@devbookhq/sdk

Devbook SDK

Devbook makes your dev docs interactive with just 3 lines of code.

Devbook is a JS library that allows visitors of your docs to interact with and execute any code snippet or shell command in a private VM.

Check out the UI Devbook library that you can use in your documentation.

How Devbook works

Every time a user visits a page where you use Devbook (like your docs), we quickly spin up a private VM just for that user. They can experiment and explore your API/SDK right from your docs. Zero setup and overhead.

Check this Twitter thread with a video to see Devbook in action.

Installation

npm install @devbookhq/sdk

Usage

React

// 1. Import the hook
import {
  useDevbook,
  DevbookStatus,
} from '@devbookhq/sdk'

// 2. Define your code
const code = `
 > Code that you want to execute in a VM goes here.
`

function InteractiveCodeSnippet() {
  // 3. Use the hook
  const { stdout, stderr, status, url, fs, runCmd } = useDevbook({ env: 'nodejs-v16', port: 3000 })

  async function handleRun() {
    if (status !== DevbookStatus.Connected) return
    if (!fs) return

    // 4. Manipulate the filesystem
    await fs.write('/index.js', code)
    // 5. Execute the code
    runCmd(`node ./index.js`)
  }

  return (
    <div>
      {status === DevbookStatus.Disconnected && <div>Status: Disconnected, will start VM</div>}
      {status === DevbookStatus.Connecting && <div>Status: Starting VM...</div>}
      {status === DevbookStatus.Connected &&
        <>
          <div>URL for the port 3000 on the VM: {url}</div>
          <button onClick={handleRun}>Run</button>
        </>
      )}
      <h3>Output</h3>
      {stdout.map((o, idx) => <span key={`out_${idx}`}>{o}</span>)}
      {stderr.map((e, idx) => <span key={`err_${idx}`}>{e}</span>)}
    </div>
  )
}

export default InteractiveCodeSnippet

JavaScript/TypeScript

  // 1. Import the class
  import { Devbook, DevbookStatus } from '@devbookhq/sdk'

  // 2. Define your code
  const code = `
   > Code that you want to execute in a VM goes here.
  `

  // 3. Create new Devbook instance
  const dbk = new Devbook({
    env: 'nodejs-v16',
    onStdout(out) {
      console.log('stdout', { err })
    },
    onStderr(err) {
      console.log('stderr', { err })
    },
    onStatusChange(status) {
      console.log('status', { status })
    },
    onURLChange(getURL) {
      const url = getURL(3000) // Create a URL that connects to the port 3000
      console.log('url', { url })
    },
  })

  if (dbk.status === DevbookStatus.Connected && fs) {
    // 4. Manipulate the filesystem
    await dbk.fs.write('/index.js', code)
    const content = await dbk.fs.get('/index.js')
    console.log('Content of the "/index.js" file', content)

    // 4. Execute the code
    dbk.runCmd('node ./index.js')
  }

Supported runtimes

• NodeJS
• Looking for more runtimes? Please open an issue
• (coming soon) Custom environments based on containers

Usage of Devbook in example apps

• React