What is Docs as Code? Your Guide to Modern Technical Documentation

If you take a step back and think about today’s software development landscape, you could argue that documentation is just as important as the code itself. 

That’s because traditional documentation workflows — where documentation is manually updated, stored separately from code, and thus often falls out of sync — have started slowing teams down and leading to outdated or inconsistent information. Because of this, we’re seeing the emergence of docs as code, an approach that brings principles and tools from software development to documentation.

If you’re hearing about this approach more, you’re not alone. Docs as code has gained traction among developers, API-first companies, and DevOps teams because it streamlines collaboration, ensures accuracy, and integrates seamlessly with existing workflows. 

But what exactly does it mean, and how can your team start using it effectively? Let’s break it down.

What is docs as code?

At its core, docs as code means treating documentation just like software code. It’s an approach that’s emerged over time out of best practices used at leading tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and GitHub, where keeping documentation in sync with development is critical. By using version control, peer review, and continuous delivery, it ensures that documentation is accurate, up-to-date, and agile. This approach connects naturally with the principles of DevOps and Agile, meeting the demands of modern, developer-friendly documentation.

At its core, Docs as Code means:

• Using plain text formats: Markdown, AsciiDoc, and reStructuredText become your new best friends

• Storing docs in version control: Git becomes your single source of truth

• Automating the documentation process: CI/CD pipelines ensure your docs are always up-to-date

• Collaborating openly: Developers, writers, and subject matter experts work together seamlessly

Benefits of docs as code

Nowadays DevOps and Agile reign supreme, so your documentation can't afford to be stuck in 2010. Increased development velocity demands documentation that keeps pace and serves developers without bogging them down with clunky, inaccessible formats.The DevOps movement, with its emphasis on automation and continuous delivery, requires documentation that can keep pace with rapid release cycles. Agile methodologies demand documentation that's flexible and adaptable.

Think about it. Traditionally, documentation is:

• Version Control Nightmares: Who made this change? When did it happen? Traditional documentation methods leave these questions hanging.
• Collaboration Chaos: Email chains, conflicting edits, and endless review cycles make collaboration a nightmare.
• Siloed Information: Without centralized repositories, information gets siloed, reducing team visibility and collaboration.
• Outdated Content: Documentation quickly becomes stale and inaccurate, leading to user frustration and support requests.
• Lack of Automation: Manual processes are time-consuming, error-prone, and difficult to scale.

Docs as code flips these aspects and solves problems by:

• Improved Collaboration: Break down silos and foster teamwork between writers, developers, and subject matter experts
• Increased Automation: Automate tedious tasks like building, testing, and deploying your documentation
• Enhanced Consistency: Ensure your documentation is accurate, up-to-date, and consistent across all platforms
• Reduced Errors: Catch errors early and often through automated testing and peer review
• Happier Users: Provide clear, concise, and accessible documentation that empowers users to succeed

Right away, you can see how this approach can lead to greater accuracy, better collaboration, and more efficient documentation management. By aligning documentation with software development workflows, docs as code makes it easier to maintain accuracy, consistency, and efficiency — especially for fast-moving development teams.

Why docs as code matters for developers and API teams

Many of today’s fast-paced development teams, particularly those working with APIs, microservices, and cloud-native applications, struggle with keeping documentation up to date.

These teams see key advantages from switching to Docs as Code, such as:

• Better collaboration: Developers, technical writers, and DevOps engineers can contribute to documentation the same way they contribute to code.
• Improved accuracy: When documentation lives alongside the codebase, it’s more likely to be updated in sync with product changes.
• Automation and efficiency: CI/CD pipelines can automate documentation deployment, linting, and validation, reducing manual work.
• Scalability and maintainability: Docs as Code makes it easier to scale documentation efforts across teams, ensuring consistency.
• Standardization: Style guides and linting tools enforce quality and formatting rules automatically.

Shift to DevOps & agile

The rise of DevOps and Agile methodologies has fundamentally changed the way we develop software. These approaches emphasize speed, automation, and collaboration. Fast-paced development cycles demand instructional accuracy and integration with development timelines—something legacy documentation systems couldn't deliver.

