Tech Documentation Software for SRE Teams
SRE teams have a documentation problem. Not a lack of docs—most teams have plenty. The problem is that none of it works when you actually need it.
Traditional tech documentation software wasn’t built for operations. Here’s what SRE teams actually need.
Why Traditional Tech Documentation Fails for SRE
Confluence and Notion
Great for product specs and meeting notes. Terrible for runbooks.
Problems:
- No execution — You copy commands, paste them, hope they work
- Buried content — Finding the right doc takes longer than fixing the issue
- Stale information — Docs drift from reality within weeks
- No environment context — Same runbook for staging and production?
GitHub Wikis
Better for developers, still wrong for ops.
Problems:
- Disconnected from code — Wiki updates don’t happen with infrastructure changes
- No execution — Still just text
- Poor discoverability — Search is limited
README Files
Close, but not quite.
Problems:
- Single file limitation — Complex procedures don’t fit one README
- No execution — Same copy-paste problem
- No collaboration — Edit conflicts, no real-time updates
What SRE Teams Actually Need
Effective tech documentation software for SRE must:
1. Execute Commands
Documentation that runs is documentation that stays accurate. When you execute a command from a doc, you immediately know if it works.
## Check API Health
```bash
curl -s https://api.example.com/health | jq .status
```Click to run. See output inline. No clipboard required.
2. Handle Environment Context
Real operations span environments:
export ENVIRONMENT=production
export NAMESPACE=api-$ENVIRONMENT
kubectl get pods -n $NAMESPACEYour tech documentation software should manage these variables, not make you edit them manually.
3. Work Where You Work
During an incident, you might be:
- SSH’d into a bastion host
- On your laptop with VPN
- Using a colleague’s machine
- On your phone (hopefully not)
Documentation that only works in a browser or specific IDE fails when you need it most.
4. Integrate with Your Workflow
Docs should live with code:
- Store in Git
- Review in PRs
- Deploy with infrastructure
- Link from alerts
Evaluating Tech Documentation Software
When choosing tools, ask:
| Question | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Can I execute code blocks? | Static docs decay |
| Does it work over SSH? | You’ll need this at 2am |
| Can I store docs in Git? | Version control is essential |
| Is the format portable? | Avoid vendor lock-in |
| Does it handle variables? | Real ops need parameterization |
The Shift to Executable Documentation
The best tech documentation software for SRE teams makes documentation executable:
- Runme — VS Code extension for executable Markdown
- Jupyter — Notebooks for data-heavy operations
- Stew — Terminal-native executable runbooks
Each has tradeoffs. Runme requires VS Code. Jupyter is heavy for simple ops. We built Stew to work everywhere—terminal, SSH, browser—with no dependencies.
Building an SRE Documentation Practice
Good tech documentation software is necessary but not sufficient. You also need practices:
Document During Incidents
Capture commands as you run them. Post-incident, clean up and commit.
Link Docs to Alerts
Every alert should include a runbook link:
annotations:
runbook_url: https://docs.example.com/runbooks/high-cpuReview Docs Like Code
Documentation PRs deserve the same attention as code PRs. Outdated docs cause incidents.
Test Documentation
Run your runbooks against staging regularly. Find broken docs before incidents find them.
Stew: Tech Documentation That Runs
We built Stew because we needed tech documentation software that actually works for SRE:
- Markdown-native — Use docs you already have
- Executable — Run commands, not just read them
- Portable — Works in terminal, SSH, browser
- Git-friendly — Store with code, review in PRs
Join the waitlist to try documentation that doesn’t lie.