Style guide - Contribution Guidelines

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href="#placeholder-and-example-values" class="scroll-to">Placeholder and example values</a></li> <li><a href="#code-formatting" class="scroll-to">Code formatting</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="#icons" class="scroll-to">Icons</a></li> <li> <a href="#documenting-third-party-tools" class="scroll-to">Documenting third-party tools</a> <ul> <li><a href="#pitfalls-to-avoid" class="scroll-to">Pitfalls to avoid</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="#links" class="scroll-to">Links</a></li> <li><a href="#reference-style-guide" class="scroll-to">Reference style guide</a></li> </ul> </aside> <div class="page-content-container page-content-container-doc v2 " id="documentation"> <div class="toggles "> <i class="far fa-list-alt toc-sidebar-toggle"></i> </div> <div class="page-content"> <div class="content show-anchor-links"> <h1 tabindex="-1" id="main" class="page-content-title">Style guide </h1> <h2 id="language">Language</h2> <p>The Kong docs use <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_English" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow noreferrer ">American English (US English)</a>. There are some spelling, grammar, and vocabulary differences between American English and other varieties.</p> <p>Here are some examples:</p> <table> <thead> <tr> <th>✅ Do use (American English)</th> <th>❌ Don’t use (other variations)</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>The response <strong>should</strong> look like…</td> <td>The response <strong>shall</strong> look like…</td> </tr> <tr> <td>In the previous section, you <strong>learned</strong>…</td> <td>In the previous section, you <strong>learnt</strong>…</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Color, recognize, analyze</td> <td>Colour, recognise, analyse</td> </tr> <tr> <td>While</td> <td>Whilst</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <h2 id="voice-and-tone">Voice and tone</h2> <p>Write for people, not computers. You are human, Kong’s users are human – let’s write for each other.</p> <p>At Kong, we try to keep our tone <strong>conversational</strong>, but not at the expense of clarity. We keep language simple and concise, take things seriously when we need to, and keep our readers in mind in whatever we write.</p> <p>Here are some examples of parallel conversational and formal terms and phrasing:</p>  <table> <thead> <tr> <th>✅ Do use</th> <th>❌ Don’t use</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td> <em>Run</em> the program.</td> <td> <em>Execute</em> the program.</td> </tr> <tr> <td> <em>Use</em> the Admin API.</td> <td> <em>Utilize</em> the Admin API.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Open the link <em>to</em> do the thing.</td> <td>Open the link <em>in order to</em> do the thing.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>In the open tab, do the thing.</td> <td>In the open tab that <em>appears</em>, do the thing. <br> In the open tab that <em>displays</em>, do the thing.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Clearly refer to subjects. <br>For example, say “Once you have added <em>the inputs section</em>, …”</td> <td>Avoid generic pronouns. <br> For example, don’t say “Once you have added <em>this</em>, …”</td> </tr> </tbody> </table>  <h3 id="active-voice">Active voice</h3> <p>Use active voice, and avoid passive voice.</p> <p>With active voice, the subject performs an action. With passive voice, the action is being performed upon the subject:</p> <table> <thead> <tr> <th>✅ Active</th> <th>❌ Passive</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>The plugin <em>applies</em> rate limiting to consumers.</td> <td>Rate limits <em>are applied to</em> consumers by the plugin.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>You <em>can explore</em> the API using a browser.</td> <td>The API <em>can be explored</em> using a browser.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>The YAML file <em>specifies</em> the replica count.</td> <td>The replica count <em>is specified</em> in the YAML file.</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>There are exceptions to this guideline. You might use passive voice to communicate that the subject is passive and is having something done to it.</p> <p>For example: “The CA provider’s external account can be registered automatically”. In this sentence, the account is passive and isn’t doing anything, so you can use passive voice.</p> <h3 id="present-tense">Present tense</h3> <p>Whenever possible, use present tense instead of past or future.</p> <table> <thead> <tr> <th>✅ Do use</th> <th>❌ Don’t use</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>This <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">command</code> <em>starts</em> a proxy.</td> <td>This <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">command</code> <em>will start</em> a proxy.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>This <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">command</code> <em>starts</em> a proxy.</td> <td>This <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">command</code> <em>has started</em> a proxy.</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <h3 id="contractions">Contractions</h3> <p>Don’t be afraid to use contractions (<em>can’t</em>, <em>isn’t</em>, <em>you’ll</em>, and so on)! It adds to the conversational tone.</p> <p>As with everything, there are exceptions to the rule. You can omit contractions when aiming for a more serious tone, typically to emphasize a warning or caution.