Top Related Projects
The Sphinx documentation generator
Project documentation with Markdown.
🃏 A magical documentation site generator.
Beautiful static documentation for your API
Easy to maintain open source documentation websites.
Quick Overview
Read the Docs is an open-source platform for creating, hosting, and managing software documentation. It simplifies the process of building and publishing documentation by automating builds from version control systems and hosting the resulting websites. Read the Docs supports multiple documentation formats and offers features like versioning, full-text search, and custom domains.
Pros
- Seamless integration with version control systems (Git, SVN, Mercurial)
- Supports multiple documentation formats (Sphinx, MkDocs, Jupyter Notebooks)
- Automatic building and hosting of documentation
- Free for open-source projects
Cons
- Limited customization options for the hosted documentation theme
- Can be complex to set up for beginners
- Occasional build failures due to dependencies or configuration issues
- Limited support for non-Python documentation tools
Getting Started
To get started with Read the Docs:
- Sign up for an account at https://readthedocs.org/
- Connect your GitHub, Bitbucket, or GitLab account
- Import your documentation project
- Configure your project settings (e.g., documentation type, versions)
- Push changes to your repository to trigger builds
For a basic Sphinx project, create a docs folder in your repository with the following structure:
docs/
├── conf.py
├── index.rst
└── requirements.txt
Add a .readthedocs.yaml file to your repository root:
version: 2
sphinx:
configuration: docs/conf.py
python:
version: "3.8"
install:
- requirements: docs/requirements.txt
Commit and push these changes to trigger your first build on Read the Docs.
Competitor Comparisons
The Sphinx documentation generator
Pros of Sphinx
- Highly customizable and extensible documentation generator
- Supports multiple output formats (HTML, PDF, ePub, etc.)
- Rich ecosystem of extensions and themes
Cons of Sphinx
- Steeper learning curve, especially for non-technical users
- Requires local setup and configuration
- Limited built-in collaboration features
Code Comparison
Sphinx configuration (conf.py):
project = 'My Project'
extensions = ['sphinx.ext.autodoc', 'sphinx.ext.napoleon']
html_theme = 'alabaster'
Read the Docs configuration (.readthedocs.yaml):
version: 2
sphinx:
configuration: docs/conf.py
python:
version: 3.8
install:
- requirements: docs/requirements.txt
Summary
Sphinx is a powerful documentation generator that offers extensive customization options and supports multiple output formats. It's ideal for projects requiring complex documentation structures and advanced features. However, it has a steeper learning curve and requires local setup.
Read the Docs, on the other hand, provides a hosted platform for documentation with easier setup and built-in collaboration features. It's more suitable for teams looking for a quick, hassle-free documentation solution with automatic builds and versioning.
Both tools can work together, with Read the Docs often used as a hosting platform for Sphinx-generated documentation, combining the strengths of both systems.
Project documentation with Markdown.
Pros of MkDocs
- Lightweight and fast, with a simple and intuitive structure
- Easy to set up and use locally without external dependencies
- Highly customizable with themes and plugins
Cons of MkDocs
- Limited built-in features compared to Read the Docs
- Requires manual deployment and hosting setup
- Less suitable for large, complex documentation projects
Code Comparison
MkDocs configuration (mkdocs.yml):
site_name: My Docs
theme: material
nav:
- Home: index.md
- About: about.md
Read the Docs configuration (.readthedocs.yml):
version: 2
sphinx:
configuration: docs/conf.py
formats: all
python:
version: 3.7
install:
- requirements: docs/requirements.txt
MkDocs focuses on simplicity and ease of use, making it ideal for smaller projects or quick documentation setups. It offers a straightforward configuration and local development experience. Read the Docs, on the other hand, provides a more comprehensive solution with built-in hosting, versioning, and integration features, making it better suited for larger, more complex documentation projects. The choice between the two depends on the specific needs of your project and the level of control and features required.
🃏 A magical documentation site generator.
Pros of docsify
- Lightweight and easy to set up with minimal configuration
- No build process required, works directly with Markdown files
- Highly customizable with plugins and themes
Cons of docsify
- Lacks built-in versioning support for documentation
- No native support for multiple languages or internationalization
- Limited search functionality compared to Read the Docs
Code comparison
docsify:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<script src="//cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/docsify/lib/docsify.min.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
<div id="app"></div>
<script>
window.$docsify = {
name: 'My Docs',
repo: 'https://github.com/username/repo'
}
</script>
</body>
</html>
Read the Docs:
version: 2
sphinx:
configuration: docs/conf.py
formats:
- pdf
- epub
python:
version: 3.7
install:
- requirements: docs/requirements.txt
build:
os: ubuntu-20.04
tools:
python: "3.7"
Both repositories offer documentation hosting solutions, but they cater to different needs. docsify is ideal for quick, simple documentation setups, while Read the Docs provides a more comprehensive solution for larger projects requiring advanced features like versioning and localization.
