---
title: Introduction
description: CamelMind is an open-source docs-as-code platform built on Next.js. Build and ship beautiful documentation sites in minutes.
---

CamelMind is an open-source documentation platform built on Next.js. Write in Markdown and MDX, manage navigation with YAML, and deploy anywhere: Node.js hosts, Docker, Vercel, or static CDNs.

Use CamelMind to build product docs, API references, internal knowledge bases, blogs, personal sites, and more.

<Callout type="tip">
New here? Start with the [Installation](/getting-started/installation) and get your first site running in under five minutes.
</Callout>

---

## Why CamelMind?

Many free documentation tools work well at first, but become rigid as your docs grow. Others miss critical capabilities for modern teams, especially LLM-native workflows, access control, offline delivery, and compliance-ready exports.

Enterprise documentation platforms solve many of these problems, but they can be costly for startups and small teams.

CamelMind bridges that gap: flexible, open-source documentation infrastructure with the features growing teams actually need.

| Feature | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| **Markdown-first** | Write content in plain `.mdx` files using the tools and workflows you already know. |
| **YAML navigation** | Decouple URLs from file paths, reuse pages across multiple slugs, and manage complex docs structures cleanly. |
| **Built-in versioning** | Publish `v1`, `v2`, `dev`, and other doc versions from a single codebase. |
| **RBAC support** | Keep docs public or restrict pages by role using OIDC/SSO. |
| **OpenAPI ready** | Add an OpenAPI spec and generate a rendered API reference automatically. |
| **Deploy anywhere** | Ship to Vercel, Docker, any Node.js host, or a static CDN. |
| **Offline mode** | Package your full documentation site for offline use, ideal for air-gapped or restricted environments. |
| **PDF generation** | Export a complete PDF version of your docs for audits, reviews, and compliance workflows. |

---

## Core concepts

### Docs as code

CamelMind treats documentation as source code. Docs pages are `.mdx` files checked into version control alongside your app, navigation is defined in `nav/nav.yml`, and site behavior is configured in `camelmind.config.ts`.

There is no admin panel, database, or CMS workflow to maintain. You edit files, review changes in pull requests, and deploy like any other Next.js project.

### Decoupled URLs

CamelMind separates where content lives from where it appears on your site. In `nav.yml`, the `slug` field defines the public URL, while the `file` field points to the MDX source file.

That means your content folder can stay organized for maintainers, while your URLs stay clean for readers. The same source file can also appear at multiple URLs with different labels or role requirements.

```yaml
- label: "Submit an Application"
  slug: /applications/submit       # URL served here
  file: content/apps/submit.mdx    # source file, independent of the URL
  roles: []                        # public page
```  

### MDX components

CamelMind content is written in MDX, so you can combine Markdown with React-powered components. Built-in components such as Callout, Steps, Tabs, Details, Icon, LLMOnly, LLMIgnore, and enhanced code blocks work out of the box without local imports.

Use them to add structure, interactive sections, AI-specific content, and polished examples while keeping pages readable in plain text.

---

## What's in v0.2.17

CamelMind v0.2.17 includes the core features needed to build, secure, search, and distribute a production documentation site:

- `camelmind init` CLI for scaffolding a new site
- Markdown and MDX content with built-in docs components
- YAML navigation with dropdown groups and decoupled URL slugs
- Multi-version docs via `versions.yml`
- Built-in full-text search
- OpenAPI 3.x API reference rendering from YAML or JSON specs
- OIDC authentication and role-based access control
- `llms.txt` and `/api/llms` output for AI-readable documentation
- Static export for CDN, S3, GitHub Pages, and offline use
- Offline ZIP builds with a prebuilt search index and local launcher scripts
- Master PDF generation for versioned documentation packages
- Vercel, Docker, and self-hosted deployment support