Maintaining clear, accessible help documentation is a constant challenge for API-driven SaaS platforms. As Apidog has evolved to support a global user base, our documentation demands have grown in both complexity and scale. Here’s how our product team transitioned from Docusaurus to Apidog to streamline internal workflows and deliver a superior experience for both developers and users.
Why We Needed to Rethink Our Documentation Stack
For over two years, Apidog has provided robust tools for API development, testing, and documentation. With frequent product updates and an expanding set of features, our Help Center had to keep pace. Initially, we adopted Docusaurus for its developer-friendly approach and Markdown support.
However, several pain points became clear as our documentation matured:
- Developer-Centric Workflow: Docusaurus is tightly coupled with Git workflows. Even minor edits required pulling code, creating merge requests, and wrestling with Git—slowing non-developer contributors and discouraging incremental improvements.
- Limited Styling Options: Markdown’s minimal styling made it hard to create a visually compelling homepage or highlight important content.
- Multilingual Maintenance Issues: Apidog supports multiple languages (currently English and Japanese). But Docusaurus required us to maintain separate projects for each language, leading to unsynchronized updates and redundant effort.
These limitations resulted in documentation that was hard to update, visually basic, and inconsistent for our global audience.
Evaluating Apidog for Help Documentation
As Apidog matured into a powerful API documentation platform, we realized its capabilities could extend beyond pure API specs. The platform already supports:
- Visual API design and documentation
- Markdown and advanced formatting with custom effects
- Flexible navigation and custom domains
But could Apidog handle the needs of a modern Help Center—especially for a fast-paced SaaS team?
The Migration Experiment
In September, we began migrating our Help Docs from Docusaurus to Apidog. The process was straightforward:
- Content Import: Apidog natively supports Markdown, making the initial transfer seamless.
- Enhanced Formatting: Apidog’s rich syntax (cards, highlights, step-by-step visuals) allowed us to transform basic Markdown pages into modern, readable documentation.
- Homepage Creation: With improved design controls, we quickly built a professional, intuitive Help Center homepage.
Addressing Documentation Gaps
During migration, we surfaced two key gaps that matter for technical teams:
- SEO-Friendly URLs: Apidog initially generated numeric URLs instead of slugs—suboptimal for search discoverability.
- Search Experience: Search was limited to document titles, not full-text, impeding knowledge discovery for users.
Because we manage Apidog’s roadmap, these became immediate priorities.
Rapid Iteration: Closing the Feature Gaps
By October, we’d shipped two critical updates:
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Custom URL Slugs: Version 2.6.26 introduced support for clean, descriptive slugs and automatic slug generation.
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Full-Text Search: Version 2.6.31 added Algolia DocSearch, enabling lightning-fast, full-content search across documentation.
We also launched a Support module, organizing common FAQs and troubleshooting steps for both our support team and users.
Multilingual & Versioned Docs
Leveraging Apidog’s document versioning, we streamlined our multilingual workflow. Each language (English and Japanese) became a selectable “version,” allowing readers to switch languages directly on the Help Docs page—no more duplicate projects or unsynced updates.
Benefits for Engineering & Product Teams
With the new Apidog-driven Help Center, our team and users benefit from:
- Faster Updates: No need for code merges—product managers and support staff can update docs directly.
- Consistent User Experience: Custom domains and navigation ensure a seamless, branded Help Center.
- Collaborative Ownership: Both product and support teams contribute to documentation and FAQs, directly within Apidog.
- Integrated Media Management: All images are hosted in Apidog, simplifying the workflow.
In December, our revamped Help Docs went live: https://docs.apidog.com
Key Takeaways: Why Apidog Works for Help Documentation
For technical teams seeking an efficient, scalable documentation stack, Apidog now supports:
- Modern formatting and visual enhancements beyond Markdown
- SEO-friendly URLs and full-text search
- Simple workflows for multilingual and versioned docs
- Direct editing without developer bottlenecks
Most features are free and available to all users. For API-focused organizations, consolidating help and API docs in a single platform streamlines both internal and external knowledge sharing.
Switching our Help Center to Apidog was a pivotal decision, unlocking higher efficiency and better support for our global developer community.
