# Read the Docs — Documentation Hosting and Build Platform

> Host, build, and version your project documentation automatically from Sphinx, MkDocs, or any static site generator.

## Install

Save as a script file and run:

# Read the Docs — Documentation Hosting and Build Platform

## Quick Use
```bash
pip install sphinx
sphinx-quickstart docs
# Push to GitHub, then import the repo at readthedocs.org
# Docs build and deploy automatically on every push
```

## Introduction
Read the Docs is an open-source platform that builds and hosts documentation from version-controlled repositories. It automates the workflow of turning reStructuredText or Markdown source files into a searchable, versioned documentation site, and has hosted docs for thousands of open-source projects.

## What Read the Docs Does
- Builds documentation automatically on every commit via webhook integration
- Hosts multiple versions of docs (stable, latest, per-branch, per-tag)
- Provides full-text search across all documentation pages
- Generates PDF, EPUB, and HTML downloads from the same source
- Supports Sphinx, MkDocs, and custom build commands

## Architecture Overview
Read the Docs is a Django web application backed by PostgreSQL and Elasticsearch. When a webhook fires, a Celery worker clones the repository, installs dependencies in an isolated environment, and runs the configured build tool. The output is stored and served behind a CDN. Each project gets a subdomain (project.readthedocs.io) with HTTPS by default.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Deploy the community edition using Docker Compose from the official repository
- Configure the Django settings for your database, Redis, and storage backend
- Connect to GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket for webhook-triggered builds
- Add a `.readthedocs.yaml` file to your repo to pin the Python version and build tools
- Set up custom domains with automatic SSL certificate provisioning

## Key Features
- Automatic version management tied to branches and tags in your VCS
- Pull request preview builds so reviewers can see doc changes before merge
- Analytics dashboard showing page views and search queries
- Localization support for multilingual documentation
- Embed API for pulling rendered documentation into external sites

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **GitHub Pages** — static hosting without built-in versioning or search
- **Netlify / Vercel** — general-purpose hosting; Read the Docs specializes in documentation workflows
- **GitBook** — commercial with a free tier; Read the Docs is fully open source and self-hostable
- **Docusaurus** — a static site generator, not a hosting platform

## FAQ
**Q:** Is the hosted service at readthedocs.org free?
A: Yes, free for open-source projects. A commercial product (Read the Docs for Business) adds private repos and priority support.

**Q:** Can I self-host Read the Docs?
A: Yes. The community edition is open source under the MIT license and can be deployed with Docker.

**Q:** Does it support MkDocs in addition to Sphinx?
A: Yes. Both Sphinx and MkDocs are supported as first-class build tools.

**Q:** How does versioning work?
A: Each Git branch or tag can be activated as a documentation version, accessible at its own URL path.

## Sources
- https://github.com/readthedocs/readthedocs.org
- https://docs.readthedocs.io/

---
Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-a71207e0
Author: Script Depot