Vellum is a documentation template built with a simple philosophy: creating beautiful, easy-to-read documentation should be an intuitive and enjoyable process for everyone, from developers to non-technical writers. It leverages the power of Markdown and the simplicity of 11ty to create a site that is fast, flexible, and fully customizable.
Who is Vellum For?
Vellum is designed for two main types of users:
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Developers who love the speed and simplicity of writing in Markdown and want a powerful, no-fuss foundation for their project’s documentation.
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Non-technical writers and editors who prefer a visual, click-based interface for creating and managing content, made possible through seamless integration with CloudCannon.
Core Concepts
The key to understanding Vellum is its Collection-based navigation. A “Collection” is a self-contained set of documents. When you select a collection from the dropdown menu in the sidebar, the navigation automatically updates to show only the pages relevant to that topic.
For example, this very documentation site is split into three collections:
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General: High-level information for all users (you are here!).
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Visual Editing Guide: Specific instructions for content authors using CloudCannon.
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Developer Guide: Technical documentation for developers working with the code.
This system keeps your documentation organized and helps your readers find exactly what they need without getting lost.