# Install docfx with Homebrew, chocolatey, Nix, scoop Tools for building and publishing API documentation for .NET projects. Version 2.78.5 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:docfx ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install docfx ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#docfx ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/do/docfx/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Windows - Chocolatey (92%): ```sh choco install docfx ``` Evidence: Chocolatey community package catalog: docfx from http://community.chocolatey.org/api/v2/Packages?$filter=IsLatestVersion&$select=Id&$top=1000&$skiptoken='11','dnspy' - Scoop (92%): ```sh scoop install main/docfx ``` Evidence: Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/docfx.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:docfx - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 2.78.5 - **Source summary:** Tools for building and publishing API documentation for .NET projects - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** MIT - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - docfx (cli) - docfx (alias) ## Dependencies - dotnet ## Build dependencies - node ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 2.78.5 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/dotnet/docfx - Upstream latest detected: v2.78.5 (current) - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. ## 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 Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## 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 - Unix: ./docfx.json ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** docfx - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - docfx: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/do/docfx/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Chocolatey - docfx: normalized package name match | Chocolatey community package catalog: docfx from http://community.chocolatey.org/api/v2/Packages?$filter=IsLatestVersion&$select=Id&$top=1000&$skiptoken='11','dnspy' - Scoop - main/docfx: normalized package name match | Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/docfx.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Source-control packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/source-control-tools/) - Belongs to a source-control command family. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [Developer build packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/developer-build-tools/) - Matched build, compiler, generator, or developer workflow metadata. - [dotnet](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dotnet/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [node](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/node/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [docmd](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/docmd/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation, markdown, static-site-generator. - [mdbook](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mdbook/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation, markdown, static-site-generator. - [action-docs](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/action-docs/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation, markdown. - [doxygen](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/doxygen/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: api-docs, cli, developer-tools, documentation. - [eleventy](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/eleventy/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, markdown, static-site-generator. - [github-markdown-toc](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/github-markdown-toc/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation, markdown. - [go-md2man](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/go-md2man/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation, markdown. - [gostatic](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gostatic/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, markdown, static-site-generator. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/docfx.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/docfx.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated configuration and credential file locations - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph