Pros of Slate

• Beautiful, responsive three-panel design for API documentation
• Supports multiple programming languages with syntax highlighting
• Easy to customize and extend with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript

Cons of Slate

• Requires more setup and configuration compared to apiDoc
• Less suitable for generating documentation from inline code comments
• May have a steeper learning curve for non-technical users

Code Comparison

Slate (index.html.md):

---
title: API Reference

language_tabs:
  - shell
  - ruby
  - python

toc_footers:
  - <a href='#'>Sign Up for a Developer Key</a>

includes:
  - errors
---

# Introduction

Welcome to the Kittn API! You can use our API to access Kittn API endpoints...

apiDoc (example.js):

/**
 * @api {get} /user/:id Request User information
 * @apiName GetUser
 * @apiGroup User
 *
 * @apiParam {Number} id Users unique ID.
 *
 * @apiSuccess {String} firstname Firstname of the User.
 * @apiSuccess {String} lastname  Lastname of the User.
 */

Slate focuses on creating a visually appealing, static documentation site, while apiDoc generates documentation from inline code comments. Slate offers more flexibility in design and layout, but apiDoc is simpler to integrate into existing codebases and maintain alongside the source code.

Pros of Swagger UI

• Offers a more interactive and visually appealing documentation interface
• Supports the OpenAPI Specification, which is widely adopted in the industry
• Provides built-in API testing capabilities within the documentation

Cons of Swagger UI

• Requires more setup and configuration compared to apiDoc
• May have a steeper learning curve for developers new to OpenAPI/Swagger

Code Comparison

Swagger UI (YAML):

openapi: 3.0.0
info:
  title: Sample API
  version: 1.0.0
paths:
  /users:
    get:
      summary: Get users
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Successful response

apiDoc:

/**
 * @api {get} /users Get users
 * @apiName GetUsers
 * @apiGroup User
 * @apiVersion 1.0.0
 * @apiSuccess {Object[]} users List of users
 */

Key Differences

• Swagger UI uses OpenAPI Specification (YAML or JSON), while apiDoc uses inline comments
• Swagger UI provides a more comprehensive API description, including request/response schemas
• apiDoc focuses on simplicity and ease of use, with a straightforward annotation system

Use Cases

• Choose Swagger UI for complex APIs requiring detailed documentation and interactive testing
• Opt for apiDoc for simpler projects or when quick setup and minimal learning curve are priorities

Pros of Redoc

• Offers a more modern and visually appealing documentation interface
• Supports OpenAPI (Swagger) 2.0 and 3.0 specifications out of the box
• Provides interactive API console for testing endpoints directly in the documentation

Cons of Redoc

• Less flexible for custom documentation structures compared to apiDoc
• May require more initial setup and configuration for complex API documentation

Code Comparison

apiDoc example:

/**
 * @api {get} /user/:id Request User information
 * @apiName GetUser
 * @apiGroup User
 *
 * @apiParam {Number} id Users unique ID.
 */

Redoc example (OpenAPI/Swagger):

paths:
  /user/{id}:
    get:
      summary: Request User information
      parameters:
        - name: id
          in: path
          required: true
          schema:
            type: integer

Key Differences

• apiDoc uses inline code comments for documentation, while Redoc relies on separate OpenAPI/Swagger specification files
• Redoc focuses on rendering existing API specifications, whereas apiDoc generates documentation from code annotations
• apiDoc offers more customization options for documentation structure, while Redoc provides a standardized, polished output based on OpenAPI specifications

Pros of Elements

• Offers a more modern, customizable UI for API documentation
• Supports multiple API specification formats (OpenAPI, AsyncAPI, JSON Schema)
• Provides interactive API console for testing endpoints

Cons of Elements

• Steeper learning curve for implementation and customization
• Requires more setup and configuration compared to apidoc
• May be overkill for simpler API documentation needs

Code Comparison

Elements (React component):

import { API } from '@stoplight/elements';

function MyAPI() {
  return <API apiDescriptionUrl="https://api.example.com/openapi.yaml" />;
}

apidoc (JSDoc-style comments):

/**
 * @api {get} /user/:id Request User information
 * @apiName GetUser
 * @apiGroup User
 *
 * @apiParam {Number} id Users unique ID.
 */

Key Differences

• Elements focuses on rendering existing API specifications, while apidoc generates documentation from code comments
• Elements provides a more interactive and visually appealing documentation experience
• apidoc is simpler to set up and use for basic API documentation needs
• Elements offers more advanced features like API testing and multiple specification support
• apidoc is better suited for projects where documentation needs to be tightly coupled with the codebase

Both tools have their strengths, and the choice between them depends on the specific requirements of the project, the desired level of interactivity, and the preferred documentation workflow.

Pros of openapi-gui

• Provides a graphical user interface for creating and editing OpenAPI specifications
• Supports real-time preview of the generated OpenAPI document
• Offers a more user-friendly approach for those less familiar with writing YAML or JSON

Cons of openapi-gui

• Limited to OpenAPI specification format, while apidoc supports multiple documentation styles
• May have a steeper learning curve for users already comfortable with writing API documentation in code comments
• Less flexibility in customizing the output format compared to apidoc

Code Comparison

apidoc example:

/**
 * @api {get} /user/:id Request User information
 * @apiName GetUser
 * @apiGroup User
 *
 * @apiParam {Number} id Users unique ID.
 */

openapi-gui example (resulting OpenAPI YAML):

paths:
  /user/{id}:
    get:
      summary: Request User information
      parameters:
        - name: id
          in: path
          required: true
          schema:
            type: integer
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Successful response

Both tools aim to simplify API documentation, but they approach it differently. apidoc focuses on generating documentation from code comments, while openapi-gui provides a visual interface for creating OpenAPI specifications. The choice between them depends on the project's requirements and the team's preferred workflow.