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rust-lang/mdBook

A Rust command-line tool that builds online books from Markdown files, similar to GitBook.

Open-source alternative to:GitBook

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What is it?

mdBook takes a directory of Markdown files and turns it into a modern, navigable online book. It is intended for documentation and long-form content such as programming guides, and the project's own User Guide is built with it.

The project is written in Rust and distributed through crates.io, so it can be installed as a single command-line binary. Books are described by a configuration file and a table of contents, and the output is a static website that can be hosted on any static file server.

Because it works from plain Markdown, content stays in version control and can be edited with any text editor. The tool is licensed under the Mozilla Public License v2.0.

Key features

  • 01Builds a static HTML book from Markdown source files.
  • 02Book structure is defined by a table of contents file.
  • 03Installable as a single Rust command-line binary via crates.io.
  • 04Output is a static website that can be hosted on any static file server.

Use cases

  • Publishing a programming language or library user guide.
  • Writing internal engineering documentation kept in a Git repository.
  • Creating a long-form tutorial or course notes as a browsable website.

Things to know

  • Licensed under MPL-2.0, a file-level copyleft license, so modified source files must stay under MPL-2.0.

Topics

#markdown#documentation#static-site#rust#book#command-line

FAQ

What is mdBook?
A Rust command-line tool that builds online books from Markdown files, similar to GitBook. mdBook takes a directory of Markdown files and turns it into a modern, navigable online book. It is intended for documentation and long-form content such as programming guides, and the project's own User Guide is built with it.
Is mdBook free to use? What license does it have?
mdBook is open source under the MPL-2.0 license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is mdBook still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to mdBook was on Oct 21, 2026.
What can I use mdBook for?
Publishing a programming language or library user guide. Writing internal engineering documentation kept in a Git repository. Creating a long-form tutorial or course notes as a browsable website.
Where can I get mdBook?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/rust-lang/mdBook

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