documentation

Technical Documentation

Write clear, maintainable technical documentation for different audiences and purposes.

Document Types

README

• What this is and why it exists
• Quick start (< 5 minutes to first success)
• Configuration and usage
• Contributing guide

API Documentation

• Endpoint reference with request/response examples
• Authentication and error codes
• Rate limits and pagination
• SDK examples

Runbook

• When to use this runbook
• Prerequisites and access needed
• Step-by-step procedure
• Rollback steps
• Escalation path

Architecture Doc

• Context and goals
• High-level design with diagrams
• Key decisions and trade-offs
• Data flow and integration points

Onboarding Guide

• Environment setup
• Key systems and how they connect
• Common tasks with walkthroughs
• Who to ask for what

Principles

1. Write for the reader — Who is reading this and what do they need?
2. Start with the most useful information — Don't bury the lede
3. Show, don't tell — Code examples, commands, screenshots
4. Keep it current — Outdated docs are worse than no docs
5. Link, don't duplicate — Reference other docs instead of copying