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MdBook – A command line tool to create books with Markdown (rust-lang.github.io)

452 points by swatson741 · 1155 days ago · 120 comments on HN

Article summary

MdBook is a command line tool for creating books with Markdown, ideal for documentation, tutorials, and other content. It features lightweight Markdown syntax, integrated search support, and color syntax highlighting for code blocks. MdBook is written in Rust and has automated testing for Rust code samples. It is free and open source, with a customizable presentation and support for multiple output formats.

Main themes

  • MdBook features and usage
  • Comparison to other static site generators
  • Rust and its relevance
  • Documentation and content creation
  • Customization and extensions
  • Static site generator choice and trade-offs

What commenters say

  • Some users prefer MdBook for its simplicity and ease of use, while others find it too minimalistic.
  • MkDocs is considered a more flexible alternative with a wider range of themes and plugins.
  • The mention of Rust in the description is seen as relevant by some, but unnecessary zealotry by others.
  • Docusaurus is suggested as a powerful and easy-to-use static site generator for documentation websites.
  • MdBook's lack of features compared to GitBook is noted, but its free and open-source nature is seen as a major advantage.
  • The choice of static site generator ultimately depends on the specific needs and preferences of the user.
  • Some users appreciate the availability of extensions and customizations for MdBook, such as the plantuml extension and the mdBook-pagetoc plugin.