swagger-jsdoc vs apidoc
API Documentation Tools Comparison
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What's API Documentation Tools?

API documentation tools are essential for creating, maintaining, and presenting API documentation in a structured and user-friendly manner. They help developers understand how to interact with APIs, providing clear guidelines, examples, and specifications. These tools can automate the generation of documentation from code comments, making it easier to keep documentation up-to-date as the API evolves. Both apidoc and swagger-jsdoc serve this purpose but differ in their approaches and features, catering to different needs within the API development lifecycle.

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swagger-jsdoc638,2721,728712 kB392 years agoMIT
apidoc74,0259,717556 kB852 years agoMIT
Feature Comparison: swagger-jsdoc vs apidoc

Documentation Style

  • swagger-jsdoc:

    swagger-jsdoc produces documentation based on the OpenAPI Specification, allowing for a more structured and standardized approach. This enables the creation of interactive documentation that can be tested directly through Swagger UI, enhancing the developer experience.

  • apidoc:

    apidoc generates documentation in a clean, simple HTML format that is easy to navigate. It focuses on presenting API endpoints, parameters, and responses in a straightforward manner, making it user-friendly for developers looking for quick references.

Customization

  • swagger-jsdoc:

    swagger-jsdoc provides extensive customization capabilities through the OpenAPI Specification. You can define various attributes, tags, and responses, allowing for a highly tailored documentation experience that can adapt to specific project needs.

  • apidoc:

    apidoc offers limited customization options, primarily focusing on the structure defined in the comments. While it allows for some styling changes, it does not provide extensive theming or layout options, which may be a limitation for projects requiring a unique look and feel.

Integration

  • swagger-jsdoc:

    swagger-jsdoc integrates seamlessly with Express and other Node.js frameworks. It allows for dynamic documentation generation based on your API's structure, making it ideal for projects that evolve frequently and require real-time updates to documentation.

  • apidoc:

    apidoc is relatively easy to integrate into existing projects. It requires minimal setup, making it suitable for teams looking to quickly implement documentation without significant changes to their workflow or codebase.

Community and Ecosystem

  • swagger-jsdoc:

    swagger-jsdoc benefits from a large and active community surrounding the OpenAPI Specification. This results in a wealth of resources, tools, and integrations available, making it easier to find support and extend functionality.

  • apidoc:

    apidoc has a smaller community compared to Swagger, which may result in fewer resources, plugins, and third-party tools available for integration. However, it remains a reliable choice for straightforward documentation needs.

Learning Curve

  • swagger-jsdoc:

    swagger-jsdoc has a steeper learning curve due to the complexity of the OpenAPI Specification. Developers may need to invest more time in understanding the specification and how to effectively document their APIs using this tool.

  • apidoc:

    apidoc has a gentle learning curve, making it accessible for developers who may not be familiar with API documentation tools. Its straightforward approach allows for quick adoption and implementation.

How to Choose: swagger-jsdoc vs apidoc
  • swagger-jsdoc:

    Choose swagger-jsdoc if you want to leverage the OpenAPI Specification (formerly known as Swagger) to create interactive API documentation. It is well-suited for larger projects that require detailed API definitions, client generation, and integration with tools like Swagger UI for a more comprehensive documentation experience.

  • apidoc:

    Choose apidoc if you prefer a straightforward tool that generates documentation from comments in your code, focusing on simplicity and ease of use. It is ideal for small to medium-sized projects where quick documentation generation is needed without extensive configuration.

Similar Npm Packages to swagger-jsdoc

swagger-jsdoc is a powerful tool that allows developers to generate Swagger API documentation from JSDoc comments in their code. It simplifies the process of documenting APIs by enabling you to write documentation alongside your code, ensuring that it is always up-to-date with the implementation. This approach helps in maintaining accurate and comprehensive API documentation, which is crucial for both development and collaboration with other teams or external users.

One notable alternative to swagger-jsdoc is swagger-ui-express. This package serves as a middleware for Express applications, allowing you to serve Swagger UI, which provides a visual representation of your API documentation. While swagger-jsdoc focuses on generating the documentation from your code comments, swagger-ui-express is used to display that documentation in a user-friendly interface. Together, they can be used to create a seamless experience for documenting and interacting with your APIs.

For a detailed comparison of these packages, check out the following link: Comparing swagger-jsdoc vs swagger-ui-express.

Similar Npm Packages to apidoc

apidoc is a documentation generator for RESTful APIs. It allows developers to create and maintain API documentation directly from their source code comments, making it easy to keep documentation up-to-date as the code evolves. With apidoc, you can annotate your API endpoints with specific tags and descriptions, and it will generate a user-friendly HTML documentation that can be easily shared with team members or clients. This approach not only streamlines the documentation process but also ensures that the documentation accurately reflects the current state of the API.

While apidoc is a popular choice for generating API documentation, there are alternatives available that cater to different needs. One notable alternative is swagger-jsdoc. This library allows developers to create Swagger/OpenAPI documentation using JSDoc comments in their code. By integrating seamlessly with Swagger, swagger-jsdoc enables developers to define their API endpoints, request parameters, and response formats in a structured way. This documentation can then be used to generate interactive API documentation that can be tested directly from the browser, making it a powerful tool for both developers and API consumers.

To see how apidoc compares with swagger-jsdoc, check out the comparison: Comparing apidoc vs swagger-jsdoc.

README for swagger-jsdoc

swagger-jsdoc

This library reads your JSDoc-annotated source code and generates an OpenAPI (Swagger) specification.

npm Downloads CI

Getting started

Imagine having API files like these:

/**
 * @openapi
 * /:
 *   get:
 *     description: Welcome to swagger-jsdoc!
 *     responses:
 *       200:
 *         description: Returns a mysterious string.
 */
app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.send('Hello World!');
});

The library will take the contents of @openapi (or @swagger) with the following configuration:

const swaggerJsdoc = require('swagger-jsdoc');

const options = {
  definition: {
    openapi: '3.0.0',
    info: {
      title: 'Hello World',
      version: '1.0.0',
    },
  },
  apis: ['./src/routes*.js'], // files containing annotations as above
};

const openapiSpecification = swaggerJsdoc(options);

The resulting openapiSpecification will be a swagger tools-compatible (and validated) specification.

swagger-jsdoc example screenshot

System requirements

  • Node.js 12.x or higher

You are viewing swagger-jsdoc v6 which is published in CommonJS module system.

Installation

npm install swagger-jsdoc --save

Or

yarn add swagger-jsdoc

Supported specifications

  • OpenAPI 3.x
  • Swagger 2
  • AsyncAPI 2.0

Validation of swagger docs

By default swagger-jsdoc tries to parse all docs to it's best capabilities. If you'd like to you can instruct an Error to be thrown instead if validation failed by setting the options flag failOnErrors to true. This is for instance useful if you want to verify that your swagger docs validate using a unit test.

const swaggerJsdoc = require('swagger-jsdoc');

const options = {
  failOnErrors: true, // Whether or not to throw when parsing errors. Defaults to false.
  definition: {
    openapi: '3.0.0',
    info: {
      title: 'Hello World',
      version: '1.0.0',
    },
  },
  apis: ['./src/routes*.js'],
};

const openapiSpecification = swaggerJsdoc(options);

Documentation

Click on the version you are using for further details:

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