nudbobitercaiston

Aug 9, 202311 min read

How Redoc Can Help You Create Stunning API Docs in Minutes - Download Now

How to Download and Use Redoc for API Documentation

If you are looking for a simple and powerful way to create interactive API documentation from your OpenAPI specifications, you might want to check out Redoc. Redoc is an open-source tool that generates API documentation from OpenAPI (fka Swagger) definitions. By default, Redoc offers a three-panel, responsive layout: The left panel contains a search bar and navigation menu. The central panel contains the documentation. The right panel contains request and response examples.

In this article, I will show you how to download and use Redoc to create beautiful API docs in minutes. I will also cover some of the customization options and features that make Redoc stand out among other documentation tools. Finally, I will compare Redoc with some of the alternatives that are available for generating API docs from OpenAPI specs.

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How to Install Redoc

Installing Redoc is very easy. There are actually four different ways to deploy the tool, depending on your preference and needs. Here are the steps for each method:

Install Redoc via npm or yarn

If you are using npm or yarn as your package manager, you can install Redoc as a dependency in your project. Just run the following command in your terminal:

npm install redoc --save # or yarn add redoc

This will download the latest version of Redoc and add it to your package.json file.

Reference the JS in HTML locally or via CDN

If you don't want to use a package manager, you can simply reference the JavaScript file for Redoc in your HTML page. You can either host the file yourself or use a public CDN. For example, you can add the following script tag to your HTML page:

<script src="

This will load the latest version of Redoc from jsDelivr CDN.

Use the Redoc React component

If you are using React as your front-end framework, you can use the Redoc React component to render your API documentation. First, you need to install the redoc-react package:

npm install redoc-react --save # or yarn add redoc-react

Then, you can import the component and use it in your JSX code:

How to download redoc and generate API documentation

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import React from 'react'; import RedocStandalone from 'redoc-react'; class App extends React.Component render() return ( <RedocStandalone specUrl=" /> );

This will render your API documentation using the petstore example spec.

Install Redoc via Docker

If you prefer to use Docker, you can also install Redoc as a Docker image. First, you need to pull the image from Docker Hub:

docker pull redocly/redoc

Then, you can run the image with your OpenAPI spec URL as an environment variable:

docker run -it --rm -p 8080:80 -e SPEC_URL=' redocly/redoc

This will start a web server on port 8080 and serve your API documentation using the petstore example spec.

<h How to Use Redoc

Once you have installed Redoc, using it is very simple. All you need is a valid OpenAPI specification file in JSON or YAML format. You can either use an existing file or create one from scratch using a tool like [OpenAPI GUI](^6^) or [Swagger Editor](^7^). You can also use [Redocly Workflows](^8^) to create and manage your OpenAPI definitions in a collaborative way.

To use Redoc, you just need to pass the URL of your OpenAPI spec file to the specUrl attribute of the <redoc> element in your HTML page. For example:

<redoc spec-url="

This will render your API documentation using the petstore example spec. You can also use a relative path to your spec file if you host it on the same server as your HTML page.

If you want to use the React component, you need to pass the URL of your OpenAPI spec file to the specUrl prop of the <RedocStandalone> component in your JSX code. For example:

This will render your API documentation using the petstore example spec as well.

If you want to use the Docker image, you need to pass the URL of your OpenAPI spec file as an environment variable to the docker run command. For example:

docker run -it --rm -p 8080:80 -e SPEC_URL=' redocly/redoc

This will start a web server on port 8080 and serve your API documentation using the petstore example spec as well.

How to Customize Redoc

One of the advantages of Redoc is that it allows you to customize the appearance and behavior of your API documentation. You can use various options and extensions to tweak the layout, colors, fonts, menus, samples, and more. Here are some of the customization options that Redoc offers:

Theming options

To customize the style of your API documentation, you can use the theme option in your HTML page or JSX code. This option takes an object with various properties that control the colors, fonts, breakpoints, and code blocks of your documentation. For example:

This will change the primary color of your documentation to red. You can find a full list of theming options on [Redoc's documentation](^9^).

x-tagGroups extension

To group your tags into high-level categories in the side menu, you can use the x-tagGroups extension in your OpenAPI spec file. This extension takes an array of objects with name and tags properties. For example:

x-tagGroups: - name: Pets tags: - pet - store - name: Users tags: - user

This will create two groups in the side menu: Pets and Users, each containing the corresponding tags.

