DocFX VS openKB

DocFX

A documentation generation tool for API reference and Markdown files!

openKB

openKB is a Markdown Knowledge base application (FAQ) built with Nodejs and ExpressJS.

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2023-05-11

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DocFX

Website: dotnet.github.io
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openKB

Website: openkb.mrvautin.com
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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.

openKB features and specs

Open Source
openKB is open source, meaning it's free to use and you can modify the source code to suit your needs.
Self-Hosted
You have complete control over your data and the environment as it is self-hosted.
Markdown Support
Allows you to write articles and documentation using Markdown, which is widely used for formatting plain text.
Search Functionality
Includes search functionality to easily find articles or topics within the knowledge base.
Easy Installation
Generally easy to install and set up, especially if you are familiar with Node.js applications.

Possible disadvantages of openKB

Maintenance
As it is self-hosted, you are responsible for maintaining and updating the software.
Technical Expertise
Requires some level of technical expertise to install, configure, and manage.
Limited Features
Compared to some commercial solutions, openKB might lack advanced features like user analytics or multi-language support.
Community Support
Being a less popular open source project, community support may not be as readily available or extensive as with more popular projects.

DocFX videos

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Generate Java documentation with DocFX

openKB videos

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to DocFX and openKB)

openKB

Documentation

87 87%

Documentation

13% 13

Knowledge Base

75 75%

Knowledge Base

25% 25

Documentation As A Service & Tools

88 88%

Documentation As A Service & Tools

12% 12

Note Taking

0 0%

Note Taking

100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using DocFX and openKB. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, DocFX seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 8 times since March 2021. 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 (8)

XML API Documentation: From Zero to Production in 10 Minutes
Documentation that falls out of sync with your API is worse than no documentation at all. Tools like DocFX, Sandcastle, and Doxygen process XML documentation files automatically generated by the .NET compiler from your source comments. - Source: dev.to / 30 days ago
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 / almost 2 years 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: almost 4 years ago