JSDoc vs RDoc
JSDoc
jsdoc.appRDoc
ruby.github.ioSide by side
| Figure | JSDoc | RDoc |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 1 |
| Spec score · Documentation Generators | 7.2 (#27) | 8.1 (#8) |
| License | The JSDoc generator is free software licensed under Apache License 2.0. | RDoc is free software and may be redistributed under the terms in its license file. |
| Purpose | JSDoc is an API documentation generator for JavaScript that scans source code comments and generates an HTML documentation website. | RDoc produces HTML and command-line documentation for Ruby projects, with `rdoc` and `ri` tools to generate and display it. |
| Support | The project README directs users to the JSDoc Users mailing list and Stack Overflow questions tagged `jsdoc` for help. | The project directs users to CONTRIBUTING.md for filing bug reports. |
Plans
In their own words
RDoc
RDoc is free software for producing Ruby project documentation as HTML pages and command-line reference output. The `rdoc` command generates documentation, while `ri` displays it. It processes Ruby, C, and RBS source files, plus RDoc markup, Markdown, RD, and TomDoc documents. RBS declarations can describe classes, modules, methods, attributes, and constants, and can add comments or type signatures to matching Ruby source documentation. A local preview server watches source files and refreshes the browser after changes. It uses Ruby’s built-in TCPServer and needs no external gems, but provides neither HTTPS nor HTTP/2 and is intended only for local previews. RDoc reports documentation coverage with `rdoc -C`, or includes parameter names with `rdoc -C1`. Generation can be automated through Rake or the RDoc API. Aliki is the default theme; Darkfish is deprecated. Ruby 3.2.0 or newer is required for the current gem.