# mdBook

Command-line tool, written in Rust, that builds books and documentation as HTML from Markdown files.


Source: https://findsoftware.frbit.cloud/mdbook/
Last reviewed: 2026-10-23
Updated: 2026-10-25
Listed since: 2026-10-23

## Record

### Links

- home: https://rust-lang.github.io/mdBook/
- repository: https://github.com/rust-lang/mdBook
- docs: https://rust-lang.github.io/mdBook/guide/installation.html
- plugins: https://github.com/rust-lang/mdBook/wiki/Third-party-plugins

### Identity

- status: active
- maintainer: The Rust Programming Language
- maintainerType: unknown
- parent: unknown
- firstRelease: 2015
- hqCountry: unknown

### Kind

- category: ssg
- hosting: static
- language: rust
- runtime: binary
- runtimeMin: unknown
- basedOn: unknown

### Content

- contentStore: flat-file
- databases: unknown
- adminUi: unknown
- headlessApi: unknown
- templating: handlebars
- i18n: unknown

### Rendering and deploy

- runsAs: static, local
- renderingModes: static
- installMethod: cargo install mdbook, or a pre-compiled binary from GitHub Releases

### License

- licenseModel: open-source
- license: MPL-2.0

### Releases

- currentMajor: 0
- latestReleaseDate: 2026-07-06

### Adoption

- githubStargazers: 22241
- packagistDownloads: not applicable
- npmWeeklyDownloads: not applicable
- contributors: 336
- pluginCount: unknown
- packagistMonthlyDownloads: unknown
- ecosystemsMonthlyDownloads: unknown
- httpArchiveSites: unknown
- wordpressActiveInstalls: unknown
- dependentRepos: 454
- dependentPackages: 175

### Sources

- urls: https://rust-lang.github.io/mdBook/ (read 2026-10-23)
- urls: https://api.github.com/repos/rust-lang/mdBook (read 2026-10-23)
- urls: https://rust-lang.github.io/mdBook/guide/installation.html (read 2026-10-23)
- maintainer: https://api.github.com/orgs/rust-lang (read 2026-10-23)
- language: https://api.github.com/repos/rust-lang/mdBook (read 2026-10-23)
- category: https://rust-lang.github.io/mdBook/ (read 2026-10-23)
- installMethod: https://rust-lang.github.io/mdBook/guide/installation.html (read 2026-10-23)
- templating: https://rust-lang.github.io/mdBook/format/theme/index.html (read 2026-10-23)
- urls: https://rust-lang.github.io/mdBook/format/configuration/preprocessors.html (read 2026-10-23)
- license: https://api.github.com/repos/rust-lang/mdBook (read 2026-10-23)
- licenseModel: https://rust-lang.github.io/mdBook/ (read 2026-10-23)
- firstRelease: https://api.github.com/repos/rust-lang/mdBook/releases (read 2026-10-23)
- currentMajor: https://api.github.com/repos/rust-lang/mdBook/releases (read 2026-10-23)
- latestReleaseDate: https://api.github.com/repos/rust-lang/mdBook/releases (read 2026-10-23)
- githubStargazers: https://api.github.com/repos/rust-lang/mdBook (read 2026-10-23)
- contributors: https://api.github.com/repos/rust-lang/mdBook/contributors (read 2026-10-23)
- contentStore: https://rust-lang.github.io/mdBook/guide/creating.html (read 2026-10-23)
- renderingModes: https://rust-lang.github.io/mdBook/guide/creating.html (read 2026-10-23)
- runsAs: https://rust-lang.github.io/mdBook/guide/creating.html (read 2026-10-23)
- runsAs: https://rust-lang.github.io/mdBook/guide/creating.html (read 2026-10-23)
- runtime: https://rust-lang.github.io/mdBook/guide/installation.html (read 2026-10-23)
- dependentRepos: https://packages.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/registries/crates.io/packages/mdbook (read 2026-10-25)
- dependentPackages: https://packages.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/registries/crates.io/packages/mdbook (read 2026-10-25)

## Notes

mdBook is a command-line tool, written in Rust, that builds a book from Markdown files. The contents of the src directory are included in the output. The default renderer uses Handlebars templates, and the build produces a directory that any web server can host. The Third Party Plugins wiki page lists community preprocessors. It is installed with cargo install mdbook or from a pre-compiled binary on the GitHub Releases page, and it is released under the Mozilla Public License, version 2.0.

## Worth knowing

The serve command starts a local webserver for writing and rebuilds the book as the files change. The directory that the build produces is the one that goes live.

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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