About JSDoc
JSDoc is a tool that builds API documentation from special comments written in JavaScript code. It is a well known project in the JavaScript community and is used with plain scripts, ES modules and Node.js code alike.
What it does
You add tags such as description, param and returns above functions, classes and modules. JSDoc reads those comments and outputs browsable HTML pages. A configuration file controls which files are read and how the output looks, and you can add tutorials, a README and package details to the result.
Key features
- Block and inline tags for types, parameters and return values
- Support for ES modules, classes and CommonJS modules
- Tutorials and README pages included in the output
- Configuration file for inputs and output settings
- Plugins and optional Markdown support
Who it's for
JavaScript library authors and teams that want their code comments to become a reference site. Node.js modules and browser code both fit this workflow, and the same comments can serve people reading the source.
Pricing and good to know
The repository uses the Apache-2.0 license, so the tool is free under those terms. It runs from the command line on a machine with Node.js. The default template can be changed through configuration, and the comment tags follow a documented format, so the docs are only as complete as the comments written in the code.
Highlights
- Reads block tags for types, params and returns
- Supports ES modules, classes and CommonJS
- Adds tutorials and a README to the output
- Uses a config file for inputs and output
- Accepts plugins and Markdown in descriptions
