mdBook

MdBook

mdBook is a command line tool and Rust crate to create books and documentation using Markdown files. It can generate HTML, PDF and eBook output, has themes and syntax highlighting support, and helps organize Markdown content into a book with table of contents generation.
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markdown documentation books themes highlighting

mdBook: Command Line Tool & Rust Crate for Creating Books & Documentations

Create books and documentation using Markdown files, generate HTML, PDF and eBook output, with themes and syntax highlighting support

What is MdBook?

mdBook is an open-source, command-line utility and Rust crate used to create books and documentation from Markdown files. It is designed to provide an easy way to organize and convert Markdown documents into beautifully formatted books and sites, supporting HTML, PDF, and eBook output formats.

Some key features of mdBook include:

  • Simple Markdown focused workflow for writing books and documentation
  • Generates a book from a set of Markdown files with table of contents, chapters, sections etc.
  • Multiple themes and syntax highlighting support for code blocks
  • Easily customizable layouts and templates
  • Support for adding additional preprocessor languages like SCSS for stylesheets
  • Ability to export to HTML, PDF via wkhtmltopdf, and eBook formats like ePub
  • Good integration with continuous integration tools to automatically publish books

With its simple Markdown-centered approach, mdBook makes it easy for developers, writers, and open source projects to organize documentation and knowledge bases in the form of books and publish them to the web. The formatting and generation tools mdBook provides helps authors focus on writing rather than worrying about presentation.

MdBook Features

Features

  1. Command line interface
  2. Markdown parsing
  3. HTML, PDF and eBook output generation
  4. Themes and syntax highlighting
  5. Table of contents generation

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Open source and free

Cross-platform availability

Good documentation and community support

Flexible output options

Easy to write and organize Markdown content

Cons

Limited WYSIWYG editing capabilities

Steeper learning curve than more user-friendly tools

Less features than full-fledged publishing platforms


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