x-logo extension

To display your brand logo in the documentation header, you can use the x-logo extension in your OpenAPI spec file. This extension takes an object with various properties that control the logo image, URL, background color, and alt text. For example:

x-logo: url: " backgroundColor: "#FFFFFF" altText: "Example logo" href: "

This will display a logo image that links to your website.

x-codeSamples extension

To add custom code samples for different languages and frameworks, you can use the x-codeSamples extension in your OpenAPI spec file. This extension takes an array of objects with lang and source properties . For example:

x-codeSamples: - lang: "JavaScript" source: const axios = require('axios'); axios.get(' .then(response => console.log(response.data)) .catch(error => console.error(error)); - lang: "Python" source: import requests response = requests.get(' print(response.json())

This will display two code samples for JavaScript and Python in the right panel of your documentation.

x-examples extension

To add custom examples for your request and response bodies, you can use the x-examples extension in your OpenAPI spec file. This extension takes an object with summary and value properties. For example:

x-examples: application/json: summary: "A simple pet" value: id: 1 name: "Fluffy" category: "cat"

This will display an example of a simple pet in JSON format in the right panel of your documentation.

What are the Features and Benefits of Redoc

Redoc is not just a tool for generating API documentation. It is also a tool for enhancing the user experience and understanding of your API. Redoc offers many features and benefits that make it a great choice for documenting your API. Here are some of them:

Interactive and responsive layout

Redoc provides a three-panel layout that adapts to different screen sizes and devices. The left panel contains a search bar and a navigation menu that allows you to quickly jump to different sections of your documentation. The central panel contains the documentation itself, with clear and concise descriptions, parameters, schemas, and responses. The right panel contains interactive examples that show you how to make requests and what to expect in return. You can also expand and collapse the panels as you wish.

Support for OpenAPI 3.0 and 2.0

Redoc supports both OpenAPI 3.0 and 2.0 specifications, which are the most widely used standards for describing RESTful APIs. You can use Redoc to document any API that follows these specifications, regardless of the programming language or framework you use. Redoc also supports various features of OpenAPI 3.0, such as callbacks, links, oneOf, anyOf, allOf, discriminator, etc.

Customization and theming options

Redoc allows you to customize the appearance and behavior of your API documentation using various options and extensions. You can change the colors, fonts, breakpoints, code blocks, menus, samples, and more using the theme option or CSS variables. You can also group your tags into categories, display your logo, add custom code samples, examples, and more using the x-tagGroups, x-logo, x-codeSamples, x-examples, and other extensions.

No server-side dependencies or build steps

Redoc is a standalone tool that does not require any server-side dependencies or build steps. You can simply reference the JavaScript file for Redoc in your HTML page or use the React component or Docker image to deploy it. Redoc will render your API documentation on the fly from your OpenAPI spec file without any additional configuration or processing.

Open-source and free

Redoc is an open-source project that is licensed under the MIT license. This means that you can use it for free for any purpose, modify it as you wish, and contribute to its development and improvement. You can also access the source code, documentation, issues, and pull requests on [GitHub].

What are some Alternatives to Redoc

Redoc is not the only tool for generating API documentation from OpenAPI specifications. There are many other tools that offer similar or different features and capabilities. Here are some of the alternatives that you might want to consider:

Name

Description

Pros

Cons

[Swagger UI]

A popular tool for visualizing and testing APIs from OpenAPI specs.

- Supports OpenAPI 3.0 and 2.0- Provides interactive testing features- Allows customization via plugins and themes- Widely used and supported by Swagger UI

Swagger UI is a popular tool for visualizing and testing APIs from OpenAPI specs. It provides a web-based interface that allows you to explore the endpoints, parameters, responses, and examples of your API. You can also use Swagger UI to make live requests and see the results in real time.

Some of the pros of Swagger UI are:

It supports OpenAPI 3.0 and 2.0 specifications.

It provides interactive testing features that let you try out your API without writing any code.

It allows customization via plugins and themes that let you change the look and feel of your documentation.

It is widely used and supported by the community and has many integrations with other tools and platforms.

Some of the cons of Swagger UI are:

It can be slow and bulky for large or complex APIs.

It does not offer much control over the layout and structure of your documentation.

It can be confusing for beginners or non-technical users who are not familiar with OpenAPI syntax.

It does not support some of the advanced features of OpenAPI 3.0, such as callbacks, links, oneOf, anyOf, allOf, discriminator, etc.

