Monorepos

GitBook supports monorepos. A monorepo is a repository that contains more than one logical project (e.g. an iOS client and a web application).

GitBook can synchronize multiple directories from the same repository with multiple spaces. When enabling Git Sync on a space, you can configure a "Project directory". It will be used to lookup the .gitbook.yaml file for the directory to synchronize with this space.

Example of a repository structure:

/
  package.json
  packages/
     styleguide/
        .gitbook.yaml
        README.md
        SUMMARY.md
     app/
        README.md
        SUMMARY.md
     api/
        .gitbook.yaml
        README.md
        SUMMARY.md

In this example, three spaces can be created on GitBook and configured with different Project directories:

• packages/styleguide

• packages/app

• packages/api

The "Project directory" option at the Git Sync level differs from the root option in the .gitbook.yaml configuration file. The first is used to lookup .gitbook.yaml itself, then both are combined to lookup the rest of the files in the directory. If no .gitbook.yaml exists in the "Project directory", the synchronization will use the default configuration scoped to this directory.

How directories and assets work in multi-space repos

Each synced space has its own Project directory. GitBook reads that space’s .gitbook.yaml from the configured Project directory. It then resolves root, README.md, SUMMARY.md, Markdown files, and asset paths from that space’s synced scope.

In a monorepo, each synced space is scoped to its own directory and files. A different space synced from another directory doesn’t inherit or reuse files from elsewhere in the repository automatically.

Assets follow the same rule. A repository-level .gitbook/assets folder isn’t shared automatically across spaces if those spaces use different Project directories.

If multiple spaces need the same files, use one of these patterns:

• Place the assets inside each space’s directory.

• Reorganize the repository so each space’s synced scope contains the assets it references.

When you set up a new space in a monorepo, create the directory structure you want in the repository first. GitBook doesn’t infer a shared multi-space layout or create a shared asset area for you.

For more detail on how root is resolved inside a space’s synced scope, see Content configuration.

Here’s a concrete example:

/
  packages/
    docs-en/
      .gitbook.yaml
      README.md
      SUMMARY.md
      .gitbook/
        assets/
          logo.png
    docs-fr/
      .gitbook.yaml
      README.md
      SUMMARY.md
      .gitbook/
        assets/
          logo.png

In this repository, packages/docs-en and packages/docs-fr are two separate synced spaces. A file referenced from packages/docs-en/.gitbook/assets/logo.png isn’t automatically available to the space synced from packages/docs-fr.

Updating the Project directory

In most cases, we recommend the following step to update the Project directory:

1. Disable the existing Git Sync

2. Move the files in the Git repository to the Project directory

3. Reconfigure the Git Sync with the new Project directory

In some cases, you might have started with a typical repository synchronizing with only one space, but then decided to transition into a monorepo with multiple spaces synchronizing with it; or might have to rename the Project directory.

Changing the Project directory on an existing Git Sync can have an unexpected impact on the content, the change will only be propagated during the next synchronization (edit made on GitBook or new commit in the Git repository).

GitBook expects all GitBook-related files for that space to exist inside the configured Project directory. This includes Markdown files, README.md, SUMMARY.md, and any assets used by that space.

If the next operation is an import from the Git repository:

GitBook will expect to find the pages and files in the Project directory. If the files have not already been moved into the repository’s Project directory, the result of the synchronization would be an empty space with no content.

We recommend having the next operation to be a commit moving all GitBook-related files (markdown files, README/SUMMARY, and assets) in the repository to their correct new location, in the Project directory. If assets remain outside the new Project directory, don’t expect them to resolve for that space.

If the next operation is an export from GitBook to the Git repository:

GitBook will generate or update new files in the new Project directory. Files synchronized with GitBook will be moved to the new Project directory (with the best attempt); it might cause side effects if other parts of your system depend on these files.