slate

Beautiful static documentation for your API

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slate

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docsify

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readthedocs.org

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The source code that powers readthedocs.org

mkdocs

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Project documentation with Markdown.

swagger-ui

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Swagger UI is a collection of HTML, JavaScript, and CSS assets that dynamically generate beautiful documentation from a Swagger-compliant API.

Quick Overview

Slate is an open-source tool for creating beautiful, intelligent, and responsive API documentation. It allows developers to write their API documentation in Markdown and generates a sleek, single-page HTML website with a three-column layout, making it easy for users to navigate and understand the API.

Pros

Easy to use: Write documentation in Markdown, which is simple and widely known
Customizable: Supports custom styles and layouts to match your brand
Interactive: Includes syntax highlighting and code samples that users can try out
Mobile-friendly: Responsive design works well on various devices

Cons

Limited to single-page format: May not be ideal for extremely large or complex APIs
Learning curve: Some initial setup and configuration required
Dependency management: Requires Ruby and some gem dependencies

Getting Started

To get started with Slate, follow these steps:

1. Clone the repository:
   git clone https://github.com/slatedocs/slate.git
   cd slate

2. Install dependencies:
   bundle install

3. Start the local server:
   bundle exec middleman server

4. Edit the source/index.html.md file to add your API documentation

5. Build the static site:
   bundle exec middleman build --clean

6. Deploy the contents of the build directory to your web server

This will set up a local instance of Slate and allow you to start customizing your API documentation. The generated static site can be easily deployed to various hosting platforms.

Competitor Comparisons

slate

36,162

Beautiful static documentation for your API

Pros of Slate

More active development and maintenance
Larger community and contributor base
Better documentation and examples

Cons of Slate

Slightly more complex setup process
May require more configuration for advanced use cases

Code Comparison

Slate:

require 'middleman'
require 'middleman-syntax'
require 'middleman-autoprefixer'
require 'middleman-sprockets'
require 'rouge'
require 'nokogiri'

Slate>:

require 'middleman'
require 'middleman-syntax'
require 'middleman-autoprefixer'
require 'middleman-sprockets'
require 'rouge'

Summary

Both Slate and Slate> are static site generators for creating beautiful API documentation. Slate is the more actively maintained and widely used option, with a larger community and more comprehensive documentation. However, it may require a bit more setup and configuration for advanced use cases. Slate> is a fork of Slate with some minor differences, but it has less active development and a smaller community. The code comparison shows that both projects use similar dependencies, with Slate including an additional nokogiri requirement. Overall, Slate is generally recommended for most users due to its active development and broader support.

docsify

30,989

🃏 A magical documentation site generator.

Pros of Docsify

Lightweight and easy to set up with minimal configuration
Supports real-time rendering of Markdown files without build process
Highly customizable with plugins and themes

Cons of Docsify

Limited built-in search functionality compared to Slate's robust search
Less suitable for complex, multi-language API documentation
May require more manual organization for larger documentation projects

Code Comparison

Docsify (index.html):

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>My Documentation</title>
</head>
<body>
  <div id="app"></div>
  <script>
    window.$docsify = {
      name: 'My Docs',
      repo: 'https://github.com/username/repo'
    }
  </script>
  <script src="//cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/docsify/lib/docsify.min.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Slate (index.html.md):

---
title: API Reference

language_tabs:
  - shell
  - ruby
  - python

toc_footers:
  - <a href='#'>Sign Up for a Developer Key</a>

includes:
  - errors

search: true
---

# Introduction

Welcome to the Kittn API! You can use our API to access Kittn API endpoints...

