diff --git a/docs/conf.py b/docs/conf.py
--- a/docs/conf.py
+++ b/docs/conf.py
@@ -1,16 +1 @@
-# flake8: noqa
-
-import os
-
-import django
-
-os.environ.setdefault("DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE", "swh.web.settings.development")
-
-django.setup()
-
-import swh.docs.sphinx.conf as sphinx_conf
-from swh.web.doc_config import customize_sphinx_conf
-
-customize_sphinx_conf(sphinx_conf)
-
-from swh.docs.sphinx.conf import *
+from swh.docs.sphinx.conf import *  # noqa
diff --git a/docs/developers-info.rst b/docs/developers-info.rst
--- a/docs/developers-info.rst
+++ b/docs/developers-info.rst
@@ -48,7 +48,6 @@
 """"""""""""""""""""""""""
 
     * :mod:`swh.web.config`: holds the configuration for the web applications.
-    * :mod:`swh.web.doc_config`: utility module used to extend the sphinx configuration
       when building the documentation.
     * :mod:`swh.web.manage`: Django management module for developers.
     * :mod:`swh.web.urls`: module that holds the whole URI scheme of all
diff --git a/swh/web/api/apidoc.py b/swh/web/api/apidoc.py
--- a/swh/web/api/apidoc.py
+++ b/swh/web/api/apidoc.py
@@ -387,7 +387,7 @@
     # else parse the sphinx httpdomain docstring with docutils
     # (except when building the swh-web documentation through autodoc
     # sphinx extension, not needed and raise errors with sphinx >= 1.7)
-    elif "SWH_WEB_DOC_BUILD" not in os.environ:
+    elif "SWH_DOC_BUILD" not in os.environ:
         _parse_httpdomain_doc(f.__doc__, data)
         # process input/returned object info for nicer html display
         inputs_list = ""
diff --git a/swh/web/doc_config.py b/swh/web/doc_config.py
deleted file mode 100644
--- a/swh/web/doc_config.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,74 +0,0 @@
-# Copyright (C) 2017-2018  The Software Heritage developers
-# See the AUTHORS file at the top-level directory of this distribution
-# License: GNU Affero General Public License version 3, or any later version
-# See top-level LICENSE file for more information
-
-import importlib.util
-import os
-
-from sphinx.ext import autodoc
-from sphinxcontrib import httpdomain
-
-# guard to avoid ImportError when running tests through sbuild
-# as there is no Debian package built for swh-docs
-if importlib.util.find_spec("swh.docs"):
-    from swh.docs.sphinx.conf import setup as orig_setup
-
-
-class SimpleDocumenter(autodoc.FunctionDocumenter):
-    """
-    Custom autodoc directive to display a docstring unindented
-    and without function signature header.
-    """
-
-    objtype = "simple"
-    # ensure the priority is lesser than the base FunctionDocumenter
-    # to avoid side effects with autodoc processing
-    priority = -1
-
-    # do not indent the content
-    content_indent = ""
-
-    # do not add a header to the docstring
-    def add_directive_header(self, sig):
-        pass
-
-
-_swh_web_base_url = "https://archive.softwareheritage.org"
-_swh_web_api_endpoint = "api"
-_swh_web_api_version = 1
-_swh_web_api_url = "%s/%s/%s/" % (
-    _swh_web_base_url,
-    _swh_web_api_endpoint,
-    _swh_web_api_version,
-)
-
-_swh_web_browse_endpoint = "browse"
-_swh_web_browse_url = "%s/%s/" % (_swh_web_base_url, _swh_web_browse_endpoint)
-
-
-def setup(app):
-    orig_setup(app)
-    app.add_autodocumenter(SimpleDocumenter)
-    # set an environment variable indicating we are currently
-    # building the swh-web documentation
-    os.environ["SWH_WEB_DOC_BUILD"] = "1"
-
-
-def customize_sphinx_conf(sphinx_conf):
-    """
-    Utility function used to customize the sphinx doc build for swh-web
-    globally (when building doc from swh-docs) or locally (when building doc
-    from swh-web).
-
-    Args:
-        sphinx_conf (module): a reference to the sphinx conf.py module
-            used to build the doc.
-    """
-    # fix for sphinxcontrib.httpdomain 1.3
-    if "