Read the Docs: Documentation Simplified

Read the Docs simplifies software documentation by building, versioning, and hosting of your docs, automatically. This enables many “docs like code” workflows, keeping your code & documentation as close as possible.

Never out of sync |:arrows_counterclockwise:|

Whenever you push code to your favorite version control system, whether that is Git or Mercurial, Read the Docs will automatically build your docs so your code and documentation are always up-to-date. Read more about /integrations.

Multiple versions |:card_index_dividers:|

Read the Docs can host and build multiple versions of your docs so having a 1.0 version of your docs and a 2.0 version of your docs is as easy as having a separate branch or tag in your version control system. Read more about /versions.

Open Source and User Focused |:heartbeat:|

Our code is free and open source. Our company is bootstrapped and 100% user focused. |org_brand| hosts documentation for over 100,000 large and small open source projects, in almost every human and computer language. |com_brand| supports hundreds of organizations with product and internal documentation.

You can find out more about our all the /features in these pages.

First steps

Are you new to software documentation or are you looking to use your existing docs with Read the Docs? Learn about documentation authoring tools such as Sphinx and MkDocs to help you create fantastic documentation for your project.

  • Tutorial: /tutorial/index

  • Getting started: With Sphinx | With MkDocs | /choosing-a-site

  • Importing your existing documentation: Import guide

Read the Docs feature overview

Learn more about configuring your automated documentation builds and some of the core features of Read the Docs.

  • Overview of core features: /features | /integrations | /custom-domains | /versions | /downloadable-documentation | /hosting | /server-side-search | /analytics | /pull-requests | /build-notifications | /user-defined-redirects | /security-log

  • Connecting with GitHub, BitBucket, or GitLab: Connecting your VCS account

  • Read the Docs build process: Configuration reference | Build process | Build customization | /environment-variables | /badges

  • Troubleshooting: /support | Frequently asked questions

How-to Guides

These guides will help walk you through specific use cases related to Read the Docs itself, documentation tools like Sphinx and MkDocs and how to write successful documentation.

  • For documentation authors: /guides/cross-referencing-with-sphinx | /guides/intersphinx | /guides/jupyter | More guides for authors

  • For project administrators: /guides/technical-docs-seo-guide | /guides/manage-translations-sphinx | /guides/advanced-search | /guides/private-submodules | More guides for administrators

  • For developers and designers: /guides/private-python-packages | /guides/adding-custom-css | /guides/reproducible-builds | /guides/embedding-content | /guides/conda | More guides for developers and designers

Advanced features of Read the Docs

Read the Docs offers many advanced features and options. Learn more about these integrations and how you can get the most out of your documentation and Read the Docs.

  • Advanced project configuration: subprojects | Single version docs | flyout-menu | feature-flags

  • Multi-language documentation: Translations and localization

  • Redirects: Automatic redirects

  • Versions Automation rules

  • Topic specific guides: How-to guides

  • Extending Read the Docs: REST API

Read the Docs for Business

Read the Docs has a commercial offering with improved support and additional features.

  • Read the Docs for Business: Organizations | Single Sign On | Project Privacy Level | Sharing externally

The Read the Docs project and organization

Learn about Read the Docs, the project and the company, and find out how you can get involved and contribute to the development and success of Read the Docs and the larger software documentation ecosystem.

  • Policies & Process: security | DMCA takedown policy | Policy for abandoned projects | Release notes & changelog

  • The people and philosophy behind Read the Docs: About Us | Team | Open source philosophy | Our story

  • Financial and material support: advertising/index | Sponsors

  • Legal documents: Terms of service | Privacy policy | Data processing agreement

  • Getting involved with Read the Docs: /glossary | /gsoc`| :doc:`Developer Documentation