Documentation as code: Principles, workflow, and challenges

Documentation as Code (DaC) is a development approach that treats documentation with the same level of importance as code, involving it in the same processes such as version control, automated testing, and continuous integration. This methodology ensures that documentation is consistently accurate, easily traceable, and up-to-date with the latest software versions, thereby improving its reliability and usability. DaC encourages collaboration and iterative improvement by storing documentation in version control systems, allowing for easy collaboration and updates. It also offers flexibility in documentation formats, enabling conversion into various formats like HTML or PDF, and integrates seamlessly with CI/CD pipelines to automate documentation generation and deployment. However, traditional code documentation challenges like the time-consuming nature of documentation and the need for frequent updates remain, which is where AI tools like Tabnine come into play. Tabnine enhances the documentation process by using AI to automate tasks such as code generation, explanation, and documentation, thereby speeding up the development process while ensuring privacy and security.