Diátaxis

ContentsMenuExpandLight modeDark modeAuto light/dark mode [Back to top](https://diataxis.fr/#) Toggle Light / Dark / Auto color theme Toggle table of contents sidebar # Diátaxis [¶](https://diataxis.fr/\#diataxis "Link to this heading") A systematic approach to technical documentation authoring. * * * Diátaxis is a way of thinking about and doing documentation. It prescribes approaches to content, architecture and form that emerge from a systematic approach to understanding the needs of documentation users. Diátaxis identifies four distinct needs, and four corresponding forms of documentation - _tutorials_, _how-to guides_, _technical reference_ and _explanation_. It places them in a systematic relationship, and proposes that documentation should itself be organised around the structures of those needs.  Diátaxis solves problems related to documentation _content_ (what to write), _style_ (how to write it) and _architecture_ (how to organise it). As well as serving the users of documentation, Diátaxis has value for documentation creators and maintainers. It is light-weight, easy to grasp and straightforward to apply. It doesn’t impose implementation constraints. It brings an active principle of quality to documentation that helps maintainers think effectively about their own work. * * * ## Contents [¶](https://diataxis.fr/\#contents "Link to this heading") The best way to get started with Diátaxis is by applying it after reading a brief primer. - [Start here](https://diataxis.fr/start-here/) These pages will help make immediate, concrete sense of the approach. - [Applying Diátaxis](https://diataxis.fr/application/) - [Tutorials](https://diataxis.fr/tutorials/) - [How-to guides](https://diataxis.fr/how-to-guides/) - [Reference](https://diataxis.fr/reference/) - [Explanation](https://diataxis.fr/explanation/) - [The compass](https://diataxis.fr/compass/) - [Workflow](https://diataxis.fr/how-to-use-diataxis/) This section explores the theory and principles of Diátaxis more deeply, and sets forth the understanding of needs that underpin it. - [Understanding Diátaxis](https://diataxis.fr/theory/) - [Foundations](https://diataxis.fr/foundations/) - [The map](https://diataxis.fr/map/) - [Quality](https://diataxis.fr/quality/) - [Tutorials and how-to guides](https://diataxis.fr/tutorials-how-to/) - [Reference and explanation](https://diataxis.fr/reference-explanation/) - [Complex hierarchies](https://diataxis.fr/complex-hierarchies/) * * * Diátaxis is proven in practice. Its principles have been adopted successfully in hundreds of documentation projects. > Diátaxis has allowed us to build a high-quality set of internal documentation that our users love, and our contributors love adding to. > > —Greg Frileux, [Vonage](https://vonage.com/) > At Gatsby we recently reorganized our open-source documentation, and the Diátaxis framework was our go-to resource > throughout the project. The four quadrants helped us prioritize the user’s goal for each type of documentation. By > restructuring our documentation around the Diátaxis framework, we made it easier for users to discover the > resources that they need when they need them. > > — [Megan Sullivan](https://hachyderm.io/@meganesulli) > While redesigning the [Cloudflare developer docs](https://developers.cloudflare.com/), Diátaxis became our north star for information architecture. When we weren’t sure where a new piece of content should fit in, we’d consult the framework. Our documentation is now clearer than it’s ever been, both for readers and contributors. > > — [Adam Schwartz](https://github.com/adamschwartz) Downloads[PDF](https://diataxis.fr/_/downloads/en/latest/pdf/)On Read the Docs[Project Home](https://app.readthedocs.org/projects/documentation-system/?utm_source=documentation-system&utm_content=flyout)[Builds](https://app.readthedocs.org/projects/documentation-system/builds/?utm_source=documentation-system&utm_content=flyout)Search * * * [Addons documentation](https://docs.readthedocs.io/page/addons.html?utm_source=documentation-system&utm_content=flyout) ― Hosted by [Read the Docs](https://about.readthedocs.com/?utm_source=documentation-system&utm_content=flyout)