Markdown is a lightweight markup language created by John Gruber in 2004. As one of the most popular markup languages, it is widely used in technical documentation, software development, and web content publishing. Texts written in Markdown are platform-independent - they are compatible with many tools, including GitHub and static site generators. They are also future-proof - users will be able to read them at any time even without any supporting software.

Unlike more complicated markup languages like LaTeX, Markdown enables users to structure and format content using easy-to-learn formatting symbols to add structure to the text. Using Markdown, authors can create texts that are easy to follow with elements such as elements, (un)ordered lists, tables, and links. Previewing the final look of the text depends on the text editor used to edit the Markdown files. In Visual Studio Code used across this guide, we can turn on the preview pane that presents real-time look of our docs.

For more information on Markdown, refer to this page containing basic and extended Markdown syntax.