Modern documentation framework with Git-native versioning, instant search, and developer-focused design.
Get up and running in typically 2 minutes (with Node.js 18+ installed):
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/sturdy-barnacle/emberdocs.git
cd emberdocs
# Install dependencies (~1-2 minutes)
npm install
# Configure (optional - EmberDocs works with defaults)
cp .env.example .env.local
# Start development server
npm run devVisit http://localhost:3000 to see your documentation site.
Note: The search index is automatically built during production builds (npm run build). For development, you can manually build it with npm run build:search if needed, but it's not required to get started.
Note: By default, the root route (/) redirects to your documentation index. To show the EmberDocs framework marketing landing page, set EMBERDOCS_SHOW_LANDING=true in .env.local.
By default, EmberDocs uses docs/examples/ for documentation files. You can customize this by setting EMBERDOCS_CONTENT_DIR in .env.local:
# In .env.local
EMBERDOCS_CONTENT_DIR=docs/content # Files stored in docs/content/ folderAfter changing the directory, rebuild the search index:
npm run build:searchBy default, documentation pages are served at /docs/*. You can change this URL prefix by setting EMBERDOCS_BASE_ROUTE in .env.local:
# In .env.local
EMBERDOCS_BASE_ROUTE=/documentation # URLs: /documentation/getting-started/intro
EMBERDOCS_BASE_ROUTE=/help # URLs: /help/getting-started/introExample: Use different directory and URL:
EMBERDOCS_CONTENT_DIR=content # Files in content/ folder
EMBERDOCS_BASE_ROUTE=/documentation # URLs at /documentation/*EmberDocs is a modern documentation framework designed for developers who want:
- Git-Native Versioning - Version detection from Git tags (routing planned for Phase 02)
- Instant Search - <50ms for typical queries (FlexSearch with ⌘K shortcuts)
- Dark Theme First - Developer-focused dark UI with light mode support
- Mobile Optimized - Touch-optimized responsive design
- Zero Config - Typically 2-minute setup time (with Node.js 18+ installed)
- Privacy First - No third-party trackers
- Free Forever - Core framework free to self-host
- Theme Options - Choose between dark (default), light, or monochrome theme via
EMBERDOCS_THEME
| Layer | Technology |
|---|---|
| Frontend | Next.js 16+, React 18+, TypeScript 5+ |
| Styling | Tailwind CSS 3+ |
| Search | FlexSearch (client-side) |
| Deployment | Vercel, Netlify, or self-hosted |
emberdocs/
├── docs/ # 📋 Example documentation (user-facing)
│ └── examples/ # Sample docs for testing/demonstration
├── dev-docs/ # 💻 Developer documentation
│ ├── specs/ # Technical specifications
│ │ ├── EMBERDOCS-TECHNICAL-SPEC.md
│ │ ├── EMBERDOCS-DATABASE-SCHEMA.md
│ │ ├── EMBERDOCS-API-SPEC.md
│ │ └── EMBERDOCS-ROADMAP.md
│ ├── guides/ # Development guides
│ │ ├── ARCHITECTURE-DECISIONS.md
│ │ ├── DEVELOPMENT-STANDARDS.md
│ │ ├── DEV-SETUP-VERIFICATION.md
│ │ └── FEATURE-DEPENDENCIES.md
│ ├── planning/ # Phase plans (e.g., mvp_phase01of02.md)
│ ├── progress/ # Daily progress logs
│ ├── PROJECT-OVERVIEW.md # Complete package overview
│ ├── USER-STORIES.md # User stories & personas
│ ├── EMBERDOCS-LICENSING.md # Licensing model
│ ├── ACCESSIBILITY-AUDIT.md # Accessibility audit results
│ ├── Setup.md # Installation guide
│ ├── Deployment.md # Deployment guide
│ └── Quick-Reference.md # Developer cheat sheet
├── brand/ # 🎨 Brand & design system
│ ├── emberdocs-brand-guidelines.md
│ └── EMBERDOCS-STYLE-GUIDE.md
├── mockups/ # 🖼 UI/UX mockups
│ ├── landing/ # Landing page variations
│ └── ui/ # Application UI screens
├── logos/ # 🔥 Logo assets
└── src/ # 💻 Source code
- Technical Specification - Complete technical overview
- Database Schema - Data models and storage
- API Specification - REST and GraphQL endpoints
- Roadmap - Phased development plan
- User Stories - User personas and stories
- Style Guide - Complete design system
- Brand Guidelines - Logo usage and brand identity
- UI Mockups - Application screen designs
- Landing Mockups - Marketing page variations
- Development Roadmap - 16-week development timeline
- Licensing - Proprietary core license (source-available)
- ✅ Markdown & MDX support
- ✅ Git-based versioning
- ✅ Full-text search (<50ms for typical queries)
- ✅ Dark/light themes
- ✅ Mobile responsive
- ✅ Code syntax highlighting
- ✅ Table of contents auto-generation
- 🔄 Multi-language support (planned)
- 🔄 API documentation generator
- 🔄 Interactive examples
- 🔄 Version comparison
- 🔄 Privacy-first analytics
| Metric | Target | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Search Response | <50ms (typical) | <50ms for typical queries |
| Initial Load (TTI) | <1s | - |
| Build Time | <1s per page | ~30s for 1000 docs |
| Lighthouse Score | 100/100/100/100 | ~90 accessibility, ~85 performance |
Core documentation engine with markdown parsing, basic search, and dark mode.
Multi-version support, advanced search, mobile navigation, and CLI tool.
Performance optimization and hosted service.
- Core Framework: Proprietary source-available license (free to use and self-host; redistribution is not permitted)
- Hosted Service: Proprietary (optional premium offering)
See EMBERDOCS-LICENSING.md for details.
We welcome your feedback and bug reports! The best way to contribute is by submitting Issues:
- Bug Reports - Found a bug? Open an issue
- Feature Requests - Have an idea? Suggest a feature
- Documentation - Found an error or have a suggestion? Report it
- Questions - Use GitHub Discussions for questions and community discussion
If you'd like to contribute code, here's how to set up your development environment:
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Run tests
npm test
# Start development
npm run devNote: By submitting code contributions, you grant us a license to use your contribution as part of EmberDocs under our proprietary license. See LICENSE section 4 for details.
- Minimal & Functional - Focus on content, not decoration
- Developer First - Built by developers, for developers
- Privacy Matters - No tracking, no data collection
- Performance Obsessed - Every millisecond counts
- Open & Transparent - Source-available core
- Documentation: Coming soon
- Issues: GitHub Issues
- Discussions: GitHub Discussions
Built with:
- Next.js - React framework
- Tailwind CSS - Utility-first CSS
- FlexSearch - Full-text search
Made with 🔥 by the EmberDocs team