Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

MkDocs VS GoJS

Compare MkDocs VS GoJS and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

MkDocs logo MkDocs

Project documentation with Markdown.

GoJS logo GoJS

GoJS is a JavaScript library for building interactive diagrams on HTML web pages. Build apps with flowcharts, org charts, BPMN, UML, modeling, and other visual graph types.
  • 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.

  • GoJS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-21

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.

GoJS features and specs

  • Rich Feature Set
    GoJS offers a comprehensive set of features designed for creating interactive diagrams, charts, and complex visualizations. This includes node and link modeling, custom styling, data binding, automatic layouts, and more.
  • Extensive Documentation
    The library is well-documented, providing developers with thorough guides, a detailed API reference, and numerous examples to assist in the implementation and troubleshooting of applications.
  • High Performance
    GoJS is optimized for performance, enabling the creation of responsive web applications that can handle a large number of nodes and complex interactions efficiently.
  • Flexibility and Customization
    GoJS offers great flexibility, allowing developers to customize the appearance and behavior of diagrams entirely, which makes it suitable for a wide range of use cases.
  • Active Support and Community
    The GoJS team provides active support to users through their forum and is responsive to issues and feature requests. This is complemented by a growing community of users sharing insights and solutions.

Possible disadvantages of GoJS

  • Commercial Licensing
    GoJS is a commercial product, and while it offers a free trial, a license is required for sustained use. This might be a constraint for projects with limited budgets.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    Due to its extensive capabilities and myriad of options, there can be a steep learning curve for developers new to GoJS to understand and effectively use all its features.
  • Complexity for Simple Diagrams
    While GoJS is powerful for complex diagrams, it might be considered overkill for simpler visualizations, where a lightweight library might suffice.
  • Browser Compatibility
    Although modern browsers are generally supported, there might be some compatibility issues or performance differences to manage when targeting older or less common browsers.
  • File Size
    The library's comprehensive feature set comes with a relatively large file size, which could impact loading times, particularly in environments with limited bandwidth.

MkDocs videos

Alternatives to MkDocs

More videos:

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

GoJS videos

GoJS in 12 Minutes: JavaScript Diagramming Library Tutorial

More videos:

  • Tutorial - What's in a GoJS JavaScript Application? | GoJS Beginner Tutorial #1
  • Review - [GOJS] Design Patterns em Javascript

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to MkDocs and GoJS)
Documentation
100 100%
0% 0
Flowcharts
0 0%
100% 100
Documentation As A Service & Tools
Javascript UI Libraries
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

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

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

GoJS Reviews

20+ JavaScript libraries to draw your own diagrams (2022 edition)
GoJS offers many advanced features for user interactivity such as drag-and-drop, copy-and-paste, transactional state and undo management, palettes, overviews, data-bound models, event handlers, and an extensible tool system for custom operations. They provide over 150 interactive samples to help you get started with diagrams such as BPMN, flowchart, state chart, visual...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, GoJS should be more popular than MkDocs. It has been mentiond 13 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

GoJS mentions (13)

  • Ask HN: What do you use to create diagrams?
    Well I make https://gojs.net, so I just use the GoJS diagramming library to make diagrams :D Of course, its made for developers trying to make applications, not end users. - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • Ask HN: What is the best software to visualize a graph with a billion nodes?
    My library (https://gojs.net) can do that easily. Give it a look, and if you think the price is acceptable for your project, contact us and we can make you a proof-of-concept. - Source: Hacker News / 10 months ago
  • Your 14-Day Free Trial Ain't Gonna Cut It
    If you click on their username, it takes you to their profile. https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=simonsarris. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Burning money on paid ads for a dev tool – what we've learned
    Have spent six figures yearly on ads, mostly for reach for the developer-focused diagram library GoJS (https://gojs.net) > Each experiment will need ~$500 and 2 weeks I would add a zero if you want serious data. I would also double the timescale. $5,000 over 4 weeks I second the uselessness of Google Display, it might look like conversions numbers are good but they are 100% too good to be true. As soon as you look... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Any Ideas How to Create a Graph Builder UI in React?
    Used goJS in one project and konva in another. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing MkDocs and GoJS, you can also consider the following products

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

mxGraph - mxGraph is a fully client side JavaScript diagramming library - jgraph/mxgraph

Doxygen - Generate documentation from source code

jsPlumb - jsPlumb is an advanced, standards-compliant and easy to use JS library for building connectivity based applications, such as flowcharts, process flow diagrams, sequence diagrams, organisation charts, etc. More than just a diagram library.

Docusaurus - Easy to maintain open source documentation websites

Konva - Konva is 2d Canvas JavaScript framework for drawings shapes, animations, node nesting, layering, filtering, event handling, drag and drop and much more.