DaC (Documentation as Code) is a methodology that treats documentation as code, using development tools to manage it.

What is DaC?

DaC is a methodology that applies software development best practices to documentation management, including version control, code review and automation.

Principles

Versioning

  • Git: Version control
  • Branches: Development branches
  • Commits: Descriptive commits
  • Tags: Version tags

Collaboration

  • Pull Requests: Pull requests
  • Code Review: Code review
  • Collaboration: Team collaboration
  • Feedback: Feedback

Automation

  • CI/CD: Continuous integration and deployment
  • Build: Automatic build
  • Deploy: Automatic deployment
  • Testing: Automated testing

Tools

Markdown

  • GitHub Flavored Markdown: GitHub Markdown
  • CommonMark: Markdown standard
  • Pandoc: Document converter
  • MkDocs: Static site generator

Site Generators

  • Hugo: Fast static generator
  • Jekyll: GitHub static generator
  • GitBook: Documentation platform
  • Docusaurus: Documentation site generator

Development Tools

  • VS Code: Code editor
  • Git: Version control
  • GitHub: Development platform
  • GitLab: DevOps platform

Implementation

Project Structure

docs/
├── README.md
├── getting-started/
│   ├── installation.md
│   └── configuration.md
├── api/
│   ├── authentication.md
│   └── endpoints.md
└── deployment/
    ├── docker.md
    └── kubernetes.md

Hugo Configuration

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# hugo.toml
baseURL = "https://docs.example.com"
languageCode = "es"
title = "Technical Documentation"

[params]
  description = "Application technical documentation"
  author = "Development Team"

MkDocs Configuration

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# mkdocs.yml
site_name: Technical Documentation
site_description: Application technical documentation
site_author: Development Team

theme:
  name: material
  palette:
    primary: blue
    accent: light blue

nav:
  - Home: index.md
  - Getting Started:
    - Installation: getting-started/installation.md
    - Configuration: getting-started/configuration.md
  - API:
    - Authentication: api/authentication.md
    - Endpoints: api/endpoints.md

Workflow

Development

  1. Create Branch: Create branch for changes
  2. Write Documentation: Write or edit documentation
  3. Commit: Commit changes
  4. Push: Push changes to repository

Review

  1. Pull Request: Create pull request
  2. Code Review: Review changes
  3. Feedback: Provide feedback
  4. Merge: Merge changes

Deployment

  1. Build: Build static site
  2. Test: Test generated site
  3. Deploy: Deploy to server
  4. Monitor: Monitor deployment

Use Cases

Technical Documentation

  • API Documentation: API documentation
  • User Guides: User guides
  • Developer Guides: Developer guides
  • Architecture: Architecture documentation

Project Documentation

  • Requirements: Requirements
  • Design: Design
  • Implementation: Implementation
  • Testing: Testing

Operations Documentation

  • Deployment: Deployment
  • Monitoring: Monitoring
  • Troubleshooting: Troubleshooting
  • Maintenance: Maintenance

Best Practices

Structure

  • Logical Organization: Logical organization
  • Consistent Naming: Consistent naming
  • Clear Hierarchy: Clear hierarchy
  • Navigation: Intuitive navigation

Content

  • Clear Writing: Clear writing
  • Examples: Practical examples
  • Diagrams: Diagrams and charts
  • Updates: Regular updates

Processes

  • Review Process: Review process
  • Version Control: Version control
  • Automation: Automation
  • Quality: Quality assurance

References