Imagine trying to document a complex API using Word when the API itself is constantly evolving. It's a recipe for disaster.

Doc revolution

Docs as Code is the exhilarating evolution that we've all been waiting for, shifting documentation from a burdensome afterthought to a dynamic, integrated advantage. It provides a structured, automated, and collaborative approach to documentation that aligns perfectly with modern software development practices. It's not just a trend; it's a necessary adaptation to the demands of agile development and DevOps principles.

Understanding the Docs as Code philosophy

At its core, Docs as Code isn't just about using specific tools; it's about embracing a new philosophy that treats documentation with the same respect and rigor as code. This philosophy is built on four key pillars:

Treat docs like code

Apply the same quality assurance, testing, and continuous integration processes to your documentation as you do to your software. This means writing clear, concise content, reviewing it rigorously, and automating the process as much as possible. This includes running linters to check for style, grammar, and broken links. Subject documentation to these rigorous processes to improve reliability and trust.

Version control

Embrace Git (or other systems) as the single source of truth for your documentation. Version control allows you to track changes, collaborate effectively, and easily revert to previous versions if needed. This is crucial for maintaining accuracy and consistency, especially in fast-paced development environments. Think of it as a time machine for your docs, elegantly preventing outdated doc nightmares.

Automation

Seamlessly roll documentation into existing CI/CD pipelines for smooth sailing when deploying new features or updates. Automate the process of building, testing, and deploying your documentation. This ensures that your documentation is always up-to-date and readily available. Every time you merge code changes, your documentation is automatically updated to reflect those changes. No more manual deployments!

Collaboration & peer review

With practices like pull requests, encourage collective wisdom from developers, writers, and subject matter experts to elevate documentation quality. Use pull requests for all doc changes to foster transparency and gather feedback. Peer review helps catch errors, improve clarity, and ensure that the documentation meets the needs of all stakeholders. Think of it as a virtual water cooler for your documentation team.

The business case for Docs as Code

Let's talk turkey. While the philosophical arguments for Docs as Code are compelling, the business benefits are what truly make it a game-changer. This isn't just about making your developers happier (although that's a definite perk); it's about driving real, measurable ROI.

Measurable ROI

Reduced Errors: Accurate documentation reduces errors in code and system usage, leading to fewer bugs and a more stable product. Think of it as preventative maintenance for your entire codebase.

Time Savings: Developers spend less time searching for information and more time building features. This translates to increased productivity and faster release cycles.

Fewer Support Tickets: Clear, concise documentation reduces the number of support tickets, freeing up your support team to focus on more complex issues. This not only saves money but also improves customer satisfaction.

Collaboration

Docs as Code unites developers and writers within a shared workflow, facilitating seamless interactions and richer documentation. When developers are involved in the documentation process, they can provide valuable insights and ensure that the documentation accurately reflects the code. This shared ownership leads to higher quality documentation and a more positive developer experience.

Cost savings & efficiency

Automation eliminates repetitive tasks, freeing resources and slashing the risk of errors. By automating the documentation build process, you can eliminate manual tasks and free up valuable resources. Furthermore, by consolidating your documentation into a single repository, you can reduce storage costs and simplify maintenance.

Supporting agile development

When releases happen more frequently, your documentation needs to keep up. Docs as Code ensures you aren't left in the digital dust. By automating the documentation process and fostering collaboration, you can ensure that your documentation is always up-to-date and aligned with the latest code changes. This enables your team to iterate quickly and deliver value to your customers faster.

Key tools and technologies that drive Docs as Code

Want to move to a docs-as-code approach with your teams? These are some of the most commonly used tools and technologies to have on your checklist and help you get started:

• Version control: Get with Git (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket) for managing documentation changes.
• Markup languages: Markdown, AsciiDoc, and reStructuredText will help with writing documentation in plain text.
• Static site generators: Solutions like MkDocs, Hugo, Docusaurus, and Jekyll can knock out the need to generate and host documentation sites.
• CI/CD integration: Look to GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Netlify, and Vercel for automating builds and deployments.
• Linter and formatting tools: You might use Vale or Markdownlint for enforcing documentation style and consistency.
• API documentation-specific tools: Here you might have Redocly, Swagger, or Stoplight for API reference documentation.

