---
title: "Why Duvlify"
description: "Reasons to pick Duvlify for your documentation, and the use cases it fits — a static site you own, an API reference, and an MCP server for AI agents."
canonical: "https://duvlify.dev/why"
---

# Why Duvlify

Duvlify gives you full control of your documentation. This page lists the main
reasons to use it, and the situations it fits best.

## Reasons to use Duvlify

**You own the output**

Duvlify builds plain HTML files. You can move them to any host at any time.
No vendor holds your content.

**No per-seat cost**

Duvlify is free and open source. You do not pay per writer, per reader, or
per month.

**Fast pages**

Duvlify sends plain HTML and one small script file. Most hosted platforms
send a full app framework to the browser. Your pages load faster.

**Checks your work**

Duvlify checks your pages and your navigation when it builds the site. A
broken link or a missing field stops the build and names the file.

**Ready for AI agents**

Duvlify adds an MCP server to your site. AI agents can search your docs and
read them, instead of guessing from old training data.

**One file changes the brand**

You set your colour, your font, and your page structure in one file. You do
not edit templates or write custom code.

## Use cases

**Developer documentation.** Duvlify renders an API reference from your OpenAPI
document. It shows a request sample, the response fields, and the parameters,
all from one source. See [API reference pages](/guides/api-reference).

**Product documentation.** Guides, concepts, and step-by-step pages, with a
search box, a sidebar, and cards for a home page. See
[Authoring pages](/guides/authoring).

**Internal knowledge bases.** Deploy Duvlify inside your own network, or behind
your own login. The site is a set of static files, so it works with most access
controls.

**Documentation an AI agent can use.** Duvlify serves each page as HTML and as
plain Markdown. It also runs an MCP server, so a coding agent or a support bot
can search your docs and quote them. See [Serving agents](/agents/overview).

## What you trade for this control

Duvlify is a framework, not a hosted product. Read this before you choose it.

- **You run the build.** There is no dashboard that edits pages for you. You
  write Markdown files and run a command.
- **You host the output.** Duvlify does not host your site. It deploys well to
  Cloudflare, and it works on any static host. See [Deploying](/guides/deployment).
- **Non-technical writers need a workflow.** A writer can edit Markdown files in
  a text editor, but Duvlify does not include a visual editor.

## Compare it to what you use today

| If you use             | What changes with Duvlify                                                                                          |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| A hosted docs platform | You keep the Markdown files. You lose the per-seat bill and the vendor lock-in. You gain full control of the code. |
| A wiki                 | You gain a faster site, version control for every page, and checks that catch broken links before readers do.      |
| No documentation yet   | You get a working site in one command, with search and an MCP server included.                                     |

[**See it for yourself**](/getting-started)

Run Duvlify in one command.

[**Read the source**](https://github.com/DuvInc/duvlify)

Duvlify is MIT-licensed and open for anyone to read.