Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

DocFX VS explainshell

Compare DocFX VS explainshell and see what are their differences

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DocFX logo DocFX

A documentation generation tool for API reference and Markdown files!

explainshell logo explainshell

Match command-line arguments to their help.
  • DocFX Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-11
  • explainshell Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-08-07

DocFX features and specs

  • Open Source
    DocFX is an open-source project, which allows for community contributions and transparency in development.
  • Multi-platform Support
    It supports generating documentation for .NET projects across different operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and macOS.
  • Comprehensive Documentation
    DocFX can generate documentation from source code files as well as markdown files, making it versatile for different types of documentation needs.
  • Customization and Extensibility
    The tool allows for customization of templates and supports plugins, enabling users to tailor the output to their specific requirements.
  • Static Site Generation
    DocFX can generate a full static website from the documentation, which can be easily hosted on platforms like GitHub Pages.
  • Integration with .NET Core
    DocFX integrates well with .NET ecosystem, making it a convenient choice for .NET developers for both code and conceptual documentation.

Possible disadvantages of DocFX

  • Complex Setup
    The initial configuration and setup might be complex for users who are not familiar with the tooling, requiring careful reading of the documentation.
  • Performance Issues
    For large projects, DocFX can be slow during the documentation generation process, which may affect productivity for large-scale documentation.
  • Limited Non-.NET Language Support
    While it is excellent for .NET projects, DocFX offers limited features when applied to projects in other programming languages.
  • Documentation Quality
    Some users might find that the generated documentation lacks polish out-of-the-box, requiring additional effort to meet professional publishing standards.
  • Learning Curve
    There can be a learning curve for new users in understanding how to use DocFX effectively, especially in customizing templates and themes.

explainshell features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Explainshell provides a clean and easy-to-navigate interface, making it accessible for users with different experience levels.
  • Command Line Breakdown
    It breaks down complex command-line statements into simpler parts, explaining each part's function in detail.
  • Educational Tool
    Serves as a great learning resource for beginners and intermediate users who want to understand shell commands in depth.
  • Library of Commands
    Leverages the extensive `man` page collection to provide detailed explanations of a wide variety of commands.
  • Web-Based Accessibility
    Being a web-based tool, it is accessible from any device with an internet connection, without needing any additional software installation.

Possible disadvantages of explainshell

  • Dependency on `man` Pages
    The tool relies on `man` pages for explanations, which might not cover all edge cases or the latest versions of commands.
  • Internet Requirement
    Requires an internet connection to use, limiting its accessibility in offline scenarios.
  • Limited to Shell Commands
    Focused solely on shell commands, it doesn't cover other scripting languages or programming environments.
  • No Live Execution
    Cannot execute commands or provide real-time feedback; it's purely an explanatory tool.
  • Potential Outdated Information
    The explanations might occasionally be based on older versions of `man` pages, potentially missing out on new features or changes.

Analysis of explainshell

Overall verdict

  • Explainshell is generally well-regarded and beneficial for users who work with shell commands. It simplifies understanding, reduces errors, and can be an invaluable learning resource.

Why this product is good

  • Explainshell is considered a good tool because it provides detailed explanations of shell commands by breaking them down into individual components and offering descriptions for each part. This can be incredibly helpful for both beginners learning how to use shell commands and experienced users looking to understand complex command structures. The service pulls in documentation from the man pages, making it a reliable and comprehensive resource.

Recommended for

  • Beginners looking to learn shell commands
  • Developers and system administrators who frequently use the command line
  • Anyone seeking to understand complex shell command structures
  • Learners improving their scripting and command-line skills

DocFX videos

Generate Java documentation with DocFX

explainshell videos

No explainshell videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to DocFX and explainshell)
Documentation
100 100%
0% 0
Productivity
0 0%
100% 100
Documentation As A Service & Tools
Mac
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, explainshell seems to be a lot more popular than DocFX. While we know about 112 links to explainshell, we've tracked only 7 mentions of DocFX. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

DocFX mentions (7)

  • TSDocs.dev: type docs for any JavaScript library
    This is a better looking version of what Java and C# have had for a long time (kudos to the author for that!), is that the inspiration for this tool? https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/technotes/tools/windows/javadoc.html https://dotnet.github.io/docfx/ I saw the author mentioned in another comment that they found themselves peeping inside type declaration files "too often". While I do often use sites generated... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • What Does Microsoft Use to Create their KB Articles?
    Actually, we use it for OptiTune, it's called "docfx" https://dotnet.github.io/docfx/. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Library / Codebase Documentation - Multiple aggregated libraries - How to create? DocFx does not support this?
    We would really prefer to use a somewhat generic pre-made tool for this (such as DocFX) compared to rolling our own solution. We can roll our own solution... But would prefer not to so that we can minimize development and maintenance overhead. Source: over 3 years ago
  • CSharp Docuementation Site
    I use docfx from microsoft to generate documentation for all my oss libraries. Source: over 3 years ago
  • What platform is Microsoft Docs hosted on?
    My best guess would be that there's a CI/CD pipeline in GitHub that utilizes DocFX to convert the Markdown files to HTML. The constructed HTML files are then placed in an Azure Storage account that configured for Static Website Hosting combined with Azure CDN. Source: over 3 years ago
View more

explainshell mentions (112)

  • 15 bash scripts to automate boring DevOps tasks so you can go play Elden Ring instead
    Explainshell paste a bash command and it explains every part. - Source: dev.to / 15 days ago
  • Linux for Non-Techies: A Simple Guide to Getting Comfortable
    Explainshell.com (Explains any Linux command). - Source: dev.to / 26 days ago
  • If OpenSSL Were a GUI
    I've found this tool handy for faster-than-man explanations of various CLI invocations: https://explainshell.com/ Sadly, it hasn't been updated in years. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • The bash book to rule them all
    Https://explainshell.com/ also is good for explaining commands. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • The bash book to rule them all
    Https://explainshell.com/ can help with that but isn't perfect. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing DocFX and explainshell, you can also consider the following products

Doxygen - Generate documentation from source code

cheat.sh - The only cheat sheet you need Unified access to the best community driven documentation

Natural Docs - Natural Docs is an open-source documentation generator for multiple programming languages.

regular expressions 101 - Extensive regex tester and debugger with highlighting for PHP, PCRE, Python and JavaScript.

JSDoc - An API documentation generator for JavaScript.

cheat - Cheat allows you to create and view interactive cheatsheets on the command-line.