How to Write Technical Documentation

Documentation that nobody reads is useless. Here is how to write the useful kind.

Types of Documentation¶

• Tutorial — teaches (step by step)
• How-to guide — solves a problem
• Reference — technical detail
• Explanation — explains concepts

Principles¶

• Write for the reader, not for yourself
• Concrete examples > abstract explanations
• Short sentences, short paragraphs
• Code that works (not pseudocode)
• Keep it updated — outdated documentation is worse than none

Structure¶

1. Why — motivation and context
2. What — what it does / solves
3. How — step by step with examples
4. Reference — API, config, parameters
5. Troubleshooting — known issues

Tools¶

• Markdown + Git — simple, versioned
• MkDocs / Docusaurus — static site generators
• Notion / Confluence — for internal docs
• OpenAPI/Swagger — for API documentation

Docs as Code¶

Version your documentation in Git alongside the code. Review in PRs. CI/CD for publishing. Code and docs evolve together.

Test¶

Give the docs to a new developer. Can they get up and running from them? If not, improve them.