With tools and solutions like these integrated into a Docs as Code workflow, your team can start automating the process of writing, reviewing, and publishing documentation with minimal overhead.

Best practices for implementing docs as code

As docs as code has gained momentum and popularity, best practices have emerged for taking on the approach. Orgs like Google and Microsoft and communities like Write the Docs are using these best practices to improve documentation efficiency, accuracy, and maintainability.

Store documentation in a Git repository

• Consolidate all documentation:Keeping documentation in the same repo as your code or in a dedicated /docs folder ensures that documentation is version-controlled, allowing teams to track changes, review updates, and revert when necessary — just like they do with code.
• Eliminate duplication: Remove duplicate content and ensure that all documentation is sourced from a single location.

Use linters and style guides

Tools like Vale help enforce consistency in writing style and formatting. Standardizing documentation formatting reduces errors, improves readability, and ensures a cohesive user experience across different documentation contributors.

Automate builds and deployments

Set up a CI/CD pipeline to generate and publish documentation automatically. Automation eliminates manual deployment steps, ensuring that documentation updates go live immediately after approval and reducing the risk of outdated content persisting in production. Here at Kong, we’ve even devised ways to automate screenshots as part of docs as code.

Enable collaborative reviews

Treat documentation updates like code changes, requiring pull request reviews. This creates a transparent process where multiple team members can contribute, suggest improvements, and ensure accuracy before updates are merged.

Keep docs modular and maintainable

Break documentation into small, reusable components to avoid duplication. Modular content makes it easier to update and scale documentation as products evolve, preventing inconsistencies and redundant information.

Integrate API documentation into your workflow

You can use OpenAPI/Swagger to generate API docs directly from source code. When you automate API documentation, you ensure API references stay accurate with each release, reducing the need for manual updates and preventing discrepancies between documentation and the actual API behavior.

Overcoming common adoption challenges

Implementing Docs as Code can be challenging, but with the right approach, you can overcome these obstacles.

Resistance to change

• Communicate the benefits: Clearly communicate the benefits of Docs as Code to all stakeholders.
• Provide training and onboarding: Offer training and onboarding sessions to help users learn new tools and processes.
• Showcase success stories: Share examples of how other organizations have successfully implemented Docs as Code.
• Start with champions: Identify and empower enthusiastic early adopters who can help drive adoption across the organization.

Learning curve

• Provide clear documentation: Create clear and concise documentation for all tools and processes.
• Offer support and mentorship: Provide support and mentorship to help users overcome the learning curve.
• Start small: Begin with a small pilot project to prove the concept and gain experience.
• Leverage existing skills: Build on your team's existing knowledge of version control and markdown where possible.

Maintaining quality in fast-paced environments

• Leverage CI/CD: Use CI/CD to catch errors early and often.
• Automate testing and validation: Incorporate automated testing and validation tools into your CI/CD pipeline.
• Encourage peer review: Emphasize the importance of peer review to ensure that all documentation changes are thoroughly reviewed.
• Set quality gates: Establish clear quality criteria that must be met before documentation can be published.

Legacy documentation migration

• Prioritize critical documentation: Focus on migrating the most critical documentation first.
• Migrate incrementally: Migrate documentation in small, manageable chunks.
• Automate the migration process: Use scripts and tools to automate the migration process as much as possible.
• Preserve historical context: Ensure that important historical information isn't lost during the migration.

Conclusion

Simply put, docs as code transforms how teams write and maintain documentation, bringing the best practices of software development to technical content. By using version control, automation, and collaboration tools, teams can ensure their documentation remains accurate, scalable, and easy to manage.

If your team is struggling with outdated or fragmented documentation, adopting a docs-as-code approach might be worth considering. Start small by moving documentation to Git, automating simple workflows, integrating documentation reviews into your development process, and then move forward from there.

Docs as Code FAQs

What is Docs as Code?

