You probably like docs-as-code. What’s not to love? Technical writers can collaborate with developers via source control and Markdown-based static site generators are powerful and flexible publishing tools. This is in contrast to traditional XML-based publishing systems which make it hard for non-experts to contribute, or cloud-based CMS systems that silo your documentation in a proprietary platform.
Sounds like a great deal!
The challenges of docs-as-code
But there is no such thing as a free lunch.
Do you want a search function in your Jekyll site? How about syntax highlighting for your code samples? What about gathering user feedback or analytics? None of these features come out of the box, and will require engineering resources to implement.
The cost of docs-as-code is that you need to prepare to invest significant engineering time into customizing and theming these tools.
Not only that, there are some things that static site generators cannot do.
Want to provide private previews of your documentation for internal reviewers, or limit access only to certain customers? Can’t do it. Not unless you build a custom hosting solution for your content.
Spend any time on the Write The Docs Slack and you will find technical writers struggling with these issues on a weekly basis. Docs-as-code requires a significant technical investment.
Enter Doctave
But what if you could have it all? The benefits of a docs-as-code workflow, without requiring the technical investment to setup and maintain your documentation site.
This is where Doctave comes in.
Doctave is the only platform where you get a first-class docs-as-code workflow, and don’t have to spend weeks or months configuring brittle open source plugins, themes or infrastructure.
Instead, you get everything you need: search, versioning, single-sourcing, previews, access control, linters, and much more, out of the box. No complex environments to setup - just write your Markdown docs with your favorite editor, or the Doctave desktop app, and push your changes to source control. Doctave takes care of the rest.
Focus on your content, not your tools.
- Nik
Founder, Doctave
Doctave is a docs platform designed for docs-as-code
Tired of wrangling open source tools and complex documentation deployments? Doctave makes deploying documentation sites with docs-as-code easier than ever.
Articles about documentation, technical writing, and Doctave into your inbox every month.