Migration from HonKit

guidebook is designed as a drop-in replacement for HonKit.

Quick Migration

  1. Install guidebook:

    curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/guide-inc-org/guidebook/main/install.sh | sh

  2. Replace your commands:

    # Before (HonKit)
npx honkit build
npx honkit serve

# After (guidebook)
guidebook build
guidebook serve

That's it! No configuration changes needed.

Compatibility

Supported

  • book.json configuration
  • SUMMARY.md format
  • LANGS.md multi-language
  • Markdown rendering
  • Custom styles
  • Most plugins (collapsible-chapters, back-to-top-button)

Not Supported

  • PDF/EPUB export (web only)
  • JavaScript plugins (guidebook uses built-in Rust implementations)
  • GitBook legacy format

Benefits of Switching

FeatureHonKitguidebook
InstallNode.js + npmSingle binary
Build speedSecondsMilliseconds
DependenciesManyNone
Self-updateManualguidebook update

CI/CD Migration

Before (HonKit)

- uses: actions/setup-node@v4
- run: npm install -g honkit
- run: honkit build

After (guidebook)

- run: |
    curl -sL https://github.com/guide-inc-org/guidebook/releases/latest/download/guidebook-linux-x86_64.tar.gz | tar xz
    ./guidebook build