---
title: markdown module
aliases: [modules/markdown]
description: GitHub-Flavored Markdown to semantic HTML.
tags: [markdown, module, stdlib, magusfile]
---

# markdown

GitHub-Flavored Markdown to semantic HTML.

> **Naming convention:** import the module under its bare name (`import "markdown"`), reach members with a backslash, and call methods in `camelCase`: `markdown\someMethod`.

## Methods

### toHtml

Render GitHub-Flavored Markdown to semantic HTML. Strips a leading YAML frontmatter block (a "---" fenced header at the top of the document) before rendering. Auto-IDs every heading so #fragment links resolve, and rewrites relative .md links (incl. README.md → index.html) to their generated .html equivalents. Raw HTML in the source is passed through (intended for trusted, first-party docs).

**Signature:** `markdown\toHtml(source) → string` · [source](https://github.com/egladman/magus/blob/main/std/markdown.go#L78)

| Parameter | Type | Optional | Description |
|-----------|------|----------|-------------|
| `source` | `string` |  | |

**Returns:** string

### frontmatter

Parse the leading YAML frontmatter block (a "---" fenced header at the top of the document) and return it as a JSON object string; decode with serialize.jsonDecode. Returns "{}" when no frontmatter is present.

**Signature:** `markdown\frontmatter(source) → string` · [source](https://github.com/egladman/magus/blob/main/std/markdown.go#L92)

| Parameter | Type | Optional | Description |
|-----------|------|----------|-------------|
| `source` | `string` |  | |

**Returns:** string

### stripFrontmatter

Return the Markdown body with any leading YAML frontmatter block removed (the source unchanged when none is present).

**Signature:** `markdown\stripFrontmatter(source) → string` · [source](https://github.com/egladman/magus/blob/main/std/markdown.go#L115)

| Parameter | Type | Optional | Description |
|-----------|------|----------|-------------|
| `source` | `string` |  | |

**Returns:** string