Explain My BuildDeveloper docs
Last updated: July 26, 2026
Developer docs are documentation written for engineers who build on or maintain a codebase: API references, architecture notes, setup instructions and code explanations. They assume the reader can code. They are the opposite audience from an end-user guide, which is written for the people who use the app.
What are developer docs?
Developer docs are documentation aimed at engineers. They explain how the code is structured, how the pieces fit together, how to call the app's API, and how to set up and extend the project. The reader is assumed to be technical.
Common forms include an API reference (every endpoint and what it returns), architecture overviews, in-line code explanations, and onboarding guides for new engineers. The README is the smallest, most front-facing piece of developer docs.
How are developer docs different from end-user docs?
The difference is the reader, and it changes everything. Developer docs talk about functions, files and endpoints. End-user docs talk about buttons, screens and outcomes.
| Developer docs | End-user guide | |
|---|---|---|
| Reader | Engineers on the code | People using the app |
| Vocabulary | Functions, APIs, files | Buttons, screens, tasks |
| Example line | "POST /invoices creates an invoice" | "Click New invoice to bill a client" |
Read the fuller contrast at end-user guide vs developer docs.
Which tools make developer docs?
Several good tools generate developer docs from your code. Credit where due, they do this well:
- Mintlify generates interactive API references from an OpenAPI spec and keeps docs current with the code.
- Swimm pairs code-coupled documentation with an auto-sync feature that flags docs when the code they reference changes.
- DeepWiki (from Cognition, the Devin team) auto-generates a browsable wiki and an "Ask" Q&A for public GitHub repos.
- DocuWriter generates developer documentation, API references and README files from your source code.
What they all share: the output is for developers. None of them produces an end-user guide for your customers. That's the gap Explain My Build fills. See the full comparison at Explain My Build vs Mintlify, DeepWiki and Swimm.
Why it matters if you built with AI
If you built with AI and reach for a documentation tool, you'll likely land on a developer-doc tool first, because that's what most of the market makes. You'll get a nice wiki for engineers, and still have nothing for the customers asking how to use your app.
Knowing the difference saves you buying the wrong thing. You may want developer docs eventually; you almost certainly need an end-user guide now.
The two guides you get from one code read
Explain My Build reads your code once and produces both a founder runbook (to operate and hand off) and an end-user guide (for your customers), the artifact developer-doc tools don't emit. Start at document your AI-built app or compare tools at best tools to document an AI-built app.
Frequently asked questions
What are developer docs?
Developer docs are documentation for engineers who build on or maintain a codebase: API references, architecture notes, setup steps and code explanations. They assume the reader can code.
What is the difference between developer docs and end-user docs?
Developer docs are for engineers and talk about functions and APIs. End-user docs are for the people who use the app and talk about buttons and tasks. See end-user guide vs developer docs.
Do tools like Mintlify and Swimm make end-user guides?
No. Mintlify, Swimm and DeepWiki generate developer documentation from code. They do it well, but the output is for engineers, not for your customers. Explain My Build produces the end-user guide from code instead.
Turn your app into a guide your users can follow.
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