Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Slate API Docs Generator VS Widdershins

Compare Slate API Docs Generator VS Widdershins and see what are their differences

Slate API Docs Generator logo Slate API Docs Generator

Create beautiful, intelligent, responsive API documentation.

Widdershins logo Widdershins

Widdershins is an open-source, easy to use Semoasa/ OpenAPI/ AsyncAPI/ definition to ReSlate/Slate compatible markdown released under the MIT License.
  • Slate API Docs Generator Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-30
  • Widdershins Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-02-13

Slate API Docs Generator features and specs

  • Clean and Modern Design
    Slate offers a visually appealing and responsive design that enhances readability and user experience. The clean layout ensures that your API documentation looks professional.
  • Easy Setup
    Slate is relatively straightforward to set up using Markdown. It simplifies the process of creating API documentation, especially for developers who are familiar with Markdown.
  • Interactive Documentation
    The platform allows you to create interactive API documentation, making it easier for users to try out API calls directly within the documentation.
  • Version Control
    Slate supports version control via Git, which allows you to track changes and roll back to previous versions of your documentation easily.
  • Customization
    It offers good customization options through HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, allowing you to tailor the look and feel of your documentation to match your brand.

Possible disadvantages of Slate API Docs Generator

  • Performance Issues
    Slate can be slow to render large volumes of content, which may affect the user experience for documentation that is extensive.
  • Dependency on Ruby
    Slate is built on Ruby, so you will need Ruby installed on your environment, which can add a layer of complexity if you are not already using Ruby.
  • Limited Scalability
    While Slate is suitable for small to medium-sized APIs, it may not scale well for very large APIs with extensive documentation requirements.
  • Limited Plugin Ecosystem
    Compared to other documentation generators, Slate has a smaller ecosystem of plugins and extensions, which might limit its capabilities if you have specific needs.
  • Static Site Generation
    Slate generates static sites, which means that dynamic content or real-time updates to the documentation are not feasible without additional tooling.

Widdershins features and specs

  • OpenAPI to Slate Conversion
    Widdershins facilitates the conversion of OpenAPI specifications to Slate-compatible Markdown, making it easier to create API documentation.
  • Customization Flexibility
    Users can customize the conversion process through various options, allowing for tailored documentation outputs that fit specific project requirements.
  • Support for Multiple Formats
    Widdershins supports conversion from multiple API specification formats like OpenAPI (formerly Swagger) and AsyncAPI, broadening its utility.
  • Active Community
    Being open-source with a community around it, Widdershins benefits from community contributions and support, including updates and plugins.

Possible disadvantages of Widdershins

  • Learning Curve
    Users unfamiliar with command-line tools and scripting might find the initial setup and usage of Widdershins challenging.
  • Limited Output Format
    The primary output is Markdown for Slate, so users seeking different types of documentation formats might find it limiting.
  • Maintenance Overhead
    Keeping up with the updates and ensuring compatibility with the latest OpenAPI specifications might require ongoing maintenance.
  • Dependency on Slate
    As Widdershins is primarily designed to work with Slate, any issues or limitations in Slate could directly affect the outcome of the documentation generated.

Analysis of Slate API Docs Generator

Overall verdict

  • Slate API Docs Generator is a strong choice for creating API documentation, especially for those who value aesthetic and straightforward design. It's particularly beneficial for projects that require a clear presentation of complex API information.

Why this product is good

  • Slate is a popular API documentation generator because it creates clean, readable, and visually appealing documentation with a three-panel layout. This layout includes an information panel for navigation, detailed explanations, and code examples, which makes it user-friendly for developers. It also supports Markdown, allowing for easy content creation and updates. Additionally, its open-source nature provides flexibility for customization according to specific needs.

Recommended for

  • Developers and teams needing to create API documentation with minimal setup
  • Projects that require visually appealing and easy-to-navigate documentation
  • Open-source enthusiasts looking for customizable documentation solutions
  • Organizations seeking to provide comprehensive and clear guidance for API usage.

Slate API Docs Generator videos

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Widdershins videos

Pride Month Reviews, Widdershins by Jordan L. Hawk, E.D. Lewis Reviews #booktube #horrortube

More videos:

  • Review - Widdershins Ranks The Tintin Books (Part 1)
  • Review - Album of the Day (Ep. 198): Grant-Lee Phillips - Widdershins

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Slate API Docs Generator and Widdershins)
Documentation
83 83%
17% 17
Development
0 0%
100% 100
Documentation As A Service & Tools
Tool
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Slate API Docs Generator seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 13 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Slate API Docs Generator mentions (13)

  • How do i document my api ?
    Https://github.com/slatedocs/slate this ! Big company use it ( stripe etc ). Source: over 2 years ago
  • [ARTICLE] Stripe Releases Their Documentation Framework
    The second most common question being "What framework does Stripe use to build their documentation?" and the answer has unfortunately always been "They use a custom setup they built themselves and isn't available." - so then Slate gets brought up as a suitable replacement. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Twelve Amazing Free Hugo Documentation Themes
    DocuAPI is a multilingual API documentation theme for Hugo created and maintained by Bjørn Erik Pedersen, the lead maintainer and co-creator of Hugo itself. It’s built on top of the Slate API docs generator, which itself was inspired by Stripe’s and PayPal’s API docs. The JavaScript section of DocuAPI has been rewritten from Jquery to AlpineJS.​​​​​​. - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago
  • Best way to document Express API
    I've used Slate to document APIs which similarly will produce a local website. You can host that privately or there's built in support to push to github pages if you're hosting it in a github repo. The documentation itself is all written in markdown and managed separate from your API code. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Building API Docs
    We used to use Slate - https://github.com/slatedocs/slate for our APIs in my previous job. That was pretty neat. - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
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Widdershins mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Widdershins yet. Tracking of Widdershins recommendations started around Feb 2022.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Slate API Docs Generator and Widdershins, you can also consider the following products

Doxygen - Generate documentation from source code

OpenAPI Generator - OpenAPI Generator enables you to generate documentation, clients, and servers from OpenAPI 2.0/3.x documents without hassle.

swagger.io - Swagger is an open source RESTapi Documentation Tool.

API Transformer - API Transformer is a powerful solution that enables you to Transform API specifications to any format.

Compodoc - The missing documentation tool for your Angular application

API Spec Converter - API Spec Converter is an open-source solution that enables you to transform API descriptions between major formats like WADL, OpenAPI (fka Swagger), API Blueprint, RAML, and more.

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