Fern Docs Starter

Create beautiful documentation in under 5 minutes. Here's an example!

---

Customer Showcase

Your docs can look this good:

• Flatfile's API Reference
• Sugeragent's Docs
• Credal's Docs

---

Let's Get Started

Step 1: Use This Template

1. Click on the "Use this template" button.
2. Create a new repository. Name it anything you like, docs is a common naming choice.

Step 2: Open in Your Preferred IDE

Clone your newly created repository and open it in your favorite integrated development environment (IDE) or code editor.

Step 3: Customize Organization Name

In the fern.config.json file, replace the placeholder organization name with your actual organization name. For example:

{
    "organization": "YourOrganization",
    "version": "0.15.18"
}

Also, in the docs.yml file, update the docs URL to match your organization's naming convention. For example:

instances:
  - url: your-organization.docs.buildwithfern.com

Step 4: Generate Your Documentation

1. Install the Fern CLI by running:

npm install -g fern-api

1. Generate your documentation with the following command:

fern generate --docs

You will be prompted to log in and connect your GitHub account.

Once the documentation is generated, you will receive a URL where your documentation is published. For example:

┌─
│ ✓  your-organization.docs.buildwithfern.com
└─

Step 5: Choose an API definition format

If you're using a Fern Definition, you can edit the files within the definition folder.

If you're using an OpenAPI Specification, then run the command: fern generate. You'll see a new folder created called openapi that contains your spec. You can edit this spec to make it your own OR copy and paste a spec you already have. Then, delete the definition folder.

Step 6: Customize Your Documentation

Next, modify the markdown pages located in the pages directory. You can further tailor your documentation to match your brand by adjusting settings in the docs.yml file.

Fern has a built-in component library for you to use. Explore the components.

Step 6: Set Up a Custom Domain

If you wish to use a custom domain like docs.your-organization.com or a subdirectory like your-organization.com/docs, you can subscribe to the Starter plan. Once subscribed, update docs.yml with the custom domain configuration:

 - url: your-organization.docs.buildwithfern.com
   custom-domain: docs.your-organization.com

Step 7: Explore Advanced Features

For advanced documentation features and options, visit the Fern Docs.

Advanced features include:

• Versioning
• Changelog
• Multiple APIs
• Custom background
• Bring your own fonts

Good luck creating beautiful and functional documentation! 🌿