Docs-as-Code

Master this essential documentation concept

Quick Definition

Docs-as-Code is a documentation methodology that applies software development principles, tools, and workflows to the documentation process. It involves treating documentation like code by using version control, automation, and collaborative review processes to create, maintain, and publish technical content.

How Docs-as-Code Works

graph TD A[Content Creation] -->|Markdown/AsciiDoc| B[Version Control] B -->|Git Repository| C[Pull Request] C -->|Review Process| D[Automated Testing] D -->|Validation| E{Tests Pass?} E -->|Yes| F[Merge to Main] E -->|No| A F -->|CI/CD Pipeline| G[Build Process] G -->|Static Site Generator| H[Documentation Output] H -->|Deploy| I[Web Hosting] H -->|Generate| J[PDF/Other Formats] K[Issue Tracking] -->|New Documentation Task| A L[Reader Feedback] -->|Create Issue| K

Understanding Docs-as-Code

Docs-as-Code is a modern approach to documentation that leverages software development tools, practices, and workflows to streamline the creation and maintenance of technical documentation. This methodology treats documentation files as code assets, allowing documentation teams to benefit from the same efficient processes that software developers use.

Key Features

  • Version control using Git or similar systems to track changes and maintain history
  • Plain text markup formats like Markdown, AsciiDoc, or reStructuredText
  • Automated building, testing, and deployment through CI/CD pipelines
  • Collaborative review processes via pull/merge requests
  • Issue tracking for documentation tasks and bugs
  • Content reuse and modularization techniques
  • Automated validation and quality checks

Benefits for Documentation Teams

  • Improved collaboration between writers, developers, and other stakeholders
  • Better documentation quality through systematic review processes
  • Increased consistency through automation and validation
  • Faster publication cycles with continuous deployment
  • Greater flexibility in output formats (web, PDF, mobile, etc.)
  • Enhanced traceability of content changes over time
  • Easier maintenance of documentation alongside product code
  • Reduced silos between development and documentation teams

Common Misconceptions

  • Docs-as-Code requires documentation professionals to become programmers (it doesn't—basic familiarity with tools is sufficient)
  • The approach only works for API or developer documentation (it's effective for many documentation types)
  • Traditional documentation tools must be abandoned (many can integrate with Docs-as-Code workflows)
  • It's too complex for small teams (scalable approaches exist for teams of all sizes)
  • Visual content can't be managed effectively (diagrams and images can be version-controlled with appropriate tools)

Integrating Video Resources into Your Docs-as-Code Workflow

When implementing a Docs-as-Code approach, your team likely captures valuable knowledge through various mediums, including video recordings of technical discussions, training sessions, and implementation walkthroughs. These videos contain critical insights about your documentation processes and toolchains that should ideally live alongside your code-based documentation.

However, the knowledge trapped in these videos creates a disconnect in your Docs-as-Code workflow. While your text documentation lives in repositories where it can be versioned, reviewed, and automatically tested, video content remains siloed and unsearchable. This creates friction when developers or technical writers need to reference specific implementation details or decisions that were only discussed verbally.

By transforming your video content into searchable documentation, you can fully embrace the Docs-as-Code philosophy across all knowledge formats. Converting recordings of technical discussions about documentation tooling, CI/CD pipelines, or automation scripts into text allows this information to flow through the same review processes, version control, and automated testing as your other documentation assets. This ensures consistency across your documentation ecosystem and makes knowledge accessible through the same developer-friendly interfaces.

See how to seamlessly integrate video content into your Docs-as-Code workflow →

Real-World Documentation Use Cases

API Documentation Maintenance

Problem

Keeping API documentation synchronized with rapidly changing code and ensuring accuracy across multiple versions.

Solution

Implement a Docs-as-Code workflow that ties documentation updates directly to code changes through the same version control system.

Implementation

1. Store API documentation in Markdown files alongside code in the same repository. 2. Set up automated testing to validate documentation examples against the actual API. 3. Configure CI/CD pipelines to build and deploy documentation when changes are merged. 4. Implement a branching strategy that aligns with software version releases. 5. Use documentation linters to enforce style and consistency.

Expected Outcome

Documentation that stays in sync with code changes, reduced errors in examples, consistent versioning between code and docs, and improved developer experience through accurate, up-to-date API references.

Multi-contributor Product Documentation

Problem

Coordinating documentation contributions from diverse team members including writers, developers, product managers, and subject matter experts.

Solution

Create a centralized documentation repository with clear contribution guidelines and automated review processes.

