Static Site Generators for Documentation

In this tutorial, you will learn about Static Site Generators for Documentation. We cover key concepts, practical examples, and best practices to help you master this topic.

Static site generators convert Markdown into a navigable HTML website. Compare Hugo, MkDocs, and 11ty for documentation projects, with configuration examples and best practices for choosing and setting up each SSG.

What You'll Learn

You will learn how to set up Hugo, MkDocs, and 11ty for documentation, how they differ in approach, and how to choose the right one for your project.

Why It Matters

The static site generator is the engine of your documentation site. It determines build speed, theming options, and the flexibility of your documentation pipeline.

Real-World Use

DodaTech uses Hugo for the tutorials platform because it builds 15,000+ pages in under five minutes, supports multilingual content natively, and has extensive theme options.

flowchart LR
  A[Markdown Files] --> B[Static Site Generator]
  B --> C[HTML Pages]
  C --> D[CSS and JS]

  B --> E[Hugo: Fastest]
  B --> F[MkDocs: Simplest]
  B --> G[11ty: Flexible]
  A:::current
  classDef current fill:#f90,color:#fff,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px

Hugo Configuration

baseURL: https://docs.example.com
languageCode: en-us
title: Product Documentation
theme: hextra
params:
  description: "Official product documentation"
  search:
    enable: true
markup:
  highlight:
    style: github

# Create a new page
hugo new content/getting-started/installation.md

# Start development server
hugo server -D

MkDocs Configuration

site_name: Product Documentation
site_description: "Official product documentation"
site_url: https://docs.example.com
theme:
  name: material
  features:
    - navigation.tabs
    - navigation.sections
    - toc.integrate
nav:
  - Home: index.md
  - Getting Started:
    - Installation: installation.md
    - Quickstart: quickstart.md
  - API Reference: api.md
plugins:
  - search
  - git-revision-date-localized

# Create a new site
mkdocs new .

# Start development server
mkdocs serve

11ty Configuration

// .eleventy.js
module.exports = function(eleventyConfig) {
  // Copy static assets
  eleventyConfig.addPassthroughCopy("static");

  // Add custom collections
  eleventyConfig.addCollection("docs", function(collection) {
    return collection.getFilteredByGlob("content/**/*.md");
  });

  return {
    dir: {
      input: "content",
      output: "public",
      includes: "includes",
      layouts: "layouts"
    }
  };
};

Build Performance Comparison

# Time to build a site with 1,000 pages
time hugo --gc --minify        # ~0.5 seconds
time mkdocs build              # ~3 seconds
time npx @11ty/eleventy        # ~2 seconds

Expected output: Hugo is significantly faster at scale.

Common Mistakes

1. Not Using a Documentation-Specific Theme

General-purpose themes lack documentation features like sidebar navigation and search.

2. Overcomplicating Configuration

Start with the default configuration and add customizations as needed. Premature optimization creates maintenance burden.

3. Ignoring Frontmatter

Frontmatter provides essential metadata for search, navigation, and SEO. Every page needs title, description, and weight.

4. Not Using Shortcodes

Shortcodes extend Markdown with reusable components. Learn your SSG's shortcode system.

5. Forgetting to Test the Build

Always run the build command before committing. A build error can prevent deployment.

Practice Questions

1. Which SSG is fastest for large documentation sites?

Hugo, built in Go, completes builds in under a second for most documentation sites.

2. Which SSG is simplest for beginners?

MkDocs, with its minimal configuration and Python-based setup.

3. What is the purpose of frontmatter in SSG pages?

Frontmatter provides metadata for rendering, navigation ordering, search indexing, and SEO.

4. How do shortcodes extend Markdown functionality?

Shortcodes are reusable components that add features like tabs, callouts, and diagrams that standard Markdown does not support.

5. Challenge: Create a three-page documentation site in Hugo, MkDocs, and 11ty. Configure navigation, add a theme, and measure the build time for each.

FAQ

Mini Project

Create a Hugo documentation site with three pages, a navigation menu, and a documentation theme. Create the same site with MkDocs. Compare the configuration effort and build times.

What's Next

After SSGs, learn about API Documentation Tools like Swagger, Redoc, and Stoplight. Then explore Documentation Hosting.