Dry Documentation

Dry Documentation is a software development methodology that emphasizes creating documentation that is 'Don't Repeat Yourself' (DRY), meaning it avoids duplication by centralizing information in a single source of truth. It involves techniques like generating documentation automatically from code comments, configuration files, or other artifacts to ensure consistency and reduce maintenance overhead. This approach helps keep documentation up-to-date with the actual codebase, improving accuracy and developer productivity.

Also known as: DRY Documentation, Don't Repeat Yourself Documentation, Automated Documentation, Code-Generated Documentation, Single Source of Truth Docs

Why learn Dry Documentation?

Developers should adopt Dry Documentation when working on large or rapidly evolving projects where manual documentation updates are prone to errors and become time-consuming. It is particularly useful in agile environments, open-source projects, or teams using continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, as it ensures documentation stays synchronized with code changes. By reducing duplication, it minimizes inconsistencies and makes it easier to maintain comprehensive and reliable documentation over time.

Learning Resources

• docs: DRY Documentation Principles
• tutorial: Automating Documentation with Tools
• video: Documentation as Code Tutorial
• book: The Pragmatic Programmer Book