MkDocs vs VitePress Comparison

This document provides a detailed comparison between MkDocs (current) and VitePress (experimental) for the vcpkg-registry documentation.

Quick Summary

Feature	MkDocs + Material	VitePress	Winner
Setup Complexity	Medium (Python)	Easy (Node.js)	VitePress
Build Speed	~5-10s	~3-5s	VitePress
Bundle Size	~2MB	~500KB	VitePress
Search	Plugin required	Built-in	VitePress
i18n Support	Plugin required	Built-in	VitePress
Markdown Extensions	Excellent	Good	MkDocs
Theme Customization	Excellent	Good	Tie
Learning Curve	Low	Medium	MkDocs
Community Size	Large (Python)	Growing (JS)	MkDocs
Documentation Quality	Excellent	Excellent	Tie

Detailed Comparison

Installation & Setup

MkDocs

# Python required
pip install mkdocs mkdocs-material

VitePress

# Node.js required
npm install -D vitepress

Winner: VitePress - Modern JavaScript tooling is more common in web development workflows.

Build Performance

MkDocs

• Build time: ~5-10 seconds for this repository
• Incremental builds: Not supported
• Hot reload: Basic

VitePress

• Build time: ~3-5 seconds for this repository
• Incremental builds: Yes (Vite HMR)
• Hot reload: Excellent (instant updates)

Winner: VitePress - Significantly faster builds and superior development experience.

Bundle Size

MkDocs Material

• JavaScript: ~1.5MB
• CSS: ~500KB
• Total: ~2MB uncompressed

VitePress

• JavaScript: ~300KB
• CSS: ~200KB
• Total: ~500KB uncompressed

Winner: VitePress - 4x smaller bundle size means faster page loads.

Search Functionality

MkDocs

• Requires mkdocs-material premium or search plugin
• Search index built at build time
• Good search quality
• Multi-language support available

VitePress

• Built-in local search (no plugins)
• Search index built at build time
• Excellent search quality
• Multi-language support included

Winner: VitePress - Built-in without additional plugins or cost.

Internationalization (i18n)

MkDocs

• Requires mkdocs-static-i18n plugin
• Manual configuration per language
• File structure: docs/en/, docs/ko/

VitePress

• Built-in locales support
• Clean configuration
• File structure: docs/en/, docs/ko/ or root

Winner: VitePress - Native support without plugins.

Markdown Features

MkDocs Material

Supported out of the box:

• ✅ Admonitions (notes, warnings, tips)
• ✅ Code blocks with syntax highlighting
• ✅ Tabbed content
• ✅ Definition lists
• ✅ Footnotes
• ✅ Task lists
• ✅ Icons & Emojis
• ✅ Math (KaTeX/MathJax)
• ✅ Mermaid diagrams

VitePress

Supported out of the box:

• ⚠️ Containers (similar to admonitions)
• ✅ Code blocks with syntax highlighting
• ✅ Code groups (similar to tabs)
• ❌ Definition lists (needs custom component)
• ✅ Footnotes
• ✅ Task lists
• ✅ Emojis
• ⚠️ Math (needs markdown-it-mathjax3)
• ⚠️ Mermaid (needs plugin)

Winner: MkDocs - More markdown extensions work out of the box.

Theme & Customization

MkDocs Material

• Highly polished Material Design theme
• Extensive configuration options
• Color schemes, fonts, icons
• Custom CSS/JS support
• Block overrides for HTML customization

VitePress

• Clean, modern default theme
• Good configuration options
• Color schemes with CSS variables
• Full Vue component system
• Complete theme override capability

Winner: Tie - Both excellent but different approaches.

SEO & Social

MkDocs Material

• Good meta tag support
• Social cards generation (premium feature)
• Sitemap generation

VitePress

• Good meta tag support
• Social cards (manual setup)
• Sitemap (needs plugin)

Winner: Tie - Both support modern SEO needs.

Deployment

MkDocs

mkdocs gh-deploy  # Built-in GitHub Pages deploy

VitePress

# Manual setup with GitHub Actions
npm run docs:build
# Deploy dist/ folder

Winner: MkDocs - Built-in deployment command is convenient.

Development Experience

MkDocs

• Python ecosystem
• Slower hot reload
• Less modern tooling
• Stable and mature

VitePress

• JavaScript/Vue ecosystem
• Instant hot reload (HMR)
• Modern Vite tooling
• Active development

Winner: VitePress - Superior developer experience with modern tooling.

Long-term Maintenance

MkDocs

• Mature project (10+ years)
• Large community
• Stable releases
• Python dependency management

VitePress

• Newer project (3+ years)
• Growing rapidly
• Backed by Vue.js team
• npm dependency management

Winner: MkDocs - More mature but VitePress is catching up fast.

Migration Considerations

Easy to Migrate

• ✅ Markdown files work in both systems
• ✅ Most content needs no changes
• ✅ File structure can remain the same
• ✅ Navigation can be mapped 1:1

Requires Adjustment

• ⚠️ Admonitions → Containers (syntax change)
• ⚠️ Tabs → Code groups (syntax change)
• ⚠️ Some links may need updating
• ⚠️ Custom CSS needs conversion

Effort Estimate

• Time: 2-4 hours for this repository
• Complexity: Low to Medium
• Risk: Low (can run both in parallel)

Recommendations

Use MkDocs If:

• ✅ You prefer Python ecosystem
• ✅ You need Material Design out of the box
• ✅ You want maximum markdown extension support
• ✅ You prioritize stability over performance
• ✅ Your team is familiar with Python

Use VitePress If:

• ✅ You prefer JavaScript/Node.js ecosystem
• ✅ You want faster builds and better DX
• ✅ You need smaller bundle sizes
• ✅ You want built-in search and i18n
• ✅ Your team is familiar with Vue/JavaScript
• ✅ You want modern web development tooling

Conclusion

Both tools are excellent choices for documentation.

For vcpkg-registry specifically:

• Current setup (MkDocs) is working well
• VitePress offers performance benefits
• Migration would be straightforward
• Could run both systems in parallel during transition

Recommendation: Consider gradual migration to VitePress for:

1. Better performance (faster builds, smaller bundles)
2. Superior development experience (HMR, modern tooling)
3. Built-in features (search, i18n)
4. Long-term benefits (growing ecosystem, active development)

However, MkDocs remains a solid choice if the team prefers the Python ecosystem or requires specific Material theme features.

Next Steps

1. ✅ Complete VitePress setup (Done)
2. ✅ Test with existing content (Done)
3. ⬜ Gather team feedback
4. ⬜ Decide on migration timeline
5. ⬜ Set up deployment pipeline
6. ⬜ Train team on VitePress (if needed)
7. ⬜ Migrate or maintain both systems