Slidev: Markdown-Based Presentations for Developers

June 09, 2025

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Open Source Developer Tools markdown Slidev Presentations

Slidev: Revolutionizing Presentations for Developers

In the world of software development, effective communication is paramount. Whether you're explaining complex architectures, demonstrating new features, or delivering a technical workshop, a well-crafted presentation can make all the difference. Enter Slidev, an innovative open-source project designed from the ground up with developers in mind.

What is Slidev?

Slidev is a Markdown-based presentation tool that allows you to create beautiful and interactive slides effortlessly. Developed by Anthony Fu, it leverages modern web technologies like Vue 3 and Vite, providing a fast, responsive, and highly customizable presentation experience. Unlike traditional presentation software, Slidev lets you focus on your content using a simple Markdown syntax, while offering the power and flexibility of Vue components when you need them.

Key Features for the Modern Developer

Slidev is packed with features that cater specifically to the needs of software developers:

Markdown-Based Simplicity: Write your slides in familiar Markdown, making content creation quick and version-controllable.
Developer-Friendly Elements: Enjoy built-in code highlighting, live coding capabilities (powered by Shiki and Monaco Editor), and seamless integration of technical elements.
Themable & Stylish: Themes can be shared and used via npm packages, and a powerful utility-first CSS engine (UnoCSS) allows for on-demand styling.
Interactive Vue Components: Embed Vue components directly into your slides, enabling dynamic and interactive content.
Versatile Presenter Mode: Control your slides from another window or even your phone, enhancing the delivery experience.
Drawing & Annotation: Annotate and draw directly on your slides during a presentation for emphasis or clarification.
Mathematical & Diagram Support: Built-in LaTeX support for complex equations (KaTeX) and Mermaid for creating diagrams from textual descriptions.
Extensive Icon Sets: Access icons from any icon set directly within your slides via Iconify.
Integrated Editor & VSCode Extension: Work with an integrated editor or a dedicated VSCode extension for an optimized workflow.
Recording Capabilities: Capture your presentations with built-in recording and camera view (utilizing RecordRTC).
Portable Exports: Easily export your presentations to PDF, PNGs, or even PPTX formats.
Vite-Powered Speed: Experience instant reloading and a lightning-fast development workflow thanks to Vite.
Highly Hackable: Extend Slidev's functionality using Vite plugins, Vue components, and any npm packages.

Getting Started with Slidev

Starting with Slidev is incredibly simple. You can try it instantly online at sli.dev/new or initialize a project locally with Node.js (version 18 or higher) using a single command: npm init slidev.

The project boasts comprehensive documentation in multiple languages (English, Chinese, French, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese-BR) and an active Discord community (chat.sli.dev) for support and discussions.

The Technology Under the Hood

Slidev is built on a robust and modern tech stack, ensuring not only powerful features but also excellent performance and maintainability:

Vite: The blazing-fast frontend tooling for development.
Vue 3: Provides the reactive framework for dynamic content.
VueUse family: A collection of utility functions that enhance reactivity and composition.
UnoCSS: The atomic CSS engine for flexible styling.
Shiki & Monaco Editor: For superior code snippet rendering and live coding.
RecordRTC: Enables integrated recording features.
Iconify: Integrates various icon sets.
Drauu: Powers the drawing and annotation features.
KaTeX: For high-quality LaTeX mathematical typesetting.
Mermaid: For generating diagrams from text.

With over 38,000 stars on GitHub and a vibrant community of contributors, Slidev is a testament to the power of open source. It offers a compelling alternative for anyone looking to create engaging and technically rich presentations without the overhead of traditional tools. Whether you're a seasoned speaker or preparing for your first tech talk, Slidev provides an intuitive, powerful, and fun way to bring your ideas to life.

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