Open source software has always been at the forefront of innovation and collaboration. It underpins the foundations of the internet, and is used in almost every major modern service — including GitBook.

Open source is a testament to the power of community-driven development and the ethos of sharing knowledge for the greater good. And in that spirit, we recently partnered with Scalar in launching our latest open source project — and we’re both only just getting started.

What is Scalar?

Scalar, at its core, is a platform designed to empower developers and teams to create, manage, and deliver API references, testing and documentation efficiently.

With first-class support for OpenAPI, Scalar makes it easy to get incredible tooling for building APIs with little to no overhead — all you need is an OpenAPI spec file. Scalar also integrates easily with different API frameworks to give you API references and testing out of the box with FastAPI, LiteStar, Docusaurus, Next.js, Nuxt.js and many more.

And yes, you probably guessed the best part — Scalar is open-source!

Why open source?

At GitBook, we’ve always followed and believed in open source development. We believe in giving back to the community — especially for the tools we love and use every day.

And from day one, we’ve embraced transparency, collaboration, and community involvement.

We recently attended the Open Source Summit North America, where we learned a lot about the current landscape. We even got a chance to chat briefly about our thoughts on open source in an interview with Techstrong.tv.

By leveraging open source technologies and contributing back to the ecosystem, we’ve cultivated a thriving community of developers and users who actively shape the future of our platform. Our commitment to open source extends beyond code — we also give open source projects a free GitBook account to help them document their amazing work.

Why open source is so important

Open source is more than just a development model; it’s a catalyst for innovation and progress. By opening up access to source code, documentation and resources, open source empowers individuals and organizations to collaborate, iterate, and build upon existing solutions.

This way of building technology not only drives efficiency and cost-effectiveness but also promotes transparency and accountability. It’s an essential piece for driving positive change and addressing the complex challenges we face as developers.

Partnering with Scalar

When we started talking to the team at Scalar about collaborating, it all centered on the mission of making APIs more accessible — as well as our commitment to open-source. Now, thousands of GitBook users are leveraging amazing API references and API testing in API documentation with the OpenAPI blocks.

What’s next?

So what’s next on the agenda for GitBook and Scalar? Well, let’s just say we’re cooking up some seriously cool stuff. From continuing to improve the OpenAPI block and creating brand new integrations, to new features to make your documentation even more interactive — we’re committed to making your GitBook experience smoother than ever.

→ Get started with GitBook for free

→ Find out more about open source at GitBook

→ Discover our community plan