Polen

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Why Polen? ​

First, What is Polen? ​

Prounced "pollen" (see below), Polen is a JavaScript framework for building GraphQL developer portals. It can be used as a CLI or API. It generates interactive documentation from your GraphQL schema, including comprehensive API references, changelogs, and custom pages. Think of it as the documentation experience your GraphQL API deserves – purpose-built, developer-focused, and ready to evolve with your needs.

You Made a Spelling Mistake! ​

"Polen" is Polish/Spanish for "pollen" – a fitting metaphor for how documentation spreads knowledge throughout your developer ecosystem. We chose this spelling because "pollen" was already taken on the npm registry, but we've grown to love the international flavor it brings to the project too 😃.

Why Now? ​

The GraphQL ecosystem has matured, but documentation hasn't kept pace. While we have excellent tools for building and consuming GraphQL APIs, the documentation experience remains fragmented and static. Polen bridges this gap, bringing the same level of sophistication to GraphQL documentation that developers expect from their other tools.

Whether you're documenting a public API, building an internal developer portal, or managing a federated graph, Polen provides the foundation for documentation that's as powerful and flexible as GraphQL itself.

Developer Experience First ​

Polen is built with an unwavering focus on developer experience. Every feature is designed to make GraphQL API documentation not just functional, but delightful. Our vision is wide, from instant schema exploration to intelligent search, from interactive playgrounds to deeply integrated user and project context – we aim to obsess over the details often overlooked by other tools, details that let you truly focus on your content, developers, and API.

GraphQL Native ​

Compared to REST API documentation tools, the GraphQL landscape remains underserved in regards to documentation tooling. Polen is purpose-built for GraphQL. We understand the unique needs of GraphQL APIs:

  • SDL first workflows
  • Type-aware search and navigation
  • Field-level usage tracking
  • Breaking change detection
  • Document code blocks with seamless previews for popular GraphQL clients like Graffle, UrQL, Relay, and Apollo Client.

Open Source ​

Polen is fully open source, giving you:

  • Complete transparency into how your documentation works
  • The ability to contribute features and fixes
  • No vendor lock-in
  • Community-driven innovation
  • Self-hosting options for complete control

Built from the Ground Up ​

Polen isn't a plugin or theme – it's a complete documentation framework built directly on Vite. This ground-up approach means:

  • First-class performance optimizations
  • Modern build tooling without legacy constraints
  • Direct control over the entire stack
  • No abstraction penalties
  • Convention over configuration

Multi-Architecture Support ​

Choose the deployment model that fits your needs:

  • SSG (Static Site Generation): Deploy anywhere, blazing fast, perfect for public docs
  • SSR (Server-Side Rendering): Dynamic content, authentication support, real-time data

Cutting-Edge Technology Stack ​

Polen leverages the latest web technologies:

  • Vite for lightning-fast development
  • Rolldown (not Rollup) for next-generation bundling
  • React Server Components (coming soon) for optimal performance
  • Code Hike for beautiful code examples and walkthroughs
  • Schema-aware type-safe APIs and configuration

Modular by Design ​

Currently an integrated framework, Polen is evolving toward a modular architecture where you can:

  • Use Polen's components in your existing documentation
  • Integrate Polen's schema analysis as a library
  • Mix and match features to fit your needs
  • Build custom experiences on Polen's foundation

The Serverful Future ​

While Polen excels at static documentation today, we're building toward a serverful future that transforms how teams work with GraphQL APIs:

User Context Awareness ​

Documentation that adapts to who's viewing it, showing relevant examples and permissions based on the authenticated user.

App & Environment Selection ​

Switch between development, staging, and production schemas. View documentation specific to different applications or services in your ecosystem.

Inline Traffic Intelligence ​

See real-time API usage directly in your documentation. Understand which fields are hot, which are dormant, and how your API is actually being used.

Smart Filtering ​

Filter documentation to show only the schema elements that a specific app has actually used in a configurable time range. Hide the noise, focus on what matters.

Collaborative Playgrounds ​

GraphQL playgrounds with instant API tokens, team sharing capabilities, and saved query libraries. Make API exploration a team sport.

Proactive Notifications ​

Subscribe to feeds that alert you when schema changes affect your applications based on their actual traffic patterns. Never be surprised by a breaking change again.