Beautiful static documentation for your API
Pros of Slate
- Offers a sleek, modern, and customizable single-page documentation layout
- Provides built-in search functionality and syntax highlighting
- Easier to set up and maintain for smaller projects or APIs
Cons of Slate
- Limited to static content, lacking advanced features like versioning
- Requires more manual effort for content updates and deployment
- Less suitable for large, complex documentation projects with multiple contributors
Code Comparison
Slate (Ruby):
require 'middleman'
require 'middleman-syntax'
require 'middleman-autoprefixer'
require 'middleman-sprockets'
require 'rouge'
require 'nokogiri'
Read the Docs (Python):
from django.conf import settings
from django.core.urlresolvers import reverse
from django.shortcuts import get_object_or_404
from django.utils.translation import ugettext_lazy as _
Slate focuses on generating static documentation using Ruby-based tools, while Read the Docs uses Python and Django for a more dynamic, feature-rich documentation platform. Slate's code emphasizes frontend processing and styling, whereas Read the Docs' code snippet shows its integration with Django's web framework for handling requests and database interactions.
Easy to maintain open source documentation websites.
Pros of Docusaurus
- Easy to set up and customize with a modern React-based architecture
- Built-in search functionality and internationalization support
- Offers a live reload feature for real-time preview during development
Cons of Docusaurus
- Requires more technical knowledge to set up and maintain
- Less flexibility for hosting options compared to Read the Docs
- May have a steeper learning curve for non-developers
Code Comparison
Docusaurus configuration (docusaurus.config.js):
module.exports = {
title: 'My Documentation',
tagline: 'Easy-to-use documentation site',
url: 'https://mywebsite.com',
baseUrl: '/',
// ... more configuration options
};
Read the Docs configuration (.readthedocs.yaml):
version: 2
sphinx:
configuration: docs/conf.py
formats: all
python:
version: 3.7
install:
- requirements: docs/requirements.txt
Both projects aim to simplify documentation creation and hosting, but they take different approaches. Docusaurus focuses on providing a modern, customizable static site generator, while Read the Docs offers a more traditional documentation hosting platform with built-in version control integration.
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Welcome to Read the Docs
|build-status| |docs| |coverage|
Purpose
Read the Docs_ hosts documentation for the open source community.
It supports many documentation tools
(e.g. Sphinx_ docs written with reStructuredText_, MkDocs_ docs written with markdown_, among others),
and can pull Git_ repositories.
Then we build documentation and host it for you.
Think of it as Continuous Documentation, or Docs as Code.
.. _Read the docs: https://readthedocs.org/ .. _Sphinx: http://www.sphinx-doc.org/ .. _reStructuredText: http://www.sphinx-doc.org/en/master/usage/restructuredtext/basics.html .. _Git: http://git-scm.com/ .. _MkDocs: https://www.mkdocs.org/ .. _markdown: https://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/
Documentation for Read the Docs
You will find complete documentation for setting up your project at the Read the Docs site_.
.. _the Read the Docs site: https://docs.readthedocs.io/
Get in touch
You can find information about getting in touch with Read the Docs at our
Contribution page <https://docs.readthedocs.io/en/latest/contribute.html#get-in-touch>_.
Contributing
You can find information about contributing to Read the Docs at our
Contribution page <https://docs.readthedocs.io/en/latest/contribute.html>_.
Quickstart for GitHub hosted projects
By the end of this quickstart, you will have a new project automatically updated when you push to GitHub.
#. Create an account on Read the Docs_ by signing up with GitHub.
#. When prompted on GitHub, give access to your account.
#. Log in and click on "Add project".
#. Start typing the name of your repository and select it from the list, and click "Continue".
#. Change any information if desired and click "Next".
#. All done. Commit away and your project will auto-update.
.. |build-status| image:: https://circleci.com/gh/readthedocs/readthedocs.org.svg?style=svg :alt: build status :target: https://circleci.com/gh/readthedocs/readthedocs.org
.. |docs| image:: https://readthedocs.org/projects/docs/badge/?version=latest :alt: Documentation Status :scale: 100% :target: https://docs.readthedocs.io/en/latest/?badge=latest
.. |coverage| image:: https://codecov.io/gh/readthedocs/readthedocs.org/branch/main/graph/badge.svg :alt: Test coverage :scale: 100% :target: https://codecov.io/gh/readthedocs/readthedocs.org
License
MIT_ © 2010 Read the Docs, Inc. & contributors
.. _MIT: LICENSE
Top Related Projects
The Sphinx documentation generator
Project documentation with Markdown.
🃏 A magical documentation site generator.
Beautiful static documentation for your API
Easy to maintain open source documentation websites.
Convert designs to code with AI
Introducing Visual Copilot: A new AI model to turn Figma designs to high quality code using your components.
Try Visual Copilot