</p> <p>For example, you might use a contraction in a phrase like “This plugin <strong>isn’t</strong> available in Konnect” to let a reader know about plugin availability. On the other hand, you might say “<strong>Do not</strong> use this plugin in Konnect because it will break things” to warn them about potential consequences.</p> <h3 id="latin-phrases">Latin phrases</h3> <p>Don’t use Latin phrases or short forms. Use the english version of the same phrase.</p> <table> <thead> <tr> <th>✅ Do use</th> <th>❌ Don’t use</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>For example, …</td> <td>e.g., …</td> </tr> <tr> <td>That is, …</td> <td>i.e., …</td> </tr> <tr> <td>So (or therefore), …</td> <td>Ergo, …</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <h3 id="recommendations">Recommendations</h3> <p>Recommendations should have a reason. If you’re recommending an approach, explain why.</p> <p>A recommendation should apply to most users. It’s not a suggestion. For example, we wouldn’t recommend DB-less mode without context, but we could recommend it in a specific use case that explains why.</p> <p>When recommending a course of action, use the phrase “we recommend”.</p> <table> <thead> <tr> <th>✅ Do use</th> <th>❌ Don’t use</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td> <strong>We recommend</strong> using an access token <strong>because it’s more secure</strong>.</td> <td> <strong>Kong recommends</strong> using an access token.</td> </tr> <tr> <td> <strong>We don’t recommend</strong> storing a password in plaintext <strong>because it’s not secure</strong>.</td> <td> <strong>It is recommended</strong> that you use an access token.</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <h2 id="grammar-and-syntax">Grammar and syntax</h2> <h3 id="punctuation-rules">Punctuation rules</h3> <p>Commas and periods always go inside quotation marks, and colons, semicolons, and dashes go outside.</p> <p>For example: “There was a storm last night,” Paul said.</p> <h4 id="list-punctuation">List punctuation</h4> <p>✅ Do use punctuation when constructing lists that contain full sentences:</p> <blockquote class="note no-icon"> <p>In DB-less mode, you configure Kong Gateway declaratively. Therefore, the Admin API is mostly read-only. The only tasks it can perform are all related to handling the declarative configuration, including:</p> <ul> <li>Setting a target’s health status in the load balancer.</li> <li>Validating configurations against schemas.</li> <li>Uploading the declarative configuration using the <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">/config</code> endpoint.</li> </ul> </blockquote> <p>❌ Don’t use punctuation when creating ordered and unordered lists that are extensions of a sentence:</p> <blockquote class="note no-icon"> <p>Kong Mesh enables the microservices transformation with:</p> <ul> <li>Out-of-the-box service connectivity and discovery</li> <li>Zero-trust security</li> <li>Traffic reliability</li> <li>Global observability across all traffic</li> </ul> </blockquote> <h3 id="headings-and-page-titles">Headings and page titles</h3> <p>When writing section headings or page titles, be descriptive. What is someone going to do in this section, or on this page? If it’s an overview, what is it an overview of?</p> <p>For example:</p> <table> <thead> <tr> <th>✅ Do use</th> <th>❌ Don’t use</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>Kong Gateway Overview</td> <td>Overview</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Improve Vitals performance with InfluxDB</td> <td>InfluxDB</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Query frequency and precision</td> <td>Query behavior</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>Use sentence case for section headings. For example:</p> <table> <thead> <tr> <th>✅ Do use</th> <th>❌ Don’t use</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>Understanding traffic flow in Kong Gateway</td> <td>Understanding Traffic Flow in Kong Gateway</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Get started with the Request Transformer Advanced plugin</td> <td>Get Started with the Request Transformer Advanced Plugin</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <h3 id="capitalization">Capitalization</h3> <p>When documenting a user interface (UI), follow its formatting. If a term is capitalized in the UI and you are referring to the specific UI element, it should be capitalized in the documentation.</p> <p>Don’t capitalize the following terms:</p> <ul> <li>application</li> <li>certificate</li> <li>consumer</li> <li>control plane</li> <li>database</li> <li>data plane</li> <li>developer</li> <li>hybrid mode</li> <li>plugin</li> <li>route</li> <li>service</li> <li>service mesh</li> <li>target</li> <li>upstream</li> </ul> <h4 id="plugin-name-capitalization">Plugin name capitalization</h4> <ol> <li>Capitalize the plugin <em>name</em> but not the word <em>plugin</em>. For example, “Rate Limiting plugin”.</li> <li>Don’t capitalize the name if you’re using it in code. For example, <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">rate-limiting</code>.</li> <li>Don’t capitalize if you’re referring to the concept, not the plugin. For example, “Set up rate limiting in Kong Gateway with the Rate Limiting plugin”.</li> </ol> <h4 id="kong-specific-term-capitalization">Kong-specific term capitalization</h4> <p>For product and component names, see <a href="/contributing/word-choice/">Word Choice</a>.</p> <p>Object/entity names (for example, service, route, upstream) should be lowercase.</p> <h2 id="formatting">Formatting</h2> <h3 id="automatic-formatting">Automatic formatting</h3> <p><a href="https://prettier.io/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow noreferrer ">Prettier</a> is used to format all prose and code files. There are three ways to meet this standard:</p> <ul> <li>Install the <a href="https://prettier.io/docs/en/editors.