Overview of ScreenSteps Hosting Options

ScreenSteps is a platform designed for creating and publishing documentation. Understanding where and how ScreenSteps can be hosted is important for organizations considering integration with their existing infrastructure.

• ScreenSteps consists of two main parts: 
  1. The authoring environment and 
  2. The published documentation.
• Hosting options differ for each part of the platform.

Hosting the Authoring Environment

The ScreenSteps authoring environment is always hosted on ScreenSteps' own servers. There is no option to install or run the authoring environment on your organization's servers.

• All content creation and management occurs in the cloud-based ScreenSteps environment.
• This ensures updates and support are managed by ScreenSteps.

Hosting Published Content

Organizations that want to host their documentation on their own servers can use the ScreenSteps API to extract content and publish it elsewhere. This approach requires technical expertise and developer involvement to integrate with your environment.

• ScreenSteps provides an API for content extraction.
• Self-hosting published content requires custom development.

Why It Matters: Advantages of ScreenSteps Hosting

Letting ScreenSteps host your published documentation offers several benefits, including:

• User authentication management
• Automatic creation of a table of contents
• Built-in search functionality
• Instant publishing of updates
• ScreenSteps hosting reduces technical overhead for your team.
• Features like search and authentication are included out of the box.

Custom Domain Options

Many organizations choose to use a custom domain for their ScreenSteps site, allowing the documentation to appear under their own web address. This enhances branding and user trust.

• Custom domains are supported for ScreenSteps-hosted sites. If you would like to do that you can learn more here.
• This option does not require self-hosting the authoring environment or content.

Key Terms

Familiarity with the following terms will help in understanding ScreenSteps hosting:

• Authoring Environment: The online workspace where documentation is created and managed.
• Published Content: The final documentation that is made available to end users.
• API: An interface that allows developers to extract and use ScreenSteps content in other systems.
• Custom Domain: Using your organization's own web address for your ScreenSteps site.