# Fern

Platform and open-source CLI that generates SDKs, API documentation and CLIs from API definitions such as OpenAPI.


Source: https://findsoftware.frbit.cloud/fern/
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22
Updated: 2026-10-25
Listed since: 2026-10-22

## Record

### Links

- home: https://buildwithfern.com
- repository: https://github.com/fern-api/fern
- docs: https://buildwithfern.com/learn/docs/getting-started/overview
- pricing: https://buildwithfern.com/pricing
- x: https://x.com/buildwithfern

### Identity

- status: hosted-service
- maintainer: Birch Solutions, Inc.
- maintainerType: company
- parent: Postman
- firstRelease: 2022
- hqCountry: unknown

### Kind

- category: ssg
- hosting: unknown
- language: javascript
- runtime: node
- runtimeMin: node 18
- basedOn: unknown

### Content

- contentStore: unknown
- databases: unknown
- adminUi: yes
- headlessApi: unknown
- templating: unknown
- i18n: yes

### Rendering and deploy

- runsAs: unknown
- renderingModes: unknown
- installMethod: npm install -g fern-api

### License

- licenseModel: saas
- license: Apache-2.0

### Releases

- currentMajor: 5
- latestReleaseDate: 2026-05-12

### Adoption

- githubStargazers: 3822
- packagistDownloads: not applicable
- npmWeeklyDownloads: 132326
- contributors: 176
- pluginCount: unknown
- packagistMonthlyDownloads: unknown
- ecosystemsMonthlyDownloads: unknown
- httpArchiveSites: unknown
- wordpressActiveInstalls: unknown
- dependentRepos: 1
- dependentPackages: 13

### Sources

- urls: https://buildwithfern.com (read 2026-10-22)
- urls: https://api.github.com/repos/fern-api/fern (read 2026-10-22)
- urls: https://buildwithfern.com/learn/docs/getting-started/overview (read 2026-10-22)
- urls: https://buildwithfern.com/pricing (read 2026-10-22)
- maintainer: https://buildwithfern.com/learn/docs/getting-started/overview (read 2026-10-22)
- parent: https://buildwithfern.com/terms-of-service (read 2026-10-22)
- firstRelease: https://api.github.com/repos/fern-api/fern/releases (read 2026-10-22)
- category: https://buildwithfern.com/learn/docs/getting-started/overview (read 2026-10-22)
- language: https://api.github.com/repos/fern-api/fern (read 2026-10-22)
- runtime: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/fern-api/fern/main/README.md (read 2026-10-22)
- runtimeMin: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/fern-api/fern/main/README.md (read 2026-10-22)
- installMethod: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/fern-api/fern/main/README.md (read 2026-10-22)
- adminUi: https://buildwithfern.com/learn/docs/getting-started/overview (read 2026-10-22)
- i18n: https://buildwithfern.com/learn/docs/getting-started/overview (read 2026-10-22)
- license: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/fern-api/fern/main/LICENSE (read 2026-10-22)
- licenseModel: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/fern-api/fern/main/LICENSE (read 2026-10-22)
- currentMajor: https://api.github.com/repos/fern-api/fern/releases (read 2026-10-22)
- latestReleaseDate: https://api.github.com/repos/fern-api/fern/releases/latest (read 2026-10-22)
- githubStargazers: https://api.github.com/repos/fern-api/fern (read 2026-10-22)
- contributors: https://api.github.com/repos/fern-api/fern/contributors (read 2026-10-22)
- npmWeeklyDownloads: https://api.npmjs.org/downloads/point/last-week/fern-api (read 2026-10-22)
- dependentRepos: https://packages.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/registries/npmjs.org/packages/fern-api (read 2026-10-25)
- dependentPackages: https://packages.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/registries/npmjs.org/packages/fern-api (read 2026-10-25)

## Notes

Fern turns an API definition into SDKs, API reference documentation and command-line tools. The open source part is the `fern-api` command-line tool, installed with npm, which needs Node.js 18 or later. Documentation sites are written as Markdown kept in Git and are hosted by Fern by default. A [Docker container](https://buildwithfern.com/learn/docs/self-hosted/overview) for self-hosting the docs is offered on the Enterprise plan. Birch Solutions, Inc., a Postman company, maintains it.

## Worth knowing

The README of the open source repository says the project is no longer maintained and points to the hosted product, which the company still publishes.

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Data licensed CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Attributes are recorded, never scored; absent means unknown.
Credit, in full: FindSoftware, CC BY 4.0