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow noreferrer ">Prettier plugin</a> for your editor</li> <li>Run <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">npx prettier --write ./your/edited/files.md</code> in the terminal</li> <li>(Maintainers only) Add the <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">ci:autofix:prettier</code> label to a Pull Request</li> </ul> <p>All files in <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">app/_src</code> are formatted with Prettier. Prose in <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">app</code> has not been bulk-formatted and <em>may</em> be formatted as you edit those files.</p> <h3 id="content-types">Content types</h3> <p>At Kong, we use the four following standard content types when we write our documentation:</p> <ul> <li> <a href="https://github.com/Kong/docs.konghq.com/blob/main/docs/templates/explanation-template.md" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow noreferrer ">Explanation</a>: Documentation that is understanding-oriented because it clarifies and discusses a particular topic.</li> <li> <a href="https://github.com/Kong/docs.konghq.com/blob/main/docs/templates/how-to-template.md" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow noreferrer ">How-to</a>: Documentation that is goal-oriented and prescriptive and that takes readers through the steps to complete a real-world problem.</li> <li> <a href="https://github.com/Kong/docs.konghq.com/blob/main/docs/templates/reference-template.md" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow noreferrer ">Reference</a>: Documentation that explains the technology, like API or command line documentation.</li> <li> <a href="https://github.com/Kong/docs.konghq.com/blob/main/docs/templates/tutorial-template.md" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow noreferrer ">Tutorial</a>: Documentation that helps users learn about a topic by going step-by-step through a series of tasks.</li> </ul> <p>Every documentation page should fit one of these four content types.</p> <h3 id="placeholder-and-example-values">Placeholder and example values</h3> <p>The type of placeholder you use depends on context:</p> <ul> <li> <p><strong>Generic placeholder values:</strong> In most situations (such as plugin parameters, YAML examples, or Kong configuration), use all caps text and underscores between words.</p> <p>For example: <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">service: SERVICE_NAME</code></p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Placeholders in API URLs or OpenAPI specs</strong>: Enclose placeholders in <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">{ }</code> characters and write them in all caps, per <a href="https://swagger.io/docs/specification/describing-parameters/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow noreferrer ">Swagger guidelines</a>.</p> <p>For example: <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">/services/{SERVICE_NAME|ID}/plugins</code></p> </li> <li> <strong>Hostnames and example URLs:</strong> <ul> <li> <p>For guides with examples that are intended to be runnable as-is, use <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">localhost</code> as the domain name.</p> <p>For example: <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">curl -i -X https://localhost:8001/services</code></p> <p>If you are following a guide where Kong Gateway is running on <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">localhost</code>, this example can be copied and pasted straight into a terminal. It should work with no changes.</p> </li> <li> <p>For situations where you need a generic domain name and the examples are illustrative only (not intended to be runnable as-is), use <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">example</code> or <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">example.com</code>.</p> <p>For example: <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">user@example.com</code> or <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">https://example.okta.admin.com</code></p> </li> </ul> </li> <li> <strong>Path parameters</strong> <ul> <li> <p>Path parameters must be denoted with curly braces <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">{}</code>.</p> <p>For example: <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">http://localhost:8001/services/{service_id_or_name}/routes/{route_id_or_name}</code></p> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <h4 id="inline-placeholders">Inline placeholders</h4> <p>If you’re adding a placeholder inline, such as in a sentence, enclose it in single backticks: `EXAMPLE_TEXT`</p> <h3 id="code-formatting">Code formatting</h3> <ul> <li>Separate commands from output.</li> <li>Include properly formatted code comments.</li> <li>For long commands, split the code block into separate lines with <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">\</code> to avoid horizontal scrolling.</li> <li>Never have more than one command in a block/example.</li> <li>Set a language for code blocks, for example, bash, to enable syntax highlighting. <ul> <li><a href="https://github.com/rouge-ruby/rouge/wiki/List-of-supported-languages-and-lexers" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow noreferrer ">List of supported languages</a></li> </ul> </li> <li>Do <strong>NOT</strong> use the command prompt marker ($) in code snippets.</li> </ul> <h2 id="icons">Icons</h2> <p>When deciding which icon to use for a doc, use the following guidelines:</p> <ol> <li> <p>Is there a Unicode version?