Docs-as-Code

Implement docs-as-code workflows using version control, Markdown, and automated publishing for scalable documentation.

When to Use This Skill

• Developer documentation
• Version-controlled docs
• Collaborative writing
• Automated publishing
• Multi-version docs
• Technical documentation
• API references
• Open source projects

Core Concepts

1. Docs-as-Code Workflow

Write (Markdown) → Commit (Git) → Review (PR) → Build (CI) → Deploy (Static Site)

2. MkDocs Project Structure

my-docs/
├── mkdocs.yml          # Configuration
├── docs/
│   ├── index.md        # Home page
│   ├── getting-started.md
│   ├── api/
│   │   ├── overview.md
│   │   └── reference.md
│   └── guides/
│       ├── authentication.md
│       └── deployment.md
└── .github/
    └── workflows/
        └── deploy-docs.yml  # CI/CD

3. mkdocs.yml Configuration

site_name: My Documentation
site_url: https://docs.example.com
theme:
  name: material
  features:
    - navigation.tabs
    - search.highlight
nav:
  - Home: index.md
  - Getting Started: getting-started.md
  - API:
    - Overview: api/overview.md
    - Reference: api/reference.md
  - Guides:
    - Authentication: guides/authentication.md
    - Deployment: guides/deployment.md
plugins:
  - search
  - git-revision-date
markdown_extensions:
  - pymdownx.highlight
  - pymdownx.superfences
  - admonition

4. GitHub Actions Deployment

name: Deploy Docs

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
      
      - name: Setup Python
        uses: actions/setup-python@v4
        with:
          python-version: 3.x
          
      - name: Install dependencies
        run: pip install mkdocs-material
        
      - name: Deploy
        run: mkdocs gh-deploy --force

Best Practices

1. Use Git – Version control for all docs
2. Markdown first – Simple, portable format
3. Review process – Pull requests for changes
4. Automate builds – CI/CD pipelines
5. Test locally – Preview before publishing
6. Semantic versioning – Version your docs
7. Search enabled – Make content findable
8. Link checking – Validate links regularly

Resources

• MkDocs: https://www.mkdocs.org
• Docusaurus: https://docusaurus.io
• Material for MkDocs: https://squidfunk.github.io/mkdocs-material/