Docs as Code is an innovative approach that treats documentation with the same rigor and methodology used in software development. By utilizing version control systems like Git, adopting plain text formats such as Markdown, automating processes through CI/CD pipelines, and fostering open collaboration, documentation remains accurate, continuously updated, and seamlessly integrated into modern development workflows.

Importance of Docs as Code for Modern Technical Documentation

In the fast-paced world of modern software development, traditional documentation methods struggle to keep up. Docs as Code addresses this by synchronizing documentation with rapid software releases, encouraging collaborative contributions from teams, and ensuring consistency. By leveraging version control, automated builds, and peer reviews, organizations can deliver up-to-date and accurate information to both users and developers.

Benefits for DevOps and Agile Teams

Docs as Code is particularly beneficial for DevOps and Agile teams, which prioritize speed, automation, and frequent releases. This approach aligns perfectly by using automated pipelines, continuous integration, and shared repositories. It eliminates manual documentation bottlenecks, keeps documentation current as code changes, and maintains quality through peer review and testing—all without slowing down the development process.

Main Benefits of Adopting Docs as Code

Switching to Docs as Code offers several advantages:

• Improved Collaboration: Shared repositories and review processes facilitate better teamwork.

• Increased Automation: Ensures new updates are immediately reflected in documentation.

• Enhanced Consistency: Documentation lives alongside source code, maintaining uniformity.

• Reduced Errors: Continuous testing and peer reviews lower the likelihood of mistakes.

• Empowered Users: Accessible, accurate, and developer-friendly documentation is provided.

Common Tools and Technologies

A typical Docs as Code workflow employs:

• Version Control Systems: GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket.

• Markup Formats: Markdown or AsciiDoc for plain-text authoring.

• Static Site Generators: MkDocs, Hugo, Docusaurus, or Jekyll for creating fast, user-friendly documentation sites.

• Automated CI/CD Solutions: GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or Netlify for building and deploying updates.

• Linting and Style Tools: Vale or Markdownlint for consistency.

• API-Specific Documentation Tools: Redocly, Swagger for reference documentation.

Implementing Docs as Code Best Practices

To implement Docs as Code effectively, consider the following best practices:

• Store documentation in a dedicated Git repository or a /docs folder within your codebase.

• Use linters and style guides to maintain clarity and consistency.

• Automate builds and deployments with CI/CD pipelines, ensuring prompt updates.

• Encourage collaborative reviews with pull requests for all documentation changes.

• Break content into modular sections or components to simplify updates.

Challenges in Adopting Docs as Code

Adopting Docs as Code can present some challenges, including:

• Resistance to Change: Particularly if teams are accustomed to traditional methods.

• Learning Curve: For developers and writers new to version control or Markdown.

• Maintaining Quality: As development speeds up.

• Managing Legacy Documentation: Which may need migration or cleanup.
  Strong communication, training programs, and starting with small steps can help overcome these challenges.

Role of Version Control in Enhancing Docs as Code

Using version control, particularly Git, enhances the Docs as Code process by:

• Providing historical tracking of all documentation changes.

• Allowing reverts or comparisons of previous versions.

• Ensuring clear accountability for edits via commit history.

• Streamlining collaboration among multiple contributors.
  This approach results in accurate, traceable, and transparent documentation management.

Value of Docs as Code for API Documentation

For API-driven development, which often changes rapidly, Docs as Code is invaluable:

• Ensures updates to the codebase are mirrored in documentation simultaneously, preventing outdated instructions.

• Uses automation through CI/CD to rebuild and publish API documentation whenever changes occur.

• Integrates with tools like OpenAPI or Swagger to automate the generation of reference docs, reducing manual effort.
  This keeps API documentation reliable, consistent, and developer-friendly.

Starting the Transition to Docs as Code

To begin transitioning to a Docs as Code approach, you can follow these steps:

1. Move existing documentation to a Git repository.

2. Convert documentation into a plain-text format, such as Markdown or AsciiDoc.

3. Set up automated builds and deployments to streamline the process.

4. Establish guidelines for peer review and style consistency.

5. Incrementally migrate legacy content and involve team members in documentation updates, treating it much like code.