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MkDocs VS GitHub Flavored Markdown

Compare MkDocs VS GitHub Flavored Markdown and see what are their differences

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MkDocs logo MkDocs

Project documentation with Markdown.

GitHub Flavored Markdown logo GitHub Flavored Markdown

GitHub uses "GitHub Flavored Markdown," or GFM, across the site--in issues, comments, and...
  • MkDocs Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-12-18

MkDocs is a fast, simple and downright gorgeous static site generator that's geared towards building project documentation. Documentation source files are written in Markdown, and configured with a single YAML configuration file. Start by reading the introductory tutorial, then check the User Guide for more information.

  • GitHub Flavored Markdown Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-27

MkDocs features and specs

  • User-Friendly
    MkDocs is designed to be easy to use, making it accessible for users with varying levels of technical expertise. It uses simple Markdown syntax for content creation and has a straightforward configuration file.
  • Static Site Generation
    MkDocs generates static HTML pages, which are fast to load and easy to deploy. This makes it a good choice for documentation sites that need to be scalable and secure.
  • Customizable Themes
    MkDocs supports custom themes, allowing users to tailor the look of their documentation to fit their branding and design requirements. The built-in themes like 'MkDocs' and 'ReadTheDocs' are visually appealing and functional.
  • Built-in Search
    MkDocs comes with built-in search capabilities, making it easy for users to find the information they are looking for within the documentation.
  • Integration with CI/CD
    MkDocs can be easily integrated into Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, enabling automated builds and deployments.

Possible disadvantages of MkDocs

  • Limited Plugin Ecosystem
    While MkDocs has some plugins available, its plugin ecosystem is not as extensive as some other static site generators. This might limit advanced customization options for some users.
  • Markdown Limitations
    MkDocs relies on Markdown for content creation, which can be limiting for users who need more complex formatting and features that Markdown does not support out of the box.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While basic usage is straightforward, leveraging advanced features such as custom themes, plugins, and configuration can have a steeper learning curve.
  • Performance on Large Sites
    For very large documentation sites, build times can become longer and navigation might not be as smooth as needed, which can affect the user experience.
  • Dependency on Python
    MkDocs is a Python-based tool, which means that users need to have a Python environment set up. This can be a barrier for users who are not familiar with Python or do not want to deal with additional dependencies.

GitHub Flavored Markdown features and specs

  • Widespread Usage
    GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) is widely used in the GitHub community, making it a popular choice for collaborating on open-source projects and documenting code repositories.
  • Enhanced Features
    GFM extends the standard Markdown with additional features like tables, strikethrough, and syntax highlighting, allowing for more expressive and informative content.
  • Version Control Integration
    GFM is seamlessly integrated with GitHub’s version control system, making it easy to track changes, collaborate on documentation, and propose updates through pull requests.
  • Live Preview
    GitHub provides a live preview of Markdown files, which helps users see how their Markdown will render, ensuring the final document looks as expected.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Since GFM is based on Markdown, documents can be easily shared and rendered across different platforms and services, retaining consistent formatting.

Possible disadvantages of GitHub Flavored Markdown

  • Limited Advanced Formatting
    While GFM offers several enhancements over standard Markdown, it still lacks support for some advanced formatting options found in richer text editors or other markup languages.
  • GitHub Dependency
    GFM is primarily designed to work within the GitHub ecosystem, which can limit usefulness outside of GitHub, especially if using features specific to GFM.
  • Learning Curve
    Users familiar with standard Markdown might need to learn the additional syntax and features of GFM, which can be an initial barrier for some.
  • Consistency Issues
    Rendering consistency might vary when GFM documents are viewed outside of GitHub, as some features might not be supported in other Markdown processors.

MkDocs videos

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Alternatives to MkDocs

More videos:

  • Review - Урок 5. Плагины для Питон Django vs studio code. (mkdocs + Markdown)

GitHub Flavored Markdown videos

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Demystifying Markdown – Learn GitHub flavored Markdown (GFM) on Skillshare | Clyde D'Souza

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to MkDocs and GitHub Flavored Markdown)

MkDocs

GitHub Flavored Markdown

Documentation
83 83%
Documentation
17% 17
Documentation As A Service & Tools
86 86%
Documentation As A Service & Tools
14% 14
Knowledge Base
91 91%
Knowledge Base
9% 9
Internal Knowledgebase
100 100%
Internal Knowledgebase
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using MkDocs and GitHub Flavored Markdown. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare MkDocs and GitHub Flavored Markdown

MkDocs Reviews

Introduction to Doxygen Alternatives In 2021
. User can host complete fixed HTML websites on Amazon S3, GitHub, etc. There’s a stack of styles offered that looks excellent. The built-in dev-server allows the user to sneak peek, as it has been written on documentation. Whenever users save modifications, it will likewise auto-reload and refresh the tab. MkDocs is a tool in the Tech Stack group of search engines.
Source: www.webku.net
Doxygen Alternatives
User can host full static HTML sites on Amazon S3, GitHub, etc. There’s a stack of themes available that looks great. The built-in dev-server allows the user to preview, as it has been written on documentation. Whenever users save changes, it will also auto-reload and refresh the tab. MkDocs is a tool in the Tech Stack group of search engines.
Source: www.educba.com
The most overlooked part in software development - writing project documentation
MkDocs calls itself a fast, simple and downright gorgeous static site generator that's geared towards building project documentation. It is Python-based. Documentation source files are written in Markdown and configured with a single YAML configuration file. On its Wiki page it provides a long list of themes, recipes and plugins making it a very attractive system for writing...
Source: netgen.io

GitHub Flavored Markdown Reviews

We have no reviews of GitHub Flavored Markdown yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, MkDocs should be more popular than GitHub Flavored Markdown. It has been mentiond 2 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.

MkDocs mentions (2)

  • Does anyone have an automated workflow to publish their notes to the web?
    I'm a software engineer, and before getting my rM2, I kept all of my notes in Markdown format. They're under source control (git), and I use mkdocs to build them into a static website. I have a CI pipeline set up so that whenever I push changes to my notes to GitHub/Gitlab/Sourcehut, they are automatically built and published to my site. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Quick and dirty mock service with Starlette
    Starlette is a web framework developed by the author of Django REST Framework (DRF), Tom Christie. DRF is such a solid project. Sharing the same creator bolstered my confidence that Starlette will be a well designed piece of software. - Source: dev.to / over 4 years ago

GitHub Flavored Markdown mentions (1)

  • Resources for proper putting of code on to GitHub ?
    Not sure quite what you mean. Are you asking "what should I put on GitHub" or "how to make it look pretty?" For the latter, check out https://docs.github.com/en/get-started/writing-on-github. Source: about 2 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing MkDocs and GitHub Flavored Markdown, you can also consider the following products

GitBook - Modern Publishing, Simply taking your books from ideas to finished, polished books.

pandoc - Pandoc is a Haskell library for converting from one markup format to another, and a command-line...

Doxygen - Generate documentation from source code

Caoutchouc - Typesetting language using Markdown and AsciiMath to format documents

Docusaurus - Easy to maintain open source documentation websites

Groff - The groff (GNU troff) software is a typesetting package which reads plain text mixed with...

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