Documentation As Code vs Traditional Documentation

Developers should adopt Documentation As Code when working in agile or DevOps environments to maintain accurate, version-controlled documentation that evolves with the codebase meets developers should learn and use traditional documentation when working on projects requiring regulatory compliance, long-term maintenance, or complex systems where detailed specifications are critical, such as in enterprise software, medical devices, or financial applications. Here's our take.

Documentation As Code

Nice Pick

Developers should adopt Documentation As Code when working in agile or DevOps environments to maintain accurate, version-controlled documentation that evolves with the codebase

Pros

• It's particularly useful for API documentation, technical guides, and project wikis, as it reduces documentation drift, facilitates team collaboration through pull requests, and supports continuous integration/deployment pipelines for automated publishing
• Related to: git, markdown

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Traditional Documentation

Developers should learn and use traditional documentation when working on projects requiring regulatory compliance, long-term maintenance, or complex systems where detailed specifications are critical, such as in enterprise software, medical devices, or financial applications

Pros

• It is essential for onboarding new team members, ensuring consistency across large teams, and providing clear reference materials for external users or auditors, as it offers a stable and authoritative source of information that can be reviewed and approved formally
• Related to: technical-writing, markdown

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

Use Documentation As Code if: You want it's particularly useful for api documentation, technical guides, and project wikis, as it reduces documentation drift, facilitates team collaboration through pull requests, and supports continuous integration/deployment pipelines for automated publishing and can live with specific tradeoffs depend on your use case.

Use Traditional Documentation if: You prioritize it is essential for onboarding new team members, ensuring consistency across large teams, and providing clear reference materials for external users or auditors, as it offers a stable and authoritative source of information that can be reviewed and approved formally over what Documentation As Code offers.

The Bottom Line

Documentation As Code wins

Developers should adopt Documentation As Code when working in agile or DevOps environments to maintain accurate, version-controlled documentation that evolves with the codebase