---
title: "Zudoku: Open-Source API Docs Framework"
description: "Developers hould be able to build great API references and documentation for free, that's why we've open-sourced our framework so everyone can use it."
canonicalUrl: "https://zuplo.com/blog/2024/09/05/zudoku-open-source-api-documentation-framework"
pageType: "blog"
date: "2024-09-05"
authors: "martyn"
tags: "OpenAPI, API Documentation"
image: "https://zuplo.com/og?text=Zudoku%20-%20Open%20Source%20API%20Documentation%20Framework"
---
> Our documentation framework is open-source, so anyone can use it. Check out
> [Zudoku](https://zudoku.dev/?utm_source=zuploblog&utm_medium=web&utm_content=link)
> and create your API documentation for free.

At Zuplo, we strive to make all our features world-class, with the same great
extensibility and programmability as the Zuplo gateway itself. So, when we
couldn’t find an open-source documentation solution that met our high standards
and need for programmability, we decided to create our own.

[Zudoku](https://github.com/zuplo/zudoku) is OpenAPI powered, highly
customizable, fast to develop with, completely open-source and free for anyone
to use to power their API reference and documentation.

[![The Zudoku powered Zuplo documentation](/media/posts/2024-09-05-zudoku-open-source-documentation-framework/zuplo-docs-reference.png)](https://docs-zudoku.pages.dev/)

## Why API documentation matters

API documentation should direct and support developers on their path to using
your API effectively. Having good API documentation in place will:

1. **Enhance your Developer Experience:** Detailed explanations, practical code
   examples, and use cases help developers quickly understand and implement your
   API. Your docs are commonly the first place a developer will look after
   discovering your service and they can significantly reduce getting started
   pains and boost time to "Hello, World!".

2. **Accelerate integration:** Your docs put everything developers need at their
   fingertips, making the integration process faster. This accelerated
   implementation benefits not only the developers but also speeds up the
   time-to-market for products utilizing your API.

3. **Reduce support requests:** Detailed documentation allows developers to find
   answers on their own, decreasing the volume of support queries and freeing up
   your team's resources to keep building great product.

4. **Increase adoption rates:** APIs that come with clear, thorough
   documentation are more appealing. In the competitive API landscape, highly
   functional, readable, great looking documentation _will_ give you the upper
   hand.

Choosing to implement open-source documentation frameworks like Zudoku can help
you release an API documentation experience that ticks all the right boxes.

## Building API documentation with Zudoku

We developed Zudoku to deliver documentation and developer experience that can
be powered by an OpenAPI document. At the very minimum, that's all you need to
get and Zudoku will take care of the rest.

As of now, Zudoku supports:

- Generating functional interactive API references from one or multiple OpenAPI
  schema.
- Creating static MDX pages for anything else you want to document.
- A fully integrated playground for every API resource that allows users to test
  and experiment against your API for real.
- Installable package and CDN hosted versions to suit your development needs.

## Try Zudoku with your API

If you'd like to see what your API documentation would look like using Zudoku
head over to
[zudoku.dev](https://zudoku.dev?utm_source=zuploblog&utm_medium=web&utm_content=link)
and submit the URL for your OpenAPI document, or upload it as a JSON or YAML
file.

[![The Zudoku powered Zuplo documentation](/media/posts/2024-09-05-zudoku-open-source-documentation-framework/api-docs-free.png)](https://zudoku.dev/?utm_source=zuploblog&utm_medium=web&utm_content=screenshot)

In return, you'll get a preview of a Zudoku-ized fully functional API reference
to play with.

Go ahead, try it. We'll wait.

If you like it, you can get started developing locally using our generator
package to scaffold a basic Zudoku site that you can customize:

```
npx create-zudoku-app@latest
```

Also, check out our overview video that covers installation, configuration,
build and deployment of a Zudoku powered docs site:

<div align="center">
  <iframe
    width={560}
    height={315}
    src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zRHBsuXSAWY"
    title="YouTube video player"
    frameBorder={0}
    allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share"
    referrerPolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin"
    allowFullScreen=""
  />
</div>

## Get involved

As this is an open-source project, we welcome all questions, feedback, issues
and pull requests on the project's [GitHub](https://github.com/zuplo/zudoku/)
repository.

We will be continuing to dedicate development time to support the project as
well as working on it completely in the open, with all issues, updates and
decisions being made publicly on GitHub.

## Why open-source an API documentation framework?

We believe that the tools you use to document your API should always be free,
and because documentation wasn't the primary reason anyone chose Zuplo, we felt
confident about open-sourcing this tool and making it easy for everyone to
self-host.

Transparently, we hope that if you use it, you’ll think fondly of Zuplo, and
when the time comes for you to evaluate a gateway or API management product, you
might consider us.