javadoc

Generate documentation for Java source code and save the result in a directory

$ javadoc -d [path/to/directory]/ [path/to/java_source_code]

$ javadoc -docencoding [UTF-8] [path/to/java_source_code]

$ javadoc -exclude [package_list] [path/to/java_source_code]

javadoc [options] [packagelist] [classlist] [@files]

-d directory
    Destination directory for output

-doclet class
    Class name of custom doclet

-docletpath classpath
    Path to doclet classes

-encoding name
    Encoding for source files

-exclude packagelist
    Packages to exclude

-help
    Print help message

-Jflag
    Pass flag to JVM

-locale name
    Locale for output

-overview file
    Read overview from file

-package
    Include package descriptions

-private
    Include private members (default)

-protected
    Include protected members

-public
    Include only public members

-quiet
    Suppress non-error messages

-source version
    Source code language version

-sourcepath pathlist
    Search path for sources

-subpackages pkg1[:pkg2]:...
    Subpackages to document recursively

-use
    Include class-use pages

The javadoc command is a documentation generator tool included in the Java Development Kit (JDK). It reads Java source files and extracts specially formatted comments (doc comments starting with /**) to produce comprehensive HTML-based API documentation. This includes class hierarchies, method signatures, field lists, package summaries, and cross-referenced indexes.

Javadoc supports standard doc tags like @param, @return, @see, @author, and @version, enabling structured documentation. It processes entire packages or individual classes, generating frames-based or non-frames navigation. Custom doclets allow output in other formats like XML or PDF.

Key features include overview pages, package summaries, class use pages, deprecated lists, and serialization info. It handles inner classes, enums, annotations, and generics from modern Java. Source paths, encodings, and exclusions enhance flexibility for large projects.

Requires JDK installation; processes only source files with doc comments; large projects may need memory tuning via -J flags; HTML5 output since JDK 9; deprecated options in newer versions.

javadoc -d docs -sourcepath src java.lang
Generates docs for java.lang package into docs directory.

Use /** ... */ for comments; inline tags like {@link Class#method} for links.

Developed by Sun Microsystems in 1995 for Java 1.0; evolved with Java features like generics (JDK 5) and modules (JDK 9); now maintained by Oracle, with HTML5 standarddoclet replacing old frames.

javac(1), java(1), jar(1), javadoc(1)