</p> <p>We use Unicode for common icons such as ✅ and ❌ . You can copy and paste a Unicode icon directly into markdown.</p> </li> <li> <p>Is there a Font Awesome icon?</p> <p>We also use the free version of Font Awesome to supplement Unicode icons. Check out <a href="https://fontawesome.com/v5/search?m=free" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow noreferrer ">their catalog</a> to find an icon code, then see our <a href="/contributing/markdown-rules/#icons">icon usage instructions</a>.</p> </li> <li> <p>Does the <a href="https://github.com/Kong/docs.konghq.com/tree/main/app/assets/images/icons" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow noreferrer "><code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">/_assets/images/icons/</code></a> folder contain the icon that you’re looking for?</p> <p>For custom icons, we have to import them manually. This includes all of the icons used in docs navigation and all icons that are used for UI labels in Konnect and Kong’s UIs. If you find one, see our <a href="/contributing/markdown-rules/#icons">icon usage instructions</a>.</p> </li> <li> <p>If the answer to all of the above is “no”, you can <a href="/contributing/markdown-rules/#icons">upload a custom image</a>.</p> </li> </ol> <h2 id="documenting-third-party-tools">Documenting third-party tools</h2> <p>Our documentation sometimes requires integration with third-party tools and services to help users succeed with our products. As a general rule, we try to avoid rewriting docs that exist elsewhere. When writing docs that involve interactions with third-party tools and services, think about the following:</p> <ul> <li>Does the third-party app have a complete doc in their own documentation that covers the process?</li> <li>Does the process include a lot of custom configuration of the third-party product to get it to work with Kong?</li> <li>Do you need to switch back and forth between Kong and the third-party to complete a task?</li> </ul> <p>Depending on your answers, you should:</p> <ul> <li> <strong>Link to third-party documentation</strong>: Always link to the official documentation of third-party products. In many cases, a link is enough, often as part of a step or a group of prerequisites. Here’s a doc that uses this method: <ul> <li><a href="/konnect/dev-portal/access-and-approval/add-teams/">Add Developer Teams from Identity Providers</a></li> </ul> </li> <li> <strong>Include third-party instructions with integrations</strong>: Provide instructions that involve switching between products, and include links to the official third-party documentation when possible. For example: <ul> <li><a href="/konnect/gateway-manager/dedicated-cloud-gateways/transit-gateways/">How to configure Transit Gateways</a></li> </ul> </li> </ul> <h3 id="pitfalls-to-avoid">Pitfalls to avoid</h3> <p>To reduce maintenance challenges when documenting third-party instructions, avoid the following:</p> <ul> <li> <strong>Do not</strong> include screenshots of third-party UIs.</li> <li>Do not refer to specific UI elements: <ul> <li>❌ <strong>Don’t use</strong>: “Click the blue <strong>Add</strong> button in the top-right corner.”</li> <li>✅ <strong>Use</strong>: “Click <strong>Add</strong>.”</li> </ul> </li> <li>Describe the necessary variables, but do not specify their location in the UI: <ul> <li>❌ <strong>Don’t use</strong>: “Enter the API key found in the <strong>Security tab</strong> under <strong>API Settings</strong>.”</li> <li>✅ <strong>Use</strong>: “Enter the API key provided by your API provider.”</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <h2 id="links">Links</h2> <p>Write descriptive titles that make it clear what the reader is getting by clicking the link. Don’t use link titles like “Read more” and “Click here”:</p> <table> <thead> <tr> <th>✅ Do use</th> <th>❌ Don’t use</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>For more information, see the <a href="#">style guide</a>.</td> <td>For more information, <a href="#">click here</a>.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Learn about <a href="#">content best practices</a> in the Kong style guide.</td> <td>Learn about content best practices <a href="#">here</a>.</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>If the linked content is a larger area like a panel, add a <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">title</code> attribute that describes the linked content to the <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">a</code> tag.</p> <h2 id="reference-style-guide">Reference style guide</h2> <p>Follow Kong’s style guide whenever possible. However, we recommend using the <a href="https://developers.google.com/style/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow noreferrer ">Google developer style guide</a> for style and formatting cases that our guide doesn’t cover.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div id="scroll-to-top-button"> <i class="fas fa-chevron-up"></i> </div> <div class="feedback-widget-container"> <input id="feedback-widget-checkbox" type="checkbox"> <label for="feedback-widget-checkbox"> <img src="/assets/images/icons/feedback-widget.svg" alt="Feedback widget"> </label> <div class="feedback-container"> <div class="feedback-thankyou"> Thank you for your feedback. </div> <div class="feedback-comment"> <textarea id="feedback-comment-text" rows="3" placeholder="Please let us know what we can improve on this page..."></textarea> <div class="feedback-comment-buttons"> <button id="feedback-comment-button-back">Back</button> <button id="feedback-comment-button-submit" class="button-primary">Submit</button> </div> </div> <div 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