install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install docfx

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#docfx

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/do/docfx/package.nix · source: api.github.com

Windows

Chocolateyverified · 92%

choco install docfx

Chocolatey community package catalog · docfx · source: community.chocolatey.org

Scoopverified · 92%

scoop install main/docfx

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/docfx.json · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Tools for building and publishing API documentation for .NET projects

Project links

Commands and aliases

docfx

history

Project history and usage

DocFX is a static documentation generator best known for combining Markdown content with generated .NET API reference documentation.

Its story is tied to Microsoft documentation: it grew as an open-source documentation engine, was associated with Microsoft Docs and Microsoft Learn workflows, and later continued as a .NET Foundation/community-driven project after Microsoft Learn stopped using the public project.

Project history

The GitHub release history reaches back to 2015-era 0.x releases, followed by a long 2.x line used by .NET projects for API docs and technical documentation sites.

DocFX's public identity emphasizes static-site generation plus API reference extraction for .NET, REST API documentation, landing pages, and Markdown documentation.

A later v3 branch was used internally for Microsoft Learn work, while public package notes and repository text state that Microsoft Learn no longer uses docfx and the project is planned to continue as community-driven under the .NET Foundation.

Adoption history

DocFX was adopted by .NET library and platform projects because it could generate reference documentation from assemblies or source comments while hosting conceptual docs in the same site.

It is distributed through NuGet and packaged by Homebrew, Chocolatey, Scoop, and Nix, covering both developer-local and CI documentation builds.

How it is used

A typical project keeps a docfx.json config file, runs docfx metadata/build/serve commands, and publishes the generated static site to GitHub Pages, Azure Static Web Apps, or another static host.

The tool is especially useful when API reference and hand-written Markdown must cross-link in one documentation site.

Why package nerds care

DocFX is a major example of docs-as-code moving from bespoke vendor documentation systems into normal package-manager-installed CLI workflows.

Its Microsoft Learn transition is historically interesting because it left a widely used open-source tool with a community maintenance path after the largest original user moved on.

Timeline

2015: early v0.x DocFX releases appeared on GitHub.
2016-2021: the 2.x release line matured into the common public DocFX generation path for .NET projects.
2018: Microsoft Learn's On .NET show introduced DocFX as an open-source static site generator for source-code and Markdown documentation.
2021-2022: v3 prerelease work existed, while public notes later said the v3 branch was privatized for Microsoft Learn.
2022 onward: Microsoft Learn stopped using the public docfx project and DocFX continued as a .NET Foundation/community-driven project.
2025-2026: the public 2.x line continues to receive compatibility and maintenance releases.

Related projects

Related documentation generators include Sandcastle, Doxygen, Sphinx, MkDocs, Docusaurus, Docsy, and Microsoft Learn's current internal documentation systems.
DocFX depends conceptually on .NET XML documentation comments, Roslyn metadata extraction, Markdown processing, templates, and static-site publishing workflows.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.
Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix: ./docfx.json

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`docfx`	cli	global executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-08

manager version2.78.5

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv2.78.5

https://github.com/dotnet/docfx

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:docfx
Version	2.78.5
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/docfx
Homepage	https://dotnet.github.io/docfx/
Repository	https://github.com/dotnet/docfx
Upstream docs	https://dotnet.github.io/docfx
License	MIT
Source archive	https://github.com/dotnet/docfx/archive/refs/tags/v2.78.5.tar.gz
Dependencies	dotnet
Build dependencies	node
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	docfx
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Nix95%

docfx

nix profile install nixpkgs#docfx

normalized package name match
Matched by: Docfx

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/do/docfx/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

Chocolatey95%

docfx

choco install docfx

normalized package name match
Matched by: Docfx

Chocolatey community package catalog · community.chocolatey.org · Chocolatey community package catalog: docfx from http://community.chocolatey.org/api/v2/Packages?$filter=IsLatestVersion&$select=Id&$top=1000&$skiptoken='11','dnspy'

Scoop95%

main/docfx

scoop install main/docfx

normalized package name match
Matched by: Docfx

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · api.github.com · Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/docfx.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/docfx.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
av.db category and tag curation
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated configuration and credential file locations
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install docfx with Homebrew, chocolatey, Nix, scoop