> For AI agents: the complete documentation index is available at /llms.txt, the full documentation bundle is available at /llms-full.txt.

# Overview

`react-wikitext` renders MediaWiki-style wikitext as React elements. Source text is parsed into a typed semantic AST, converted to HAST, and handed to React. It does not talk to the MediaWiki API, execute Lua, or own your routes.

## What it solves

A common shortcut is to inject pre-rendered HTML with `dangerouslySetInnerHTML`, or to embed a wiki page in an `iframe`. Neither composes well: the first bypasses React, and the second cannot reuse your styles or interactions.

`react-wikitext` outputs React elements instead of HTML strings. It exposes an inspectable semantic tree and a sanitized HAST before rendering, leaves links, images, and templates to the host, and can parse and prepare on the server, in a worker, or behind a cache while the client receives a snapshot.

## Capabilities

| Capability                  | Description                                                                                                   |
| --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Parse and render            | `wikiparser-node@1.48.1` produces a syntax tree; the library normalizes it into a typed AST and renders React |
| Snapshots and server        | Parse and render snapshots are plain data; prepare on the server and ship only `/view`                        |
| Template expansion          | Optional `/expand` with a host resolver for supported templates and pure wikitext functions                   |
| Customization and debugging | Component overrides, `handlers`, rehype plugins, CSS variables, labels, and diagnostics                       |
| unified                     | `/unified` exposes the pipeline as raw-mode plugins for a processor you own                                   |

### Default output

The example below configures no resolvers. Template and file placeholders and non-navigable links are expected defaults, not render failures:

```tsx preview
import { Wikitext } from "react-wikitext";
import "react-wikitext/styles.css";

const source = `== Default output ==
This paragraph mixes '''bold''', ''italic'', and an [[internal link|internal link]].

{{Infobox|title=Templates are not evaluated by default}}

[[File:Example.png|thumb|Files are placeholders by default]]`;

export default function Demo() {
  return <Wikitext source={source} lang="en" />;
}
```

See [Rendering behavior](/guide/rendering.md) and [Syntax support](/guide/syntax-support.md) for the full boundaries.

## Deliberate limits

The default pipeline does not evaluate templates or parser functions, and it never runs Lua; `/expand` covers a supported subset only. The library makes no network requests, does not load images by default, and leaves internal links non-navigable.

It is not a MediaWiki implementation and includes no editor or virtual list. The site API, editing, full extension semantics, and pagination belong to the host. See [Rendering behavior](/guide/rendering.md) for details.

## When it fits

It suits read-only wiki mirrors, archives, and exports, and wiki snippets embedded in knowledge bases, documentation sites, or admin consoles. It also fits cases that need structured content before rendering, per-block fault isolation, parsing in a worker, or links, images, and templates wired to your own router, CDN, and backend.

Other tools fit better in these cases:

| Case                                        | Better fit                                               |
| ------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| The content is already Markdown             | A Markdown renderer such as `react-markdown`             |
| You need full site-level wiki semantics     | Parse output from MediaWiki / Parsoid                    |
| You only need to isolate a third-party page | An `iframe`, at the cost of host styling and interaction |
| You need WYSIWYG editing                    | An editor; this library only renders read-only content   |

## Current status

:::note
Version `0.1.0-alpha.1`, published on the alpha dist-tag and installed with `pnpm add react-wikitext@alpha`. Releases in the 0.x range follow semantic versioning: minor versions may contain breaking changes, and patch versions only carry compatible fixes. React `>=18.2 <20`; Node `>=18.18` for builds or server execution. The parser is pinned to `wikiparser-node@1.48.1`; the license is GPL-3.0-or-later.
:::

See [Status and compatibility](/project/status.md) for the full matrix.

## Next steps

- [Quick start](/guide/quick-start.md): install and render a first snippet.
- [How it works](/guide/concepts.md): the pipeline, snapshots, and entry boundaries.
- [Syntax support](/guide/syntax-support.md): whether a construct renders, becomes a placeholder, or degrades.