What it does
Docutils provides command-line frontends for converting structured text. Its writers include HTML, LaTeX, manual pages, OpenDocument, XML, and slideshow output.
Select reader/parser/writer components or a dedicated frontend, then provide source text and an output file or standard stream. Use the output option when directories differ so stylesheet and asset links can be adjusted. Choose rst2html4 or rst2html5 for stable HTML structure; the generic HTML frontend's default can change. Markdown parsing needs third-party packages. LaTeX writers produce source for a separate TeX engine to make PDF, and ODT output needs an appropriate stylesheet. Recursive buildhtml is a source-distribution script rather than a standard binary-package tool.
Strengths
- Reuses structured-text sources across several document writers.
Watch out for
- The default HTML writer can change; stable builds should select one explicitly.
Best for
- Repeatable document conversion from reStructuredText
Sources
- Docutils Front-End Tools (Oct 26, 2026)
- Copying Docutils (Oct 26, 2026)