What is Documentation as Code?
Documentation as Code (DaaC) is an approach that treats documentation as an integral part of the codebase, written by engineers, versioned in Git, reviewed, and tested in the same pipeline as the code. This guide explains what it means, why teams adopt it, and the tools that make it work.
Documentation as Code (DaaC) is an approach that treats documentation as an integral part of the code. Instead of living in a disconnected wiki, docs are written by engineers, stored in version control, reviewed like a pull request, and validated automatically in the build pipeline.
“The only thing worse than no documentation is bad documentation.”
It sounds simple, but it changes everything about how documentation gets written and maintained. Below, we explain what DaaC is, why documentation so often goes stale, how DaaC fixes it, and the tools and practices that bring it to life.
What is Documentation as Code?
Documentation as Code (DaaC) is the practice of managing documentation with the same tools and workflows engineers already use for source code: version control, code review, automated testing, and CI/CD pipelines.
In practice, that means documentation is stored alongside the code it describes, tracked in Git, reviewed before it is merged, and checked automatically for format and validity. Documentation stops being an afterthought in a separate system and becomes a first-class part of the software itself.
Why do engineers skip documentation?
Ask anyone whether documentation is important and the answer is almost always yes. Yet even engineers who value it are rarely obsessed with writing it. Two beliefs are usually behind this:
- Documentation feels like extra work. Because docs are seen as separate from code, writing them looks like a burden on top of an engineer's real job.
- Documentation is assumed to be the technical writer's job. That is partly true, but some docs: like reference documentation and docstrings, can only be written by the engineer who built the feature.
The result is documentation that is outdated, incomplete, or missing entirely, which quietly erodes the quality and maintainability of the software.
How Documentation as Code works
DaaC closes the gap between the value of documentation and the reality of how it gets written by declaring one thing: documentation is part of the code. That single statement changes how docs are treated:
- Writing documentation is an engineer's responsibility, not an optional extra.
- Documentation lives in version control, right next to the code.
- Documentation is checked and tested for format and validity inside the build pipeline, just like code.
- Documentation is aggregated into a single portal that the whole team can browse and review.
- Non-compliant documentation is treated as a bug: logged in the tracker, assigned to an engineer, fixed, and re-checked.
Benefits of Documentation as Code
Treating documentation as code produces the same quality gains you get from good engineering practice:
- Improved collaboration: version control and code review let the whole team create and maintain docs together.
- Easier maintenance: because docs are part of the development process, they stay current instead of drifting out of date.
- Better communication: a centralized, accessible portal bridges the gap between engineers and non-technical stakeholders like product managers and designers.
- A single source of truth: everyone reads the same reviewed, versioned documentation.
Documentation as Code tools
DaaC reuses the tools teams already have for source code. A typical stack includes:
- Version control and CI/CD: Git and platforms like GitLab or GitHub host the docs, run reviews, and build them in a pipeline.
- Docstring linters: tools like pydocstyle enforce docstring format and coverage, failing the build if coverage drops too low.
- Documentation generators: Sphinx turns docstrings into browsable HTML.
- Documentation portals and static site generators: Docsify, MkDocs, Hugo, or Jekyll turn Markdown into a hosted documentation site.
- Issue and bug trackers: tools like Redmine or Jira track invalid, expired, or incorrect documentation as bugs.
Documentation as Code best practices
A few simple policies make DaaC stick:
- Block merge requests when required docstrings are missing.
- Require a clear written description: the idea, the concept, and an implementation example, for every new feature.
- Keep documentation in the same repository as the code it describes so the two evolve together.
- Treat a documentation failure as a build failure, not a nice-to-have.
How 8grams applies Documentation as Code
At 8grams, we implement DaaC with the same tools we use for source code, Git for versioning and review, docstring checks in CI, generated documentation portals, and a bug tracker for doc issues. Merge requests aren't approved when docstrings are missing, so documentation stays accurate as the codebase grows.
Key takeaways
- Documentation as Code (DaaC) manages docs with the same tools as source code: version control, review, testing, and CI/CD.
- It fixes stale and missing docs by making documentation an engineer's responsibility and part of the pipeline.
- Non-compliant documentation is treated as a bug, tracked, assigned, fixed, and re-checked.
- Typical tools include Git, docstring linters, Sphinx, and static site generators like Docsify, MkDocs, or Hugo.
Common questions.
What is Documentation as Code (DaaC)?
Documentation as Code is the practice of writing, storing, reviewing, and testing documentation with the same tools and workflows used for source code, version control, code review, and CI/CD pipelines. Docs live next to the code and are treated as a first-class part of the software.
Why treat documentation as code?
Because it keeps docs accurate. When documentation is versioned, reviewed, and validated in the build pipeline like code, it stays in sync with the software instead of drifting out of date in a separate wiki.
What is the difference between Documentation as Code and a wiki?
A wiki is edited separately from the code and easily goes stale. Documentation as Code lives in the same repository, follows the same review process, and is tested automatically, so it evolves together with the code it describes.
What tools are used for Documentation as Code?
Common tools include Git and GitLab/GitHub for version control and CI, docstring linters like pydocstyle, generators like Sphinx, static site generators like Docsify, MkDocs, Hugo, or Jekyll, and issue trackers like Redmine or Jira for documentation bugs.
Does Documentation as Code replace technical writers?
No. Technical writers still add enormous value for guides and user-facing content. DaaC simply makes engineers responsible for the docs only they can write, reference docs and docstrings, and gives everyone one reviewed source of truth.
How do you test documentation?
You lint it for format and coverage (for example, failing the build if docstring coverage drops below a threshold), check links and structure, and treat any non-compliant documentation as a bug that must be fixed before merging.
What is a docstring?
A docstring is documentation written directly in the source code to describe a module, class, or function. Tools can enforce their format and coverage and generate browsable HTML documentation from them.
Can non-developers contribute to Documentation as Code?
Yes. Because most DaaC content is written in Markdown and published to a portal, product managers, designers, and other stakeholders can read it easily and, with a light Git workflow, contribute edits too.
Is Documentation as Code only for APIs?
No. It works for API references, architecture docs, runbooks, onboarding guides, and internal knowledge bases, anything that benefits from being versioned, reviewed, and kept in sync with the code.
How do you get started with Documentation as Code?
Start by moving docs into the code repository, adding a docstring or Markdown linter to your CI pipeline, publishing a documentation portal with a static site generator, and making missing or invalid docs block a merge, then expand from there.
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