Files
synapse/docs
Quentin Gliech 16125cecd2 Remove the optional systemd-python dependency (#19491)
Summary
- drop the `systemd` extra from `pyproject.toml` and the
`systemd-python` optional dependency
- this means we don't ship the journald log handler, so it clarifies the
docs how to install that in the venv
- ensure the Debian virtualenv build keeps shipping
`systemd-python>=231` in the venv, so the packaged log config can keep
using `systemd.journal.JournalHandler`

Context of this is the following:

> Today in my 'how hard would it be to move to uv' journey:
https://github.com/systemd/python-systemd/issues/167
>
> The gist of it is that uv really wants to create a universal lock
file, which means it needs to be able to resolve the package metadata,
even for packages locked for other platforms. In the case of
systemd-python, they use mesonpy as build backend, which doesn't
implement prepare_metadata_for_build_wheel, which means it needs to run
meson to be able to resolve the package metadata. And it will hard-fail
if libsystemd dev headers aren't available 😭
>
> [*message in
#synapse-dev:matrix.org*](https://matrix.to/#/!i5D5LLct_DYG-4hQprLzrxdbZ580U9UB6AEgFnk6rZQ/$OKLB3TJVXAwq43sAZFJ-_PvMMzl4P_lWmSAtlmsoMuM?via=element.io&via=matrix.org&via=beeper.com)
2026-03-09 15:11:04 +00:00
..
2024-02-06 09:26:55 +00:00
2023-12-13 16:37:10 +00:00
2023-12-13 16:15:22 +00:00
2025-05-20 13:31:05 +00:00
2023-12-13 16:15:22 +00:00
2023-12-13 16:37:10 +00:00

Synapse Documentation

The documentation is currently hosted here. Please update any links to point to the new website instead.

About

This directory currently holds a series of markdown files documenting how to install, use and develop Synapse. The documentation is readable directly from this repository, but it is recommended to instead browse through the website for easier discoverability.

Adding to the documentation

Most of the documentation currently exists as top-level files, as when organising them into a structured website, these files were kept in place so that existing links would not break. The rest of the documentation is stored in folders, such as setup, usage, and development etc. All new documentation files should be placed in structured folders. For example:

To create a new user-facing documentation page about a new Single Sign-On protocol named "MyCoolProtocol", one should create a new file with a relevant name, such as "my_cool_protocol.md". This file might fit into the documentation structure at:

  • Usage
    • Configuration
      • User Authentication
        • Single Sign-On
          • My Cool Protocol

Given that, one would place the new file under usage/configuration/user_authentication/single_sign_on/my_cool_protocol.md.

Note that the structure of the documentation (and thus the left sidebar on the website) is determined by the list in SUMMARY.md. The final thing to do when adding a new page is to add a new line linking to the new documentation file:

- [My Cool Protocol](usage/configuration/user_authentication/single_sign_on/my_cool_protocol.md)

Building the documentation

The documentation is built with mdbook, and the outline of the documentation is determined by the structure of SUMMARY.md.

First, get mdbook. Then, from the root of the repository, build the documentation with:

mdbook build

The rendered contents will be outputted to a new book/ directory at the root of the repository. Please note that index.html is not built by default, it is created by copying over the file welcome_and_overview.html to index.html during deployment. Thus, when running mdbook serve locally the book will initially show a 404 in place of the index due to the above. Do not be alarmed!

You can also have mdbook host the docs on a local webserver with hot-reload functionality via:

mdbook serve

The URL at which the docs can be viewed at will be logged.

Synapse configuration documentation

The Configuration Manual page is generated from a YAML file, schema/synapse-config.schema.yaml. To add new options or modify existing ones, first edit that file, then run scripts-dev/gen_config_documentation.py to generate an updated Configuration Manual markdown file.

Build the book as described above to preview it in a web browser.

Configuration and theming

The look and behaviour of the website is configured by the book.toml file at the root of the repository. See mdbook's documentation on configuration for available options.

The site can be themed and additionally extended with extra UI and features. See website_files/README.md for details.