NestJS

@orbitdocs/nestjs connects your Nest app to the docs. It builds on @nestjs/swagger: extraction calls your app's own SwaggerModule.createDocument. Everything you already describe with Swagger shows up in the docs. The @Docs* decorators are optional extras on top.

There is no Nest module to import and nothing changes at runtime. The package gives you decorators, the extractor the CLI runs, and mountOrbitDocs to serve the built site.

What's in this sectionCopy Anchor Link

InstallCopy Anchor Link

npm install @orbitdocs/nestjs @nestjs/swagger

{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "plugins": [
      {
        "name": "@nestjs/swagger",
        "options": { "introspectComments": true, "classValidatorShim": true }
      }
    ]
  }
}

export class PassengerDto {
  /**
   * Full name as on the travel document.
   * @example "Ada Lovelace"
   */
  @IsString()
  name: string;
}

npx orbitdocs init

Point the docs at your appCopy Anchor Link

Each API in orbitdocs.config.ts has a source. For a Nest app it is source.nest:

import { defineConfig } from '@orbitdocs/next/config';

export default defineConfig({
  site: { title: 'Orbit Travel' },
  apis: [
    {
      id: 'travel',
      title: 'Orbit Travel API',
      source: {
        nest: {
          module: 'dist/app.module.js',
          build: 'nest build',
          routes: 'opt-in',
          versioning: { type: 'uri', prefix: 'v' },
        },
      },
    },
  ],
});

Extraction explains each option with examples.

Choose which routes appearCopy Anchor Link

routes decides which of your routes reach the docs. Both modes use the same Swagger metadata.

@Get()
@DocsOperation({ group: 'Flights', title: 'Search flights', order: 1 })
search(@Query() query: SearchFlightsQueryDto): FlightListDto {
  // ...
}

@Get('internal/stats') // not marked: never in the docs
stats() {}

In both modes:

• @ApiOperation({ summary }) gives the title, and @ApiTags the sidebar group, unless @DocsOperation sets title or group.
• The title also becomes the operation's URL slug: Create a booking becomes /reference/travel/create-a-booking/.
• @DocsOperation still adds order and stability, and @DocsErrors, @DocsSamples and @DocsContent work on any route.

What drives the docsCopy Anchor Link

Everything @nestjs/swagger understands is used. Common ones:

OrbitDocs then adds what your routes return by construction: 400 when a route takes input, 401 and 403 when it is secured, 404 when its path has a parameter, and 500. Turn this off with standardErrors: false on the API. See Extraction.

Environment variablesCopy Anchor Link

OrbitDocs reads secrets from environment variables. The config only names them, so no secret is ever written to orbitdocs.config.ts or the build.

The serving variables are read by the Nest process at runtime, not by the build. Serve from Nest explains each one. examples/nest-sample/.env.example in the repository shows a complete set, and Environment variables lists every variable OrbitDocs uses.

Next stepsCopy Anchor Link