ApiDoc CLI Tool

A lightweight static API documentation generator for Java / Spring Boot applications with zero runtime dependencies.

ApiDoc analyzes your source code using JavaParser (AST), detects controllers and DTOs, and produces clean Markdown documentation without running the application.

📚 Table of Contents

• Features
• Release 2.0.0
• Installing via Maven Dependency
• Adding the CLI to Your System PATH
• Running the CLI
• Important Notes
• Dont forget to mark your classes before running
• Requirements
• Contributing
• Author
• License

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✨ Features

• Static code analysis powered by JavaParser.
• Detects Controllers marked with @ApiMarker.
• Detects DTOs marked with @DtoMarker (classes or records).
• Extracts endpoints, paths, HTTP methods, parameters, and request/response bodies.
• Generates Markdown documentation files grouped by controller.
• Runs on any machine no Spring context, no runtime, no server startup required.
• Supports multi-module Maven projects (microservices + shared libraries).

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📦 Release 2.0.0

Download the latest version:

👉 https://github.com/Yosefnago/api-doc-CLI-TOOL/releases/tag/v1.1.0

The release includes:

cli/
├─ apidoc.bat           ← Windows launcher script
├─ apidoc-2.0.0.jar     ← Fat JAR (ApiDoc CLI + all dependencies)
├─ config.properties   ← Stores the current project root path
└─ logging.properties  ← Logging configuration for the CLI

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📦 Installing via Maven Dependency

To use the ApiDoc library in your Java / Spring Boot project, add the following dependency:

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.git.apidoc</groupId>
    <artifactId>apidoc</artifactId>
    <version>2.0.0</version>
</dependency>

This dependency includes the API scanner, the JavaParser integration, the markers, and the core logic used to analyze your source code.

⚠️ Note: The dependency does not automatically expose the CLI command (apidoc). To use the CLI globally, you must add the cli/ directory to your system PATH (see instructions below).

⚙️ Adding the CLI to Your System PATH

To run apidoc as a system-wide command, add this folder to your OS PATH.

🪟 Windows

1. Open Start → Edit the system environment variables

2. Click Environment Variables

3. Under System variables, edit the variable: Path

4. Add a new entry:

C:\path\to\apidoc\cli\

5. Click OK → OK → OK

6. Sign out and sign back in (required for Windows to refresh PATH).

Verify:

where apidoc

You should see:

C:\path\to\apidoc\cli\apidoc.bat

🚀 Running the CLI

Once PATH is configured, you can run ApiDoc from anywhere:

apidoc np <path>    # Set the project or workspace root
apidoc status       # Show the currently configured root path
apidoc generate     # Generate API documentation for the configured root
apidoc --help       # Display available commands
apidoc --version    # Display the installed ApiDoc version

📘 Important Notes

The project root is stored in `cli/config.properties`.

This allows the CLI to be portable and consistent across different projects.

Multi-module Maven projects (microservices with shared modules) are fully supported.

ApiDoc performs static analysis only — no Spring context or runtime execution is required.

⚠️ Dont forget to mark your classes before running!

Controller marker:

@ApiMarker
public class UsersController { ... }

DTO marker:

@DtoMarker
public class/record UserDto { ... }

🛠 Requirements

Java 21+

No additional dependencies required

Does not use Spring runtime

🤝 Contributing

Feel free to submit issues .

👤 Author

Yosef Nago
Creator and maintainer of the ApiDoc CLI tool.

License

See the full license here: LICENSE