ReadTheDocs

ReadTheDocs
Name	ReadTheDocs
Developer	Read the Docs, Inc.
Released	2010
Programming language	Python
Operating system	Cross-platform
Genre	Documentation hosting
License	BSD

ReadTheDocs

ReadTheDocs is an online documentation hosting platform and build service designed for software projects and technical publications. It automates building, versioning, and hosting documentation written in reStructuredText and Markdown, integrating with source repositories and continuous integration systems. The service is used by open-source projects, corporate teams, academic groups, and government agencies to publish user guides, API references, and developer manuals.

History

The project began in 2010 as an effort to simplify documentation workflows for Python projects associated with the Python (programming language), drawing contributors from communities around Django, NumPy, SciPy, Pandas (software), and Matplotlib. Early development was influenced by documentation tools such as Sphinx (documentation generator) and package hosting efforts like PyPI and GitHub. Over time the platform expanded to support projects hosted on GitLab, Bitbucket, and self-hosted Git servers, and it attracted interest from organizations including Mozilla, OpenStack, Kubernetes, Ansible, and Docker (software). Governance and funding evolved through sponsorships, grants, volunteer contributions, and the creation of a corporate entity to offer hosted services to enterprises and public institutions such as NASA and European Space Agency.

Features

ReadTheDocs provides automated builds, versioned documentation, and search indexing that integrates with projects managed on GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket. It supports documentation source formats used by Sphinx (documentation generator), Markdown, and other static site generators employed by projects like Jekyll, MkDocs, and Hugo (software). The platform offers features for PDF and ePub generation used by projects such as LaTeX-backed manuals and academic publishing initiatives at institutions like MIT, Stanford University, and Harvard University. Additional conveniences include webhooks compatible with Travis CI, CircleCI, Jenkins, and GitHub Actions, role-based access controls familiar to teams from Atlassian, Red Hat, and Canonical (company), and integration with search services used by Elasticsearch-based deployments and cloud providers like Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure.

Architecture and Technology

The platform's stack centers on Python (programming language) and many components from the Open-source ecosystem such as Sphinx (documentation generator), Docker (software), and PostgreSQL. Build isolation uses containerization patterns popularized by Docker (software) and orchestration methods associated with Kubernetes clusters, while caching and content delivery employ technologies found in Varnish (software) and Content Delivery Network configurations used by Cloudflare and Fastly. Documentation search leverages indexing techniques akin to Elasticsearch and full-text approaches used in Lucene. Source control integrations rely on APIs and webhook models defined by GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket Server, and authentication can be federated via standards championed by OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, and enterprise identity providers such as Okta and Microsoft Entra ID.

Usage and Integration

Users connect projects hosted on GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket to enable automatic builds on commits, pull requests, and merges. The platform is employed by open-source initiatives like Django, NumPy, SciPy, Pandas (software), and Flask (web framework) as well as corporate documentation teams at Stripe (company), Dropbox, and Red Hat. Integrations extend to continuous integration systems—Travis CI, CircleCI, GitHub Actions—and to artifact repositories such as Artifactory and Nexus Repository. Enterprise workflows often connect documentation builds to project management tools like JIRA and collaboration suites including Slack and Microsoft Teams.

Pricing and Hosting Options

The project offers both free hosting tiers for open-source repositories and commercial plans targeting private repositories, enterprise support, and self-hosted deployments. Options mirror models used by services like GitHub Enterprise, GitLab Premium, and Atlassian Cloud, with subscription tiers that include enhanced build concurrency, private network connectivity to AWS VPCs or GCP VPCs, and service-level agreements comparable to offerings from Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. Self-hosted installations allow organizations to deploy the platform on-premises in environments common to Red Hat OpenShift, VMware vSphere, and private cloud infrastructures used by European Commission agencies and large research centers.

Community and Governance

A community of maintainers, contributors, and sponsors supports development, documentation, and translations, drawing volunteers familiar with projects like Sphinx (documentation generator), Django, and NumPy. The governance model mixes corporate stewardship with open-source contribution practices seen in projects under the Apache Software Foundation and Linux Foundation, and collaborators include individuals and organizations that participate in events such as PyCon, FOSDEM, OSCON, and EuroPython. Funding and sponsorship have come from foundations and companies similar to Mozilla Foundation, Google, and Microsoft through grants, sponsorships, and paid service contracts.

Security and Compliance

Security practices emphasize dependency management, build isolation, and access controls, employing continuous scanning tools akin to Dependabot and vulnerability databases similar to those maintained by National Vulnerability Database and CVE. Compliance efforts target standards and frameworks used by enterprises and governments such as SOC 2, ISO/IEC 27001, and the General Data Protection Regulation for European deployments. Incident response and transparency align with community expectations shaped by disclosure practices observable in projects like OpenSSL and Apache HTTP Server.

Category:Documentation software