Both Slate and Docsify are popular documentation tools, but they cater to different needs. Slate is more suited for complex API documentation with multiple languages, while Docsify offers a simpler, more flexible approach for general documentation needs.

readthedocs.org

8,325

The source code that powers readthedocs.org

Pros of Read the Docs

Supports multiple programming languages and documentation formats
Offers automatic building and versioning of documentation
Provides free hosting and custom domain support

Cons of Read the Docs

Steeper learning curve for initial setup
Less control over the visual design and layout
May require more configuration for complex documentation structures

Code Comparison

Read the Docs (Python):

from recommonmark.parser import CommonMarkParser

source_parsers = {
    '.md': CommonMarkParser,
}

source_suffix = ['.rst', '.md']

Slate (Ruby):

require 'middleman-syntax'
require 'middleman-autoprefixer'
require 'middleman-sprockets'
require 'rouge/plugins/redcarpet'

Both repositories serve different purposes in the documentation ecosystem. Read the Docs is a comprehensive documentation hosting platform, while Slate is focused on creating beautiful API documentation. The code snippets demonstrate the different languages and dependencies used in each project, reflecting their distinct approaches to documentation generation and presentation.

mkdocs

21,744

Project documentation with Markdown.

Pros of MkDocs

Simpler setup and configuration, making it easier for beginners
Supports multiple themes and plugins, offering greater customization
Built-in search functionality without additional setup

Cons of MkDocs

Less visually appealing out-of-the-box compared to Slate's polished design
May require more manual styling for complex documentation layouts
Limited built-in API documentation features

Code Comparison

MkDocs configuration (mkdocs.yml):

site_name: My Docs
theme: readthedocs
nav:
  - Home: index.md
  - About: about.md

Slate configuration (slate.yml):

language_tabs:
  - ruby
  - python
  - javascript

toc_footers:
  - <a href='#'>Sign Up for a Developer Key</a>

includes:
  - errors

Both projects aim to simplify documentation creation, but they cater to different needs. MkDocs is more versatile for general documentation, while Slate focuses on creating beautiful API documentation. MkDocs offers greater flexibility and ease of use, whereas Slate provides a more polished, API-centric experience out of the box.

swagger-ui

28,624

Swagger UI is a collection of HTML, JavaScript, and CSS assets that dynamically generate beautiful documentation from a Swagger-compliant API.

Pros of Swagger UI

Interactive API documentation with built-in request/response functionality
Supports OpenAPI (formerly Swagger) specification out of the box
Widely adopted and well-maintained with a large community

Cons of Swagger UI

Less customizable appearance compared to Slate's Markdown-based approach
May require more setup and configuration for complex API structures
Limited theming options without extensive customization

Code Comparison

Slate (Markdown):

# Introduction

Welcome to the Kittn API! You can use our API to access Kittn API endpoints, which can get information on various cats, kittens, and breeds in our database.

## Authentication

The Kittn API uses API keys to allow access to the API. You can register a new Kittn API key at our [developer portal](http://example.com/developers).

Swagger UI (YAML):

openapi: 3.0.0
info:
  title: Kittn API
  description: API for accessing information on cats, kittens, and breeds
  version: 1.0.0
security:
  - ApiKeyAuth: []
paths:
  /cats:
    get:
      summary: List all cats

api-blueprint

8,673

API Blueprint

Pros of API Blueprint

Language-agnostic, allowing for broader tool and platform support
Simpler syntax based on Markdown, easier for non-developers to read and write
Supports more detailed API descriptions, including data structures and scenarios

Cons of API Blueprint

Less visually appealing out-of-the-box documentation
Requires additional tools or platforms for rendering and hosting
Limited built-in customization options for documentation appearance

Code Comparison

API Blueprint:

# GET /message
+ Response 200 (text/plain)

        Hello World!

Slate:

require 'kittn'

api = Kittn::APIClient.authorize!('meowmeowmeow')
api.kittens.get

Summary

API Blueprint focuses on a language-agnostic approach with a simple Markdown-based syntax, making it accessible to a wider audience. It excels in detailed API descriptions but requires additional tools for rendering. Slate, on the other hand, provides a more visually appealing documentation solution out-of-the-box with built-in customization options, but is less flexible in terms of language support and may be more challenging for non-developers to contribute to.

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README

Slate was a API documentation generator created by @lord in 2013. It was once used to host API docs for projects at NASA, Sony, Best Buy, Clearbit, Dwolla, Parrot Drones, WooCommerce, and Axidraw, among many others.

As the original creator and administrator of this project, and in the spirit of the various protests and strikes actively going on in the US (as of Jan 2026) I've decided to take it off of GitHub in protest of Microsoft's contracts with ICE and the IDF. You can read more about this decision on my blog. My website also hosts a read-only archive of Slate's code.

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