System documentation tools

Not only does Atera supply the software to create the knowledge base but it hosts the database of documents and presents them to the users. All of the screens for the customer portal are white-labeled so you can brand them with your corporate identity or that of your clients.

The system is multi-tenanted, which means that the data and settings for each client are kept separate within the Atera systems. All of the consoles and dashboards for the system are hosted on the Atera servers and can be accessed from anywhere through any standard Web browser.

This is also the case with the customer portal. You can assess the Atera service on a free trial. IT Glue is the main rival to N-able Passportal. This is the documentation system, owned by Kaseya , a major supplier of MSP software. IT Glue also combines password and document management in the same service. IT Glue is a cloud-based service that is charged for by subscription.

The service management is available in three editions: Basic , Select , and Enterprise. These are all prices per user per month with a minimum headcount of five — although the Enterprise edition is available for one to four users at a much higher monthly price than the five-user plan. All plans include the documentation platform. IT Glue offers a system discovery utility as an add-on feature, not included in the standard editions.

This autodiscovery system will automatically explore the hardware and software inventories of a network and document all of them. The IT Glue system creates a framework for documentation, provides templates for writing, and structures the recorded information for presentation.

It also provides storage space for the document base and interfaces for creators and consumers of the document stores. IT Glue produces an alternative package, called MyGlue. The MyGlue system is a self-service platform that end-clients sign up for directly, whereas IT Glue is meant to be used by MSPs to make information available to client company employees.

MyGlue includes password reset and knowledge base creation facilities. ITBoost is owned by ConnectWise , which is another major producer of infrastructure management systems. It is also a leading supplier of software to MSPs. Like its main rivals, ITBoost is a cloud service aimed at MSPs and it also includes password management services and password vault. The documents created by ITBoost can present information to internal users or external users. The ITBoost system has the capability to import documents and it also includes an editor.

Another interesting feature is the ability to glean information from support tickets. The data-gathering facilities, presentation structure, and document templates combine to support the creation of SOPs for MSP staff and a knowledge base for supported users.

It also includes the recording of device configurations, helping to document the systems that the MSP manages. Communications across the internet and data storage at the ITBoost servers are all encrypted for security. ITBoost is available on a day free trial.

Confluence is a product of the Australian software house, Atlassian. This is a very successful documentation, collaboration, and knowledge management system. Atlassian also owns Jira , the project management tool, and both systems integrate to create a project support suite. The combination of Jira for project planning and management with Confluence for documentation and communication is very popular among agile development teams. Confluence has been described as a private social media platform for businesses.

The tool has been available since and has changed radically since then. At first, it was very similar to the typical Wiki format. However, both the operational method of the system and the interface style have both changed since then.

The appearance and purpose of pages created in Confluence are very adaptable and are driven by templates. The resulting documentation system looks more like a website. Different types of pages enable the creation of announcements, searchable knowledge bases, and group comment pages.

The tool includes a guided editor , which eases the creation of pages through templates. Pre-written documents can be imported into a Confluence-created document system. However, the purpose of Confluence is to support the creation of documents created within the environment rather than to act as a document store, although storage space is included with the online access plans of the tool. Confluence is available as a cloud-based subscription service or as on-premises software.

Buyers have five options when considering this software. There are three editions for the cloud-based service and two purchase options for the on-premises software. It is an important part of the software process. The software documentation also provides information about how to use the product or the process. It is through the use of the user manual that they understand the requirements and the operations of the system.

A well-maintained document has various documents like the requirement document, software design document, technical documentation, user documentation. When the particular software is developed for a purpose, it is the software product.

Expect the user documentation, others are high level, containing info, and used by the developers and coders. The Documentations are for providing the information to make the system easier to use and repair. It helps the programmers and analysts to understand and maintain the system after it is installed. Use Jekyll a tool that converts plain text files into websites and easily create an elegant web page.

Read more: What is a Software Requirements Document? MarkdownPad is one of the most famous markdown document editors for windows. MarkdownPad offers a lot of customizing options like color schemes, fonts, sizes, and layouts. With a simple, easy to use user interface, MarkdownPad is a great document editor for software documentation. Read the Docs is a free platform for software documentation, used by millions of developers worldwide.

Read the Docs simplifies software documentation by automating building, versioning, and hosting of your docs for you. Read the Docs hosts your software documentation for free and currently supports over 90, projects. Developers can even host multiple versions of their docs easily on the platform.

Read the Docs is free and is funded by its strong community of supporters! Doxygen directly extracts the documentation from the sources, making it easier to keep the documentation consistent with the source code. Users can even generate graphs and diagrams from the source code, making it a highly customizable and feature-rich tool. Doxygen is free for use and works on all top operating systems- macOS, Linux, and Windows.

There are many software documentation tools out there in the market. However, the above-mentioned ones are the best of the lot. If you want to work with your team and need a smart document editor as well as a content management tool, you can give Bit. If you are looking for an efficient and extensive tool for documenting designs, you might want to look at other options. In short Notion allows you to build your own wiki, just as Confluence does.

That makes it a multi-purpose tool that can be used for project management, documentation, task tracking, and also as design documentation tool. Currently, Notion does not yet provide an API which makes it hard to connect to any custom development integration, but apparently it is on the roadmap. However, little is known yet about its performance at scale. A good reason for large teams to stay with Confluence instead.

Storybook is a tool where developers can develop and store UI components. It also allows for documenting these components and embedding both Figma and Adobe XD designs.

While Storybook is not meant to be purely Design System Documentation Tool, it might really help with embedding your Design System into the developing process.

At Hike One we often combine it with Zeroheight for a less technical oriented presentation of the system. As you can see, each tool has its own features, strengths and weaknesses and it really depends on your needs to find a tool that is fitting. So ask yourself some questions. Do you use Sketch, Photoshop or Figma? Are you working closely with developers? Do you want to integrate marketing? Will your design system be static or dynamic? This article helps you in getting familiar with the possible tools.

But you will determine the best tool for yourself by answering your own questions and reflecting on your own needs. At Hike One, we constantly help out companies figuring out what they need. Want to know more? Just drop us a line. There are four types of tools you can use in your design system: Design tools Design tools allow you to design any digital screen and manage all the digital assets. Documentation tools These host accessible websites that anyone can use to retrieve information and often feature version control.

Design documentation tools Frontify, Zeroheight, Nuclino, Lucid and Bynder are all tools that focus more on design.