Tom Christie

MkDocs is an open-source static site generator designed for creating project documentation with Markdown. Maintained by the MkDocs Team and originally credited to Tom Christie, it offers a fast, straightforward way to turn documentation source files into polished websites. Projects are configured using a single YAML file, making it possible to organize and build documentation without a complex setup.

MkDocs includes built-in themes, including MkDocs and Read the Docs, and users can also choose third-party themes or create their own. Customization options include themes, plugins, Markdown extensions, and a range of configuration settings. A built-in development server lets authors preview their work as they write, with automatic browser refreshes when files are saved.

The generated sites consist of static HTML and can be hosted on GitHub Pages, Amazon S3, or other hosting services. MkDocs provides an introductory tutorial, a detailed user guide, and developer documentation covering themes, translations, plugins, and its API.