Docs as Code in 2025: The Complete Guide to Modern Documentation

Your documentation is broken.

It lives in a wiki no one updates. It's out of sync with the code. Half the pages are from 2019. The search doesn't work. New developers spend their first week just finding the right docs.

Sound familiar?

The solution isn't a new tool or a documentation rewrite. It's a philosophy shift: treat your docs exactly like you treat your code.

Welcome to Docs as Code.

📖 What Is Docs as Code?

Docs as Code is a methodology where documentation is:

🚀 Why Docs as Code Works

🛠️ The Modern Docs as Code Stack (2025)

Source Format

Static Site Generators

Hosting Platforms

📁 Repository Structure

`` docs/ ├── README.md # Docs contribution guide ├── docs/ # All documentation content │ ├── getting-started/ │ │ ├── installation.md │ │ ├── quickstart.md │ │ └── configuration.md │ ├── guides/ │ │ ├── authentication.md │ │ └── deployment.md │ ├── api-reference/ │ │ ├── endpoints.md │ │ └── errors.md │ └── contributing.md ├── static/ # Images, downloads │ └── images/ ├── docusaurus.config.js # Site configuration ├── sidebars.js # Navigation structure └── package.json # Dependencies ``

🔄 The Docs as Code Workflow

Step-by-Step Process

PR Review Checklist

🧪 Automated Testing for Docs

Essential Checks

Sample GitHub Actions Workflow

```yaml name: Docs CI on: pull_request: paths: - 'docs/**' - '*.md'

jobs: lint: runs-on: ubuntu-latest steps: - uses: actions/checkout@v4 - name: Lint Markdown uses: DavidAnson/markdownlint-cli2-action@v14 - name: Check spelling uses: streetsidesoftware/cspell-action@v5 - name: Check links uses: lycheeverse/lychee-action@v1

build: runs-on: ubuntu-latest steps: - uses: actions/checkout@v4 - uses: actions/setup-node@v4 - run: npm ci - run: npm run build ```

📝 Writing Standards for Docs as Code

File Naming Conventions

Frontmatter Standards

``markdown --- title: Getting Started with Authentication description: Learn how to implement OAuth2 authentication sidebar_position: 1 tags: [auth, oauth, security] --- ``

Content Structure

🎯 Docs as Code Best Practices

Do's

Don'ts

📊 Measuring Documentation Success

🚀 Migration Path: Wiki to Docs as Code

💡 The Bottom Line

🎯 Getting Started Today

Week 1: Foundation 1. Choose a static site generator (Docusaurus recommended) 2. Create docs folder in your main repo 3. Migrate 3-5 high-value pages to Markdown 4. Set up local preview

Week 2: Workflow 1. Create PR template for docs 2. Set up basic CI (build check, link check) 3. Deploy to Vercel/Netlify 4. Write contribution guide

Week 3: Scale 1. Add search (Algolia, Pagefind) 2. Implement style linting (Vale) 3. Create templates for common doc types 4. Train team on workflow

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Documentation isn't a side project. It's a product.

And like any product, it deserves proper engineering practices: version control, testing, review, and continuous deployment.

Docs as Code isn't just a workflow—it's a commitment to treating your documentation with the same care as your codebase.

Your docs are read 100x more than your code. Isn't it time they got the same attention?

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Ready to make the switch? Start small: one repo, one folder, one page. The hardest part is beginning.