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Mohammed AlShannaq
Mohammed AlShannaq

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Run MkDocs on iPad with iSH and Browse It Locally ๐ŸŽ‰

#ipad #python #documentation #webdev

Have you ever thought about turning your iPad into a mini documentation server?
With iSH (a Linux shell for iOS) and MkDocs, you can not only build documentation projects right on your iPad, but also serve and browse them locally in Chrome or Safari on the same device! ๐Ÿš€

Why do this?

  • ๐Ÿ“ Write and preview your documentation on the go, without a laptop.

  • ๐Ÿ’ก Turn your iPad into a self-contained dev and docs environment.

  • ๐ŸŒ Browse your MkDocs site locally as if itโ€™s hosted online โ€” but itโ€™s all happening inside your iPad.

Step 1: Install iSH

Grab iSH Shell from the App Store. It runs Alpine Linux inside iOS โ€” lightweight and perfect for experiments like this.

Step 2: Install Python & Build Tools

Inside iSH, update and install the required packages:

apk update
apk add python3 py3-pip build-base python3-dev libffi-dev openssl-dev
pip install --upgrade pip setuptools wheel
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Step 3: Install MkDocs 

pip install mkdocs mkdocs-material
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Check if it works:

mkdocs โ€”version
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Step 4: Create a Project 

mkdocs new mydocs
cd mydocs
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Step 5: Serve the Site

Hereโ€™s the magic part โ€” run the built-in dev server on 127.0.0.1:

mkdocs serve -a 127.0.0.1:8000
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Step 6: Browse on Your iPad ๐ŸŽ‰

Now open Chrome or Safari on your iPad and go to:

http://127.0.0.1:8000/
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Boom! Youโ€™re browsing your MkDocs site thatโ€™s being served locally inside iSH. No extra devices, no external servers โ€” just your iPad.

โš ๏ธ Tip: Keep the iSH app running in the foreground (or in split-screen with Chrome/Safari). If iSH is fully sent to the background, iOS will freeze the process and your local MkDocs server will stop responding.

Final Thoughts

This little hack shows how powerful iSH can be. Pair it with MkDocs, and suddenly your iPad becomes a portable documentation lab. You can edit Markdown, rebuild instantly, and preview it live in your browser โ€” all on one device.

โธป

๐Ÿ‘‰ Would you try running MkDocs (or maybe even other Python-based tools) on your iPad?

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