Implementation

1. Set up a Git repository dedicated to product documentation with a logical folder structure. 2. Create templates and contribution guidelines for different content types. 3. Implement a pull request workflow with required reviews from technical and editorial stakeholders. 4. Configure automated checks for spelling, grammar, and style guide compliance. 5. Set up preview environments for reviewing documentation changes before publication.

Expected Outcome

Streamlined collaboration across teams, improved documentation quality through systematic reviews, clear ownership of content areas, and a transparent history of documentation changes.

Localized Documentation Management

Problem

Managing multiple language versions of documentation while ensuring consistency and efficient translation workflows.

Solution

Apply Docs-as-Code principles to separate content from presentation and manage translations through version control.

Implementation

1. Structure content with clear separation of text and presentation using a static site generator. 2. Store strings in resource files or use a translation management system that integrates with Git. 3. Set up automation to extract translatable content and import completed translations. 4. Implement validation to ensure all required translations exist before deployment. 5. Use branch protection to prevent untranslated content from being published.

Expected Outcome

More efficient translation processes, better consistency across language versions, ability to track translation status, and simultaneous updates to all language versions when source content changes.

Compliance Documentation and Auditing

Problem

Maintaining accurate documentation for regulatory compliance with full traceability of changes and approval processes.

Solution

Leverage version control and automated workflows to create an auditable trail of documentation changes with formal approvals.

Implementation

1. Store compliance documentation in a version-controlled repository with protected branches. 2. Implement digital signature or formal approval steps in the merge process. 3. Set up automated generation of audit logs documenting who changed what and when. 4. Configure automated checks for required compliance elements and formatting. 5. Create automated snapshot archives of documentation at key compliance milestones.

Expected Outcome

Fully traceable history of documentation changes, formal approval records, simplified audit preparation, and reduced risk of compliance documentation errors.

Best Practices

✓ Choose the Right Markup Format

Select a lightweight markup language that balances ease of use with the formatting capabilities your documentation requires.

✓ Do: Evaluate Markdown for simple docs, AsciiDoc for more complex technical documentation, or reStructuredText for highly structured content. Consider your team's technical comfort level and your documentation's complexity.
✗ Don't: Don't choose complex formats that create barriers for non-technical contributors or overly simple formats that can't handle your structural needs.

✓ Implement Continuous Integration

Set up automated build and validation processes that run whenever documentation changes are proposed.

✓ Do: Configure CI pipelines to check for broken links, validate syntax, run style checks, and generate preview builds of documentation for review purposes.
✗ Don't: Don't rely solely on manual reviews to catch technical errors or inconsistencies that can be automatically detected.

✓ Create a Logical Content Structure

Organize documentation files in a way that reflects the content architecture and supports modular reuse.

✓ Do: Design a folder structure that separates concerns (e.g., content, templates, assets), enables content reuse, and makes navigation intuitive for contributors.
✗ Don't: Don't create deep nested hierarchies that make it difficult to locate content or flat structures that become unwieldy as documentation grows.

✓ Establish Clear Contribution Guidelines

Document processes for contributing to, reviewing, and publishing documentation.

✓ Do: Create templates for common document types, style guides, branch naming conventions, and pull request requirements that set clear expectations for contributors.
✗ Don't: Don't assume contributors will intuitively understand how to participate in the documentation process without guidance.

✓ Balance Automation with Accessibility

Ensure that your Docs-as-Code implementation doesn't create barriers for important contributors.

✓ Do: Provide multiple ways to contribute based on technical comfort, such as web-based editors alongside command-line workflows, and offer adequate training resources.
✗ Don't: Don't implement complex technical workflows that exclude subject matter experts or occasional contributors from the documentation process.

How Docsie Helps with Docs-as-Code

Modern documentation platforms like Docsie enhance the Docs-as-Code approach by providing specialized tools that bridge technical workflows with user-friendly interfaces. These platforms integrate seamlessly with development processes while offering features designed specifically for documentation teams.

  • Git integration for version control while providing WYSIWYG editors for non-technical contributors
  • Automated build processes that handle complex transformations from source formats to multiple output formats
  • Review workflows that combine technical validation with editorial quality checks
  • Content reuse capabilities that maintain single-source-of-truth while allowing contextual presentation
  • Built-in validation tools for documentation-specific quality checks like terminology consistency
  • Publishing pipelines that support continuous deployment to multiple channels
  • Collaboration features designed for documentation teams with varying technical skills
  • Analytics and feedback mechanisms to measure documentation effectiveness
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