Slate API Docs Generator

Slate API Docs Generator is a free and open-source tool for generating API documentation from Markdown files. It produces static HTML pages that are easy to host and share. Slate API Docs Generator offers a clean and elegant design that focuses on readability and usability.

Some of the pros of Slate API Docs Generator are:

It is free and open-source, which means you can use it for any purpose, modify it as you wish, and contribute to its development and improvement.

It uses Markdown as the source format, which is a simple and widely used markup language that is easy to write and read.

It produces static HTML pages that are fast, secure, and SEO-friendly.

It supports multiple languages and frameworks for code samples using [Rouge], a Ruby-based syntax highlighter.

Some of the cons of Slate API Docs Generator are:

It does not support OpenAPI specifications natively, which means you have to write your documentation manually or use a converter tool like [Widdershins].

It does not provide interactive testing features or live examples that let you try out your API.

It does not offer much customization or theming options beyond changing the colors and fonts.

It can be difficult to maintain or update your documentation as your API evolves or changes.

Conclusion

In this article, I have shown you how to download and use Redoc to create interactive API documentation from your OpenAPI specifications. I have also covered some of the customization options and features that make Redoc stand out among other documentation tools. Finally, I have compared Redoc with some of the alternatives that are available for generating API docs from OpenAPI specs.

If you are looking for a simple and powerful way to document your API, I recommend you give Redoc a try. Redoc is an open-source tool that generates API documentation from OpenAPI (fka Swagger) definitions. By default, Redoc offers a three-panel, responsive layout: The left panel contains a search bar and navigation menu. The central panel contains the documentation. The right panel contains request and response examples. You can also customize the appearance and behavior of Redoc using various options and extensions.

To get started with Redoc, you just need a valid OpenAPI specification file in JSON or YAML format. You can either use an existing file or create one from scratch using a tool like [OpenAPI GUI](^6^) or [Swagger Editor]. You can also use [Redocly Workflows] to create and manage your OpenAPI definitions in a collaborative way. Then, you can install Redoc via npm, yarn, CDN, React component, or Docker image. Finally, you can use Redoc to render your API documentation on the fly from your OpenAPI spec file without any additional configuration or processing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is OpenAPI?

OpenAPI is a standard for describing RESTful APIs in a machine-readable and human-readable way. It allows you to define the endpoints, parameters, responses, security schemes, and other details of your API in a JSON or YAML file. You can use OpenAPI to generate documentation, testing tools, client [assistant](#message) [assistant](#message) [assistant](#message) [assistant](#message) [assistant](#message) [assistant](#message) [assistant](#message) [assistant](#message) [assistant](#message) [assistant](#message) [assistant](#message) sdk, and server stubs from your OpenAPI spec file.

What is Redocly?

Redocly is a company that provides a suite of tools and services for working with OpenAPI specifications. Redocly offers three main products: Redoc, Redocly Workflows, and Redocly API Registry. Redoc is the tool that I have discussed in this article. Redocly Workflows is a cloud-based platform that helps you create, manage, and collaborate on your OpenAPI definitions. Redocly API Registry is a centralized hub that helps you discover, explore, and consume APIs from various sources.

How can I contribute to Redoc?

Redoc is an open-source project that welcomes contributions from the community. If you want to contribute to Redoc, you can do so by reporting issues, suggesting features, submitting pull requests, writing documentation, or spreading the word. You can find more information on how to contribute on [Redoc's GitHub repository].

How can I get support for Redoc?

If you need support for Redoc, you can use one of the following channels:

Read the [official documentation] for Redoc.

Join the [Redoc community chat] on Gitter.

Ask a question on [Stack Overflow] using the redoc tag.

Contact the [Redocly support team] via email or chat.

How can I learn more about Redoc?

If you want to learn more about Redoc, you can use one of the following resources:

Watch the [Redoc demo video] on YouTube.

Read the [Redoc blog] for updates and tips.

Follow [Redoc on Twitter] for news and announcements.

Check out some [examples of Redoc in action] on the web.

I hope you enjoyed this article and learned something new about Redoc. If you did, please share it with your friends and colleagues who might be interested in API documentation. And if you have any feedback or questions, please leave a comment below. Thank you for reading!

: : : : : : : : : : [official documentation]: [Redoc community chat]: [Stack Overflow]: [Redocly support team]: [Redoc demo video]: [Redoc blog]: [Redoc on Twitter]: [examples of Redoc in action]: 44f88ac181