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Documentation site generator (React) · by Meta Open Source

Docusaurus

Meta's React and MDX static site generator for documentation, with versioned docs, i18n, blog, search integration and theme swizzling out of the box.

Visit docusaurus.io ↗ Alternatives Open source Open source Self-hostable
Docusaurus homepage
§1

Overview

Docusaurus is a documentation-focused static site generator from Meta, started in 2017 to support Meta's many open-source projects. You write Markdown or MDX; Docusaurus builds a static site that behaves as a single-page application after the first load, using React for rendering and client-side navigation.

Out of the box you get a docs section with sidebars and versioning, a blog, localisation (with Crowdin support), search integrations and a theme you can customise or replace component by component. Because pages can embed React components through MDX, interactive examples and custom pages are straightforward. Docusaurus v2 was a full rewrite, and v1 is deprecated; the current line is v3.

The trade-offs follow from being a React SPA: every site ships React to the browser, and the docs themselves say to use it if you want a single-page application with client-side routing. For lighter output, Astro Starlight or VitePress are common alternatives. Because the output is static, hosting is cheap and simple on any static host or CDN.

§2

Pricing and plans

Free and MIT-licensed. Output is static, so any static host works.

Source: docusaurus.io/docs · prices as published, excluding tax.

§3

What it does

Docs versioning
Keep documentation for several product versions side by side.
Internationalisation
Built-in i18n with Crowdin integration for translations.
MDX
Embed React components in Markdown pages.
Blog and pages
Blog plugin and custom React pages alongside docs.
Theming and swizzling
Customise the theme by overriding individual components.
§4

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

  • Mature, widely used for open-source documentation.
  • Versioning and i18n work without third-party plugins.
  • Full React available for custom components.

Limitations

  • Every site ships a React single-page app to the browser, heavier than static-first alternatives.
  • React-only customisation.
  • Docusaurus v1 is deprecated; very old sites must migrate to v2+.
§5

Who it suits

Good for

  • Open-source project documentation
  • Product docs needing versions and translations
  • React teams writing docs with live examples

Look elsewhere if

  • Minimal-JavaScript docs sites (Starlight, VitePress, Hugo)
  • Vue teams
§6

Alternatives to Docusaurus

Tool From Free option Stages
Vue Progressive UI framework
— Open source
Nuxt Full-stack Vue framework
— Open source
React UI library
— Open source
React Router (framework mode) React router and full-stack framework
— Open source
Hugo Static site generator (Go)
— Open source
Next.js Full-stack React framework
— Open source

All frontend and full-stack frameworks →

§7

Questions

Is Docusaurus a static site generator?

Yes. It builds static pages that become a React single-page app after the first load.

Does Docusaurus support versioned docs?

Yes, docs versioning is built in.

Who maintains Docusaurus?

Meta Open Source, with community contributors; it is MIT-licensed.

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