docsify

dynamic Markdown documentation site generator

TLDR

Initialize new documentation site

$ docsify init [./docs]

Initialize with a specific theme

$ docsify init [./docs] --theme [dark]

Start local preview server

$ docsify serve [./docs]

Serve on specific port

$ docsify serve [./docs] --port [4000]

Serve and open in browser automatically

$ docsify serve [./docs] --open

Generate sidebar automatically

$ docsify generate [./docs]

SYNOPSIS

docsify command [options] [path]

docsify is a documentation site generator that dynamically renders Markdown files without building static HTML. It loads and parses Markdown files on the fly, providing instant updates during editing.The tool creates simple, elegant documentation websites from Markdown files. Features include full-text search, multiple themes, plugin support, and GitHub Pages compatibility. Configuration is minimal, typically just an index.html and Markdown files.docsify is particularly suited for project documentation, requiring no build step and supporting features like cover pages, sidebars, and embedded code samples.

PARAMETERS

COMMAND

Operation: init, serve, generate.

PATH

Documentation directory.

init [PATH]

Initialize new docsify project. Shorthand: i.

--local, -l

Copy docsify files to the docs path instead of using CDN (default: false).

--theme, -t THEME

Choose a theme: vue, buble, dark, pure (default: vue).

--plugins, -p

Add plugin script tags to index.html.

serve [PATH]

Start local server with live reload. Shorthand: s.

--port, -p N

Server port (default: 3000).

--host, -H HOST

Host to bind to (default: localhost).

--open, -o

Open browser automatically.

generate [PATH]

Generate sidebar file. Shorthand: g.

--sidebar, -s FILE

Sidebar filename (default: _sidebar.md).

--overwrite, -o

Allow overwriting existing files.

--help

Display help information.

CAVEATS

Requires JavaScript for rendering (no static HTML). SEO may be affected by client-side rendering. Large documentation sites may have initial load delay.

HISTORY

docsify was created by QingWei-Li (cinwell) and released as an open-source project. It gained popularity as a lightweight alternative to documentation generators like GitBook and VuePress, emphasizing simplicity and no build requirements. It is installed via npm: npm i docsify-cli -g.