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MkDocs Documentation System

What is MkDocs?

MkDocs is a fast, simple and downright gorgeous static site generator that's geared towards building project documentation. Documentation source files are written in Markdown, and configured with a single YAML configuration file.

Key Characteristics

  • Static Site Generator: Converts Markdown files into a static HTML website
  • Markdown-Based: Documentation is written in simple, readable Markdown format
  • Live Preview: Built-in development server with live reloading
  • Themeable: Supports custom themes and extensions
  • Fast: Builds documentation quickly, even for large projects
  • Version Control Friendly: Plain text files work seamlessly with Git

Why MkDocs for Smart Glasses Project?

The Smart Glasses project uses MkDocs to maintain comprehensive, accessible, and maintainable documentation because:

  1. Simplicity: Team members can contribute to documentation using familiar Markdown syntax
  2. Professional Output: Generates clean, professional-looking documentation websites
  3. Integration: Works seamlessly with our Git workflow and CI/CD processes
  4. Consistency: Ensures uniform documentation structure across the project
  5. Accessibility: Produces documentation that's easy to navigate and search
  6. Mobile-Friendly: Generated sites work well on all devices

Our MkDocs Implementation

The Smart Glasses project uses MkDocs with the Material theme, which provides:

  • Material Design: Modern, clean interface following Google's Material Design principles
  • Advanced Features: Enhanced navigation, search, and interactive elements
  • Customization: Extensive theming options and plugin ecosystem
  • Performance: Optimized for speed and mobile devices

Containerized Setup

Our MkDocs implementation is containerized using Docker, providing:

  • Consistency: Same environment across development, testing, and production
  • Isolation: Documentation tooling doesn't interfere with main project dependencies
  • Portability: Easy to deploy anywhere Docker is available
  • Version Control: Dockerfile ensures reproducible builds

Documentation Structure

For detailed information about how our MkDocs system is organized and configured, see:

📋 MkDocs Structure Guide - Complete breakdown of our documentation architecture

Quick Start

  1. Start the documentation server:
docker-compose up docs

  1. Access the documentation: Open your browser to http://localhost:8085

  2. Edit documentation:

  3. Modify files in the /docs directory
  4. Changes are automatically reflected in the browser