# mdBook — Create Books from Markdown Like Gitbook in Rust

> mdBook creates online books from Markdown files, similar to Gitbook but implemented in Rust. Used for the official Rust Book, Cargo Book, Tokio Tutorial, and many open-source documentation sites. Fast builds and a clean default theme.

## Install

Save the content below to `.claude/skills/` or append to your `CLAUDE.md`:

## Quick Use

```bash
cargo install mdbook
mdbook init my-book
cd my-book
mdbook serve                                # Dev server at :3000
mdbook build                                # Build to book/
```

Directory structure:
```
my-book/
├── book.toml
└── src/
    ├── SUMMARY.md
    ├── chapter_1.md
    └── chapter_2/
        ├── section_1.md
        └── section_2.md
```

`src/SUMMARY.md`:
```markdown
# Summary

- [Introduction](./chapter_1.md)
- [Getting Started](./chapter_2/section_1.md)
  - [Installation](./chapter_2/section_2.md)
```

## Intro

mdBook is a command-line tool and Rust library to create online books from Markdown files. Similar to Gitbook but implemented in Rust — fast, single binary, no Node.js required. Used for the official Rust Book, Cargo Book, Tokio Tutorial, Bevy Book, and many Rust ecosystem docs.

- **Repo**: https://github.com/rust-lang/mdBook
- **Stars**: 21K+
- **Language**: Rust
- **License**: MPL 2.0

## What mdBook Does

- **Markdown to HTML** — clean default theme
- **SUMMARY.md** — table of contents as navigation
- **Search** — full-text search built in
- **Syntax highlighting** — for code blocks
- **Preprocessors** — custom Markdown transforms
- **Renderers** — HTML (default), PDF, EPUB via plugins
- **Themes** — customizable CSS
- **Link checking** — validate internal links
- **Includes** — embed file contents with `{{#include}}`
- **Rust code testing** — `mdbook test` runs Rust code examples

## Comparison

| Tool | Language | Speed | Node.js |
|---|---|---|---|
| mdBook | Rust | Fast | No |
| Gitbook | JS | Medium | Yes |
| Docusaurus | JS | Medium | Yes |
| VitePress | JS | Fast | Yes |
| Sphinx | Python | Medium | No |

## FAQ

**Q: Compared to VitePress?**
A: mdBook is zero-dependency (single Rust binary); VitePress requires Node.js but supports Vue components and richer customization. Pick mdBook for pure docs and VitePress for interactive documentation.

## Sources

- Docs: https://rust-lang.github.io/mdBook
- GitHub: https://github.com/rust-lang/mdBook
- License: MPL 2.0

---
Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/mdbook-create-books-markdown-like-gitbook-rust-ce6e1a98
Author: Script Depot