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Benefits of Using Docusaurus

Why we chose Docusaurus for our tech stack documentation and how it benefits our team.

Why Docusaurus?​

1. Markdown-First Approach​

Docusaurus is built around Markdown, which means:

  • Familiar syntax - Team members can contribute without learning complex tools
  • Version control friendly - Markdown files work perfectly with Git
  • Easy to review - Changes are visible in pull requests
  • Portable - Markdown can be used anywhere, not locked into a platform

2. Automatic Documentation Sync​

Our custom auto-sync script (scripts/sync-tools.cjs) automatically:

  • Syncs all tools/*.md files to the Docusaurus site
  • Extracts titles from H1 headings
  • Fixes MDX syntax issues
  • Validates content before build
  • Zero manual work - Just edit Markdown and commit

Docusaurus includes Algolia DocSearch integration (optional) or built-in search:

  • Instant search across all documentation
  • Fuzzy matching - Finds results even with typos
  • Context-aware - Shows relevant snippets
  • No external dependencies - Works out of the box

4. MDX Support​

MDX (Markdown + JSX) allows us to:

  • Use React components in Markdown (like our FAQ component)
  • Create interactive examples with live code
  • Embed custom components for complex layouts
  • Maintain type safety with TypeScript

5. Fast Performance​

Static site generation means:

  • Fast page loads - Pre-rendered HTML, no server-side processing
  • CDN-friendly - Can be served from any CDN (we use Cloudflare)
  • SEO optimised - Search engines can easily crawl static HTML
  • Low hosting costs - Static files are cheap to host

6. Customisable and Extensible​

Docusaurus is highly customisable:

  • Custom themes - We've branded ours with Pacing Agency colours
  • Plugin ecosystem - Extend functionality with plugins
  • Custom components - Build reusable components (like our FAQ component)
  • Swizzling - Override default components when needed

7. Versioning Support​

Built-in versioning allows us to:

  • Maintain multiple versions of documentation
  • Document breaking changes clearly
  • Keep historical documentation accessible
  • Gradual migration when updating docs

8. Developer Experience​

Great developer experience:

  • Hot reload - See changes instantly in development
  • TypeScript support - Type-safe configuration
  • Clear error messages - Helpful build errors
  • Active community - Well-maintained by Meta and community

Benefits for Our Workflow​

Before Docusaurus​

  • Documentation scattered across multiple locations
  • No search functionality
  • Manual deployment process
  • Inconsistent formatting
  • Hard to discover information

After Docusaurus​

  • ✅ Centralised - All docs in one searchable location
  • ✅ Automated - Auto-sync and auto-deploy
  • ✅ Consistent - Standardised format across all docs
  • ✅ Discoverable - Built-in search and navigation
  • ✅ Maintainable - Clear structure and processes

Cost Efficiency​

Docusaurus is:

  • Free and open source - No licensing costs
  • Low hosting costs - Static files on Cloudflare Pages (free tier available)
  • No database required - Everything is file-based
  • Scalable - Handles traffic spikes without issues

Comparison to Alternatives​

FeatureDocusaurusConfluenceNotionGitBook
Markdown support✅ Native❌ Limited⚠️ Partial✅ Native
Version control✅ Git❌ No❌ No✅ Git
Search✅ Built-in✅ Built-in✅ Built-in✅ Built-in
Customisation✅ High⚠️ Medium⚠️ Low⚠️ Medium
Cost✅ Free❌ Paid⚠️ Freemium⚠️ Freemium
Self-hosted✅ Yes⚠️ Enterprise❌ No⚠️ Self-hosted
Developer-friendly✅ Yes❌ No❌ No✅ Yes

Future Possibilities​

With Docusaurus, we can easily add:

  • Multi-language support - Internationalisation for client-facing docs
  • Versioning - Maintain docs for different tool versions
  • Blog integration - Add a blog section for updates
  • Custom plugins - Build domain-specific features
  • API documentation - Generate docs from code comments