Broken Link Detection

Broken link detection identifies non-functional links in design system documentation before users encounter them. Dead links frustrate users, undermine credibility, and indicate documentation neglect. Automated detection enables proactive link maintenance at scale.

What Is Broken Link Detection

Broken link detection is the process of finding links in documentation that no longer resolve to valid destinations. This includes internal links to moved or deleted pages, external links to changed URLs, and anchor links to removed sections. Detection tools crawl documentation and report links that fail.

Links break for various reasons. Page reorganization changes URLs. External resources move or disappear. Section headings change, breaking anchor links. Without detection, broken links accumulate over time, degrading documentation quality.

How Broken Link Detection Works

Link checkers crawl documentation sites following all links they encounter. For each link, the checker requests the destination and verifies a successful response. Failed requests indicate broken links. Checkers report broken links with their source locations for fixing.

Detection can run as part of CI/CD pipelines, catching breaks before deployment. Scheduled detection catches external link breaks that occur after deployment. Some tools support both modes, providing comprehensive coverage.

Link checker configuration controls scope and behavior. Include and exclude patterns limit checking to relevant content. Retry logic handles temporary failures. Timeout settings balance thoroughness with speed. Authentication configuration enables checking protected content.

Key Considerations

• CI/CD integration catches internal link breaks before deployment
• Scheduled checking catches external link breaks after deployment
• Configuration should balance thoroughness with acceptable check duration
• Report formats should enable efficient broken link triage and fixing

Common Questions

What tools work well for documentation link checking?

Several tools suit documentation link checking. Linkinator provides fast checking with good defaults. markdown-link-check focuses on markdown files specifically. Broken Link Checker plugins for documentation platforms integrate with site generators. Custom scripts using libraries like cheerio or puppeteer offer maximum flexibility. Tool selection depends on documentation platform, scale, and integration needs.

How should teams handle external link breaks?

External link breaks require different handling than internal breaks. Some external breaks are temporary due to site issues. Retry logic and confirmation before action reduce false positives. Permanent breaks need alternative links, archived versions via Wayback Machine, or content updates removing the reference. Monitoring external link health over time identifies consistently problematic sources. Some teams reduce external link exposure to minimize break risk.

Summary

Broken link detection identifies non-functional links before users encounter them. Automated detection through CI/CD and scheduled checking maintains link integrity at scale. Proper configuration and break handling processes ensure detection translates to improved documentation quality.