documentation.js
Generate API documentation for ES2015+ and Flow-annotated code.
Pricing
Free tier
Flat rate
Adoption
↘CoolingLicense
Open Source
Data freshness
Aging · Jun 8, 2026Overview
What is documentation.js?
Documentation.js is an open-source tool that generates comprehensive API documentation from your JavaScript source files, supporting modern ECMAScript features and Flow type annotations. It's essential for developers looking to maintain clear and up-to-date documentation alongside their evolving codebases.
Key differentiator
“Documentation.js stands out as an open-source, extensible solution specifically designed to generate comprehensive API documentation from modern JavaScript codebases with support for ES2015+ and Flow annotations.”
Capability profile
Capability Radar
Honest assessment
Strengths & Weaknesses
↑ Strengths
↓ Weaknesses
While documentation.js supports HTML and Markdown, advanced customization requires significant effort and may not cover all use cases.
Documentation.js can struggle with documenting deeply nested or highly modular JavaScript applications, leading to incomplete or inaccurate documentation.
Flow annotation parsing is not always reliable, which can result in missing or incorrect information in the generated documentation.
Documentation.js does not natively support automatic documentation generation within continuous integration workflows, requiring manual intervention or additional configuration.
Fit analysis
Who is it for?
✓ Best for
JavaScript developers who need to maintain clear and up-to-date API documentation
Teams working on large-scale JavaScript applications with complex APIs
Open-source project maintainers looking for automated documentation generation
✕ Not a fit for
Projects that require real-time documentation updates (documentation.js generates static output)
Users who prefer a web-based UI for managing their documentation (it's a command-line tool)
Cost structure
Pricing
Free Tier
Available
Open source — free to use
Starts at
$0
Model
Flat rate
Enterprise
None
Performance benchmarks
How Fast Is It?
Ecosystem
Relationships
Alternatives
Next step
Get Started with documentation.js
Step-by-step setup guide with code examples and common gotchas.