Document a TypeScript library that has no docs
Your TypeScript library has no documentation. What TypeDoc covers, what it leaves out, and how to get guides, getting started and a hosted site from the repository.
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The short answer
You need two kinds of documentation, and different tools are good at each. An API reference is generated from your exported types and comments. Guides, getting started and concepts have to be written by something that understands what the project is for.
TypeDoc is the usual choice for the API reference. Docup is for the rest: it reads the repository, plans the pages the project needs, drafts them, and publishes a hosted site you can edit and keep current.
What TypeDoc does
TypeDoc describes itself as converting comments in TypeScript source code into HTML documentation or a JSON model. It documents your exports and follows re-exports to members declared in other files.
- Install it as a dev dependency and run npx typedoc. It reads entry points from the exports or main fields of package.json, or you pass an entry file such as src/index.ts.
- It has configurable options, themes and a plugin API.
- It generates output. Where to host that output is up to you.
What we say about TypeDoc comes from typedoc.org on November 5, 2026. Check it for the current details.
What a reference does not give you
A reference is only as good as the comments in the source. A library with no docs usually has few comments, so the first output is mostly signatures. It also has no overview, no install steps and no examples of how the pieces fit together.
That is the gap a repository-based generator fills. Docup reads source files, configuration and any existing docs, drafts an overview, getting started and the main guides, and adds reference pages only where the code supports them. It states what it verified in your source and leaves out what it cannot confirm.
A sensible setup
- Use TypeDoc if you want a complete, signature-level API reference built from your types.
- Use Docup to draft the guides, getting started and concepts, review and edit them, and publish them on a hosted site with search and dark mode.
- Connect GitHub so pages follow the code. After each push Docup updates only the pages whose source files changed, and never overwrites a page you edited.
The two do not conflict: link your TypeDoc output from the Docup site, or the other way round.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need TypeDoc if I use Docup?
- Not necessarily. Docup writes pages from your repository, but it is not a signature-by-signature API reference generator. If you want that level of reference, TypeDoc is built for it.
- Does Docup work with TypeScript projects?
- Docup reads the files of any GitHub repository, TypeScript included. It does not build or execute your project.
- What does it cost?
- Docup is free while it is in early access. See the pricing page for what is included.
Where this information comes from
The facts about the other product were read from its official pages on November 5, 2026. They can change, so check the sources for the current details: typedoc.org. Tell us at hello@docup.dev if something here is out of date.
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Last updated November 5, 2026