Wiki-Based Documentation vs Documentation As Code

Developers should use wiki-based documentation when they need a flexible, collaborative system for maintaining up-to-date technical docs, especially in agile teams or open-source projects where information changes frequently meets developers should adopt documentation as code when working in agile or devops environments to maintain accurate, version-controlled documentation that evolves with the codebase. Here's our take.

Wiki-Based Documentation

Nice Pick

Developers should use wiki-based documentation when they need a flexible, collaborative system for maintaining up-to-date technical docs, especially in agile teams or open-source projects where information changes frequently

Pros

• It's ideal for creating living documents like internal knowledge bases, developer guides, or product documentation that require input from multiple stakeholders
• Related to: markdown, version-control

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Documentation As Code

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

The Verdict

Use Wiki-Based Documentation if: You want it's ideal for creating living documents like internal knowledge bases, developer guides, or product documentation that require input from multiple stakeholders and can live with specific tradeoffs depend on your use case.

Use Documentation As Code if: You prioritize 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 over what Wiki-Based Documentation offers.

The Bottom Line

Wiki-Based Documentation wins

Developers should use wiki-based documentation when they need a flexible, collaborative system for maintaining up-to-date technical docs, especially in agile teams or open-source projects where information changes frequently