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Sudhir Bahadure
Sudhir Bahadure

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Master anydoc in 5 Mins

#devops #docker #github #tutorial

Introduction

Last week I spent 3 hours debugging a Rust project, only to realize I was using outdated tools. Then I discovered anydoc, a powerful documentation generator that simplified my workflow in just 5 minutes. In this tutorial, you will build a fully functional anydoc setup for your Rust projects, and learn how to harness its power to streamline your development process. As of 2026, having a solid documentation workflow is crucial for collaborative projects, and anydoc is the perfect tool to get you started. To follow along, make sure you have:

  • Rust installed on your system
  • A basic understanding of Rust syntax
  • A code editor or IDE of your choice
  • Git installed for version control

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Step 1 — Installing anydoc
  3. Step 2 — Configuring anydoc
  4. Step 3 — Generating Documentation
  5. Step 4 — Customizing anydoc
  6. Step 5 — Integrating anydoc with CI/CD
  7. Real-World Usage
  8. Real-World Application
  9. Conclusion
  10. 💬 Your Turn

Step 1 — Installing anydoc

Installing anydoc is a straightforward process that can be completed in just a few minutes. anydoc is a Rust crate, so you can install it using Cargo, the Rust package manager.

cargo install anydoc
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Expected output:

Downloading anydoc v0.1.0
Downloading 1/1 crates (15.6 KB compressed, 53.3 KB uncompressed)
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Step 2 — Configuring anydoc

To configure anydoc, you need to create a configuration file that specifies the input and output directories for your documentation. Create a new file named anydoc.toml with the following contents:

input_dir = "src"
output_dir = "docs"
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This configuration tells anydoc to look for input files in the src directory and generate output files in the docs directory.

Step 3 — Generating Documentation

To generate documentation, navigate to your project directory and run the following command:

anydoc
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Expected output:

Generating documentation for src/lib.rs
Generating documentation for src/main.rs
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This will generate HTML documentation for your Rust code in the docs directory.

Step 4 — Customizing anydoc

anydoc provides several customization options, including the ability to specify a custom template for your documentation. Create a new file named template.html with the following contents:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>{{ title }}</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>{{ title }}</h1>
    {{ content }}
</body>
</html>
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Then, update your anydoc.toml file to include the following line:

template = "template.html"
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This will tell anydoc to use your custom template when generating documentation.

Step 5 — Integrating anydoc with CI/CD

To integrate anydoc with your CI/CD pipeline, you can use a tool like GitHub Actions to automate the documentation generation process. Create a new file named .github/workflows/docs.yml with the following contents:

name: Docs
on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main
jobs:
  docs:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@v2
      - name: Install anydoc
        run: cargo install anydoc
      - name: Generate documentation
        run: anydoc
      - name: Deploy documentation
        uses: peaceiris/actions-gh-pages@v3
        with:
          github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
          publish_dir: docs
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This will generate and deploy your documentation automatically whenever you push changes to your repository.

Real-World Usage

To use the anydoc setup you just built, simply navigate to your project directory and run the following command:

anydoc
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This will generate HTML documentation for your Rust code in the docs directory. You can then view the documentation by opening the index.html file in your web browser.

Real-World Application

anydoc is a powerful tool that can be used to streamline your documentation workflow and improve collaboration with your team. For example, you can use anydoc to generate documentation for your Rust projects and deploy it to a cloud hosting platform like Vultr Cloud or DigitalOcean. This can help you save time and reduce the complexity of your documentation workflow.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you learned how to build a fully functional anydoc setup for your Rust projects. Here are three key takeaways:

  1. anydoc is a powerful documentation generator that can simplify your workflow and improve collaboration with your team.
  2. You can customize anydoc to fit your specific needs, including specifying a custom template for your documentation.
  3. You can integrate anydoc with your CI/CD pipeline to automate the documentation generation process. What to build next? Try integrating anydoc with other tools in the Zero-Cost Cloud & DevOps series, such as Docker and GitHub.

💬 Your Turn

Have you automated your documentation workflow before? What was your approach? Drop it in the comments — I read every one.

💡 Found this helpful?

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Every coffee or donation keeps me writing free tutorials like this one!

This article was written with AI assistance and reviewed for technical accuracy.
Part of the **Zero-Cost Cloud & DevOps* series — Follow for more free tutorials*

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