ARK is committed to backing up its new innovative technology with solid documentation of each aspect of ARK technology and its family of projects and products. Today we are pleased to announce improvements made to the ARK Documentation Hub, allowing more developers to access the resources they need to utilize ARK technology.
*View the new ARK Documentation Hub here:
*https://ark.io/documentation
ARK Docs is Evolving
As a developer, there’s never been a better time to look into ARK technology. The Core v2.6 Release Candidate is now on Devnet and in the final stage before migration to the ARK Public Network by the ARK delegates. This milestone version of Core offers new features developers can access on the ARK Public Network and within their deployed bridgechains. Among these upgrades are new transaction types allowing for registrations of businesses and bridgechains on the ARK Public Network, making them discoverable across the overall ARK Ecosystem. On top of that, the ARK Desktop Wallet now has a robust plugin system, making it easier for developers to publish plugins that interact with the ARK Public Network and bridgechains.
As these types of milestones are reached, the documentation needs to evolve in parallel. As time goes on, there are more and more assets for developers to utilize: Core, desktop and mobile wallets, SDKs, custom transaction types, plugins… there’s a lot going on for developers new to ARK to keep up with.
What We Did
We have improved our documentation hub in the following ways:
**New Learning Hub Experience. **What started as support documentation to run workshops at https://learn.ark.dev, transformed into a fully-fledged learning hub experience — featuring step-by-step guides and tutorials. New tutorials are easy to follow, accompanied by copy/paste examples and, wait-for-it, we have prepared reusable templates for different project types (from core dApp development to desktop wallet plugin templates). Meaning, a lot of bootstrapping code and guidance is done by using the templates.
**Migration from Docusaurus to GitBook. **Where the old documentation hub relied on Docusaurus, the new documentation will be presented to developers using GitBook. We found it to have some key advantages over Docusaurus, and at least in this writer’s opinion, it has a better navigation UI and loads faster. GitBook was originally used for the documentation of the ARK Deployer, and we are now using it for the remainder of ARK documentation.
Split documentation into multiple GitBooks. We have created independent books so developers are better aware of what ‘zone’ they are in. Now, developers will be able to get to relevant information faster, and it makes navigation and search functions more efficient. For example, searching for common terms could return too many search results and make the experience frustrating. Now, results appear only for the GitBook in question. The current GitBooks are laid out in the next section of this article.
**Caught up on current tech capabilities and created new documentation types. **The documentation now matches recent improvements in ARK technology. The documentation shows developers just how easy it can be to develop their own decentralized applications, deploy new blockchains and interface with the chain using external services. The new ARK Documentation Hub also has all kinds of new content types, including more step-by-step guides, reusable templates, development environment setups, deeper explanations of cryptographic concepts and more.
Documentation Hub Structure
As mentioned above, we have split the documentation into multiple GitBook resources living under ark.dev domain. Here’s a quick breakdown of the current books:
**Learn.ARK.dev: **Covering developer guidebooks, guided step-by-step tutorials for dApp development and all the ins and outs of developing decentralized applications using our Core blockchain platform. Go here to start to develop dApps, custom transaction types or even desktop-wallet plugins — this is your dev hometown. You will find detailed step-by-step guides and a plethora of reusable templates that will save you time when starting.
**SDK.ARK.dev:** This repository covers the ARK family of SDKs, currently ARK interfaces with over a dozen languages and technologies. From Typescript to Python, Java, Ruby, Rust, Golang and more. The ARK SDK repository is designed to make developers more comfortable utilizing ARK technology using their language of choice.
**API.ARK.dev:** The ARK API docs repository brings developers deeper into working with the ARK API v2 (v1 of the API is now deprecated). This repository breaks down Public REST API, Webhook API, Exchange & Crypto JSON-RPC, and Elasticsearch API. It details usage as well as endpoints, and features code examples.
**Deployer.ARK.dev:** This repository acts as one fluid guide for using the ARK Deployer to create a customized blockchain from start to finish. It briefly explains the various customizable parameters as well. More capabilities and features are coming to the ARK Deployer soon, and the documentation will reflect these improvements.
**Exchanges.ARK.dev: **Exchanges now have a dedicated documentation repository for integrating and listing ARK. These docs detail how to install ARK Core and launch a node, work with JSON-RPC and use Crypto & Client SDKs to interface with the Public API. ARK is currently listed on over two dozen exchanges.
**Whitepaper.ARK.dev:** Another portal to the ARK Whitepaper now exists on the new docs hub. It covers the vision for the ARK Ecosystem, expands on blockchain concepts, and offers full overviews of ARK Core and peripherals in a more conversational tone.
**Answers.ARK.dev:** This documentation repository stores transcripts from AMAs with the ARK Team as well as ARK Bridgechains, partners and service providers. It also sheds some light on ARK community developers and delegates by displaying ARK Developer Roundtables, which are video conferences hosted by ARK CTO Kristjan Košič.
**Legacy ARK Docs:** The legacy ARK Docs repository will remain active as content is removed from it and migrated onto the new infrastructure over time. Eventually, all content will find its place in these various GitBooks, and additional books may also be created in the future.
What We Promise
We recognize the critical role that good documentation plays in the adoption of any new technology. It attracts developers and shows them what is possible when applying blockchain technology to real-world problems. It also acts as a backbone for workshops, hackathons, and educational seminars. We will be ever-evolving and improving our documentation hub. We promise to show rather than tell with hands-on examples and guides that get the creative juices flowing.
What You Should Do
We’re ready for you to use our new documentation hub to learn more about what ARK technology can really do. Head over to the **new ARK Docs** now and choose your flavor of enlightenment!
Keep an eye out for future improvements across the board. Now that the new infrastructure is configured, we’ll be able to update and iterate the documentation more efficiently. Also, the ARK Answers repository will see significant upgrades soon, as we compile nearly 200 questions about ARK from a recent AMA on Atomic Wallet’s Telegram channel and create a database of questions and answers about everything ARK.
Read our new whitepaper! Follow us on social media ( Twitter|Facebook|Reddit ), join our community ( Slack | Discord ) and stay tuned to our blog on Medium and on Steemit.