# Docusaurus / Starlight

Product docs you build. Docusaurus is MIT; Starlight is MIT — ReadMe or Mintlify without the hosted docs seat.

**Replaces:** ReadMe / Mintlify

**Tier:** Easy

## Problem

ReadMe and Mintlify are hosted developer-docs desks. You wanted a docs site you build and serve. Docusaurus is MIT (facebook/docusaurus; last push 23 Oct 2026). Starlight is MIT (withastro/starlight; last push 24 Oct 2026) — an Astro docs theme. This is not ReadMe's every hub, changelog, or API explorer SKU, and not Mintlify's every AI search SKU. An OpenAPI reference stays on /replace/swaggerhub (Scalar). A team wiki stays on /replace/notion (Docmost). A static marketing site stays on /replace/github-pages (Hugo).

## Stack

- [Docusaurus](https://docusaurus.io) — MIT docs site generator — the published ReadMe / Mintlify path
- [Starlight](https://starlight.astro.build) — MIT Astro documentation theme

## Estimated SaaS cost saved

| You stop paying | Typical / year | Self-host instead |
|---|---:|---|
| ReadMe / Mintlify (small team) | $1,200 | Docusaurus or Starlight + a static host |

**About $1,200 / year** on a small team, before you count lock-in.

## Deploy on Railway

Placeholder: a Docusaurus or Starlight static build served by Caddy (or any static host). Bind HTTP to 0.0.0.0:$PORT. No one-click template in this repo yet — Start on Railway. OpenAPI stays on /stacks/scalar-api-docs. A wiki stays on /stacks/docmost-wiki.

[Start on Railway](https://c17.io/go/railway/docusaurus-docs?from=%2Fstacks%2Fdocusaurus-docs.md)

[Hugo if this is a marketing site, not product docs](https://c17.io/stacks/hugo-static)

## AGENT_PROMPT

```
Replace ReadMe or Mintlify with Docusaurus (preferred) or Starlight.

- Official docs. Build one site. Serve the static output. Do not claim ReadMe hubs, changelogs, or Mintlify AI search.
- Starlight if you already live in Astro — /compare/docusaurus-vs-starlight. OpenAPI stays on /stacks/scalar-api-docs.
- Write AGENT_PROMPT.md.
```

## FAQ

### Docusaurus or Starlight?

Docusaurus if you want the published ReadMe / Mintlify path. Starlight if you want that Astro theme — /compare/docusaurus-vs-starlight.

### Is this SwaggerHub?

No. An OpenAPI reference stays on /replace/swaggerhub (Scalar). This page is product docs.

### Is this GitBook?

A team wiki stays on /replace/gitbook (Docmost). This page is a docs site you build.

### Are these free?

Docusaurus and Starlight are MIT. You pay hosting. Template users never pay c17.

Source: https://c17.io/stacks/docusaurus-docs