Facilitating Docs-as-Code implementation for users unfamiliar with Markdown

Summary

Adopting Docs-as-Code practices at Grab posed challenges for non-engineering team members who lacked familiarity with GitLab and Markdown syntax. To bridge this gap, Grab built a rich-text WYSIWYG TechDocs editor directly into their Backstage developer portal while preserving GitLab as the central storage backend. The team selected the Lexical framework over alternatives to enable deep customization and support non-standard elements like Kroki diagrams, Draw.io, and Excalidraw. The editor integrates OAuth 2.0 authentication to generate single-commit merge requests automatically and uses a split-screen live preview alongside concurrent session tracking to minimize Git conflicts. This approach lowered the technical barrier for non-engineers to contribute to documentation without disrupting standard repository workflows.

Takeaways

• Grab selected the Lexical framework over alternatives like Toast UI because it offered greater extensibility for autocomplete and non-standard Markdown elements such as Kroki diagrams.
• The TechDocs editor connects to GitLab via OAuth 2.0, consolidating UI-based edits into a single commit, opening a merge request, and triggering scheduler jobs that auto-register new entity catalogs upon merge.
• To prevent Git merge conflicts in collaborative workflows, the editor displays pending merge requests and tracks active concurrent editing sessions.

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