A markdown-based documentation engine built on Vite + TypeScript.

docs.ts is a fast, dependency-free documentation engine that turns a folder of Markdown files into a fully featured documentation website.

No React. No Vue. No external markdown parser. No runtime dependencies.

• Zero runtime dependencies
• Custom Markdown parser written in TypeScript
• (Primitive) Syntax highlighting for:
  • TypeScript
  • JavaScript
  • JSON
  • CSS / SCSS
  • HTML / XML / SVG
  • Bash / Shell
• Callouts
• Spoilers
• Chips / badges
• Keyboard shortcut rendering
• File imports
• Dark and light themes
• Configurable navigation
• Theme customization
• Scroll progress indicator
• Responsive sidebar with search
• Runtime-loaded Markdown files
• GitHub Pages friendly
• Fully static output

• Node.js 18+
• npm, pnpm, yarn, or Bun

git clone https://github.com/thenolle/docs.ts.git
cd docs.ts
bun install # or npm install, pnpm install, yarn install

bun run dev # or npm run dev, pnpm run dev, yarn dev

Open:

http://localhost:5173

bun run build # or npm run build, pnpm run build, yarn build

Production files are generated in:

dist/

Preview the production build:

bun run preview # or npm run preview, pnpm run preview, yarn preview

public/
├── docs/
│ ├── config.json
│ ├── index.md
│ ├── guide/
│ ├── reference/
│ └── assets/
└── favicon.svg
src/
├── main.ts
├── globals.css
└── lib/
 ├── types.ts
 ├── config.ts
 ├── markdown.ts
 ├── importer.ts
 ├── router.ts
 ├── loader.ts
 └── ui.ts

All configuration lives in:

public/docs/config.json

Example:

{
 "title": "docs.ts",
 "description": "A markdown-based documentation engine built on Vite + TypeScript",
 "version": "v1.0.0",
 "defaultTheme": "dark",
 "themeToggle": true,
 "scrollProgress": true,
 "landing": "index.md",
 "basePath": "/docs.ts",
}

The documentation engine now supports hosting under a subdirectory.

If your site is deployed under a path such as:

https://example.com/docs/

you can configure it explicitly using:

{
 "basePath": "/docs/"
}

If basePath is not provided, the engine assumes:

/

This allows the documentation site to correctly resolve routes and assets when hosted either at the domain root or inside a subfolder.

{
 "nav": [
 {
 "label": "Introduction",
 "href": "index.md"
 },
 {
 "group": "Guide",
 "items": [
 {
 "label": "Getting Started",
 "href": "guide/getting-started.md"
 }
 ]
 }
 ]
}

{
 "theme": {
 "accent": "#ff88ff",
 "accentHover": "#ff99ff"
 }
}

Markdown files live inside:

public/docs/

Example:

public/docs/
├── index.md
├── guide/
│ └── getting-started.md
└── api/
 └── reference.md

Reference them from navigation using paths relative to public/docs/.

{
 "label": "API Reference",
 "href": "api/reference.md"
}

**bold**
_italic_
~~strikethrough~~
`code`

:::
Information
:::
:::
Warning
:::
:::
Danger
:::
:::
Success
:::

::chip[stable]
::chip[beta]{yellow}
::chip[deprecated]{red}

:::
Hidden content
:::

Press [[Ctrl+S]] to save.

==highlight==
::v[1.0.0]
::since[v0.5.0]

Custom transformations can be defined in config.json.

Embed external files directly inside documentation pages.

!!import[./assets/logo.svg]

Renders as inline SVG.

!!import[./assets/config.json]

Renders as syntax-highlighted JSON.

!!import[./assets/example.ts]

Renders as a syntax-highlighted code block.

Markdown files are loaded via fetch() at runtime.

This means:

• No Markdown bundling
• No rebuild required when editing documentation
• Add, rename, or remove pages freely
• Simply refresh the browser during development

docs.ts generates a fully static site and can be deployed anywhere.

A GitHub Actions workflow is included for automatic deployment.

vercel --prod

Upload the dist/ directory.

cp -r dist/* /var/www/html/

• TypeScript
• Vite
• Tailwind CSS v4
• Terser
• Bun
• Custom Markdown Engine

docs.ts focuses on:

• Simplicity
• Performance
• Minimal dependencies
• Predictable output
• Easy self-hosting
• Long-term maintainability

Everything is built around a lightweight TypeScript codebase rather than a large framework ecosystem.

MIT License

Protect them dolls 🏳️‍⚧️