gitbook

Initialize new book

$ gitbook init

$ gitbook serve

$ gitbook build

$ gitbook build [.] [_book]

$ gitbook install

$ gitbook update

$ gitbook ls-remote

gitbook command [options]

gitbook is a command-line tool for building books and documentation from Markdown files. It generates static HTML sites or other formats like PDF and ePub.
The tool uses a `book.json` configuration file and organizes content through `SUMMARY.md` for structure. Plugins extend functionality with custom features.

init

Initialize book structure.

Serve book on localhost.

Build static website.

Install plugins from book.json.

Generate PDF (requires Calibre).

Generate ePub.

Generate Mobi.

Update GitBook.

Server port for serve.

Log level.

book.json

Project configuration file defining title, description, plugins, and build settings.

Legacy CLI deprecated. Requires older Node.js versions. Plugins may be unmaintained. PDF generation needs Calibre.

GitBook was created by Samy Pesse and Aaron O'Mullan around 2014. It became popular for technical documentation and books. The company pivoted to a commercial platform, leaving the CLI as a legacy tool. Community forks continue development.

mdbook(1), mkdocs(1), sphinx(1), docusaurus(1)