"
}

Every value above comes from a real run. A field a record does not have comes back as null.

Configure the run

Drive the Actor with a single Wikimedia Commons page title and set a maximum number of revisions to return. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

{
 "pageTitle": "Commons:Help_desk",
 "maxItems": 10
}

A larger pull:

{
 "pageTitle": "Commons:Help_desk",
 "maxItems": 200
}

Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. Upgrade your Apify plan to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

Run it

1. Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit.
2. Open the Wikimedia Commons Page History Scraper.
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click Start.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the Dataset tab.

Run it programmatically through the Apify API (run-sync-get-dataset-items) or the ApifyClient for JavaScript and Python.

Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to Wikimedia Commons through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

$claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=parseforge/wikimedia-commons-history-scraper"

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

Troubleshooting

Why am I getting no results?

Check that the page title is spelled exactly as it appears in the Commons URL, with underscores for spaces. Also verify the page exists on Wikimedia Commons and has at least one revision.

Why did my run stop at 10 items?

Free users are limited to 10 items as a preview. Upgrade to a paid plan and set a higher max items value to scrape the full history.

Why are some revisions missing?

The Wikimedia Commons API may omit revisions that were suppressed or deleted by an administrator. These are not publicly accessible and cannot be scraped.

Why is the run slow for a page with millions of revisions?

The API returns up to 500 revisions per request. A page with millions of revisions will require many sequential requests. Set a reasonable max items limit or run the Actor with a higher timeout.

FAQ

Question	Answer
What is Wikimedia Commons?	Wikimedia Commons is a free media repository with millions of images, videos, and audio files. Every file and project page has a public revision history that this Actor can scrape.
Do I need a Wikimedia account or API key?	No. The Wikimedia Commons API is publicly accessible without authentication. This Actor reads the API directly and requires no login or key.
How many revisions can I scrape?	Free users can preview up to 10 revisions. Paid users can set a max items limit up to 1,000,000, which covers the full history of most pages.
What format does the data come in?	The dataset is stored in Apify's default dataset and can be exported to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML from your run console.
Can I scrape multiple pages at once?	This Actor is designed for one page title per run. To scrape multiple pages, run the Actor once per title or use Apify's scheduling and queue features.
What page title format should I use?	Use the exact page title as it appears in the URL, with underscores for spaces. For example, 'Commons:Help_desk' or 'File:Example.jpg'.
Does this scrape file metadata or only revisions?	This Actor scrapes the revision history of a page, which includes editor, timestamp, and edit summary. It does not extract file metadata like EXIF data or license templates.
Is this faster than downloading history from the Commons website?	Yes. The web interface paginates 50 revisions at a time. This Actor fetches up to 500 revisions per API request and assembles them into one dataset automatically.

Related actors

Browse the full ParseForge collection for more scrapers.

🆘 Need help? Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

Pricing

This Actor uses pay-per-result pricing: $0.004 per result collected. You are billed only for the results you receive, so a run that returns nothing costs nothing.

⚠️ Disclaimer. This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.