Developer Documentation: Writing Guide for Clear Technical Docs

Good documentation multiplies your impact. The Tech Brothers Podcast Network emphasizes documentation as a superpower. Here's how to write technical docs that people actually read and use.

Documentation Principles

Write for your future self who forgot everything. Use clear, simple language—avoid jargon when possible. Include code examples liberally. Structure docs with clear headers and sections. Keep docs close to code (README files, inline comments). Update docs when changing code—outdated docs are worse than no docs.

Essential Sections

README should include: what the project does, quick start guide, installation instructions, basic usage examples, configuration options, contributing guidelines, and links to detailed docs. API docs need: endpoint descriptions, request/response examples, authentication details, error codes, and rate limits. Document decisions in ADRs (Architecture Decision Records). Use your TBPN notebook to draft documentation before committing.

Tools and Best Practices

Markdown for simplicity and version control. Docusaurus or GitBook for comprehensive sites. Swagger/OpenAPI for REST APIs. JSDoc or similar for inline code documentation. Keep docs in same repo as code when possible. Treat docs like code—review and test them. Join TBPN discussions on documentation practices and tools that successful teams use.