typedoc vs jsdoc vs esdoc
JavaScript Documentation Generators Comparison
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What's JavaScript Documentation Generators?

JavaScript documentation generators are tools that automate the process of creating documentation for JavaScript codebases. They parse source code comments and structure them into user-friendly documentation formats, making it easier for developers to understand and use libraries and APIs. These tools enhance code maintainability, facilitate onboarding for new developers, and improve collaboration by providing clear and accessible documentation. Each tool has its unique features and strengths, catering to different needs in the documentation process.

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typedoc2,060,4568,0422.1 MB26 days agoApache-2.0
jsdoc1,973,95815,2171.53 MB4487 months agoApache-2.0
esdoc43,4512,743-1667 years agoMIT
Feature Comparison: typedoc vs jsdoc vs esdoc

Language Support

  • typedoc:

    TypeDoc is specifically built for TypeScript, leveraging TypeScript's type system to generate documentation. It provides detailed type information, making it the best choice for TypeScript projects where type safety and clarity are paramount.

  • jsdoc:

    JSDoc supports a wide range of JavaScript versions, including both ES5 and ES6. It allows developers to document their code using JSDoc comments, which can be parsed to generate documentation. This flexibility makes JSDoc suitable for legacy projects as well as new ones that use modern syntax.

  • esdoc:

    ESDoc is designed primarily for modern JavaScript (ES6+) and provides excellent support for features like modules, classes, and arrow functions. It focuses on generating documentation that reflects the latest JavaScript standards, making it ideal for projects using contemporary JavaScript syntax.

Output Format

  • typedoc:

    TypeDoc generates documentation in a structured HTML format, similar to ESDoc, but with a focus on TypeScript's type information. It provides a clear representation of classes, interfaces, and types, making it easy for developers to understand the API.

  • jsdoc:

    JSDoc can produce documentation in various formats, including HTML, Markdown, and JSON. This versatility allows developers to choose the output format that best suits their needs, whether for web documentation or integration into other tools.

  • esdoc:

    ESDoc generates documentation in a clean and modern HTML format that is easy to navigate. It includes features like search functionality and a responsive design, making it user-friendly for developers looking to explore the documentation.

Customization

  • typedoc:

    TypeDoc allows for some customization, but it is primarily focused on generating accurate type-based documentation. It provides options for configuring the output and includes themes, but the customization is not as extensive as JSDoc.

  • jsdoc:

    JSDoc is highly customizable, allowing developers to create their own templates and plugins. This flexibility enables teams to tailor the documentation output to match their branding and style guidelines, making it a preferred choice for many projects.

  • esdoc:

    ESDoc offers limited customization options compared to JSDoc, but it allows for some theming and configuration through its settings. It is designed to provide a straightforward experience without overwhelming users with too many options.

Ease of Use

  • typedoc:

    TypeDoc is easy to use for TypeScript developers, as it integrates seamlessly with TypeScript projects. Developers familiar with TypeScript will find it straightforward to document their code, leveraging the type information directly.

  • jsdoc:

    JSDoc has a moderate learning curve, especially for those unfamiliar with its comment syntax. However, once understood, it provides a powerful way to document code. The extensive community and resources available can help ease the learning process.

  • esdoc:

    ESDoc is relatively easy to set up and use, especially for projects that follow modern JavaScript practices. Its straightforward configuration and focus on ES6+ features make it accessible for developers familiar with contemporary JavaScript.

Community and Ecosystem

  • typedoc:

    TypeDoc benefits from the growing TypeScript community, which is increasingly adopting TypeScript for modern web development. While its community is smaller than JSDoc's, it is dedicated and focused on TypeScript documentation needs.

  • jsdoc:

    JSDoc has a large and active community, with extensive documentation, plugins, and templates available. This rich ecosystem makes it a reliable choice for many developers, ensuring support and resources are readily available.

  • esdoc:

    ESDoc has a smaller community compared to JSDoc and TypeDoc, but it is growing, especially among modern JavaScript developers. Its focus on ES6+ features attracts a niche audience looking for contemporary documentation solutions.

How to Choose: typedoc vs jsdoc vs esdoc
  • typedoc:

    Choose TypeDoc if you are working with TypeScript and want a documentation generator that fully understands TypeScript's type system. TypeDoc generates documentation based on TypeScript's type information, providing detailed and accurate API documentation that reflects the structure and types of your code.

  • jsdoc:

    Choose JSDoc if you are looking for a widely adopted and versatile documentation tool that supports a variety of JavaScript styles, including ES5 and ES6. JSDoc is highly customizable and has a large ecosystem of plugins and templates, making it suitable for both small and large projects that require extensive documentation capabilities.

  • esdoc:

    Choose ESDoc if you need a documentation generator that emphasizes modern JavaScript features, supports ES6+ syntax, and provides a clean, visually appealing output. ESDoc is particularly useful for projects that leverage ES6 modules and want to take advantage of advanced features like test coverage reports.

README for typedoc

TypeDoc

Documentation generator for TypeScript projects.

Documentation

For more detailed documentation, the changelog, and TypeDoc documentation rendered with TypeDoc, see https://typedoc.org.

Installation

TypeDoc runs on Node.js and is available as a NPM package.

npm install typedoc --save-dev

Usage

To generate documentation TypeDoc needs to know your project entry point and TypeScript compiler options. It will automatically try to find your tsconfig.json file, so you can just specify the entry point of your library:

typedoc src/index.ts

If you have multiple entry points, specify each of them.

typedoc package1/index.ts package2/index.ts

If you specify a directory, TypeDoc will use the entryPointStrategy option to determine how to resolve it. By default, TypeDoc will search for a file called index under the directory.

Monorepos / Workspaces

If your codebase is comprised of one or more npm packages, you can build documentation for each of them individually and merge the results together into a single site by setting entryPointStrategy to packages. In this mode TypeDoc requires configuration to be present in each directory to specify the entry points. For an example setup, see https://github.com/Gerrit0/typedoc-packages-example

Arguments

For a complete list of the command line arguments run typedoc --help or visit our website.

  • --out <path/to/documentation/>
    Specifies the location the documentation should be written to. Defaults to ./docs
  • --json <path/to/output.json>
    Specifies the location and file name a json file describing the project is written to. When specified no documentation will be generated unless --out is also specified.
  • --options
    Specify a json option file that should be loaded. If not specified TypeDoc will look for 'typedoc.json' in the current directory.
  • --tsconfig <path/to/tsconfig.json>
    Specify a typescript config file that should be loaded. If not specified TypeDoc will look for 'tsconfig.json' in the current directory.
  • --exclude <pattern>
    Exclude files by the given pattern when a path is provided as source. Supports standard minimatch patterns.

Theming

  • --theme <default|plugin defined theme>
    Specify the theme that should be used.
  • --name <Documentation title>
    Set the name of the project that will be used in the header of the template.
  • --readme <path/to/readme|none>
    Path to the readme file that should be displayed on the index page. Pass none to disable the index page and start the documentation on the globals page.

Miscellaneous

  • --version
    Display the version number of TypeDoc.
  • --help
    Display all TypeDoc options.

Contributing

This project is maintained by a community of developers. Contributions are welcome and appreciated. You can find TypeDoc on GitHub; feel free to open an issue or create a pull request: https://github.com/TypeStrong/typedoc

For more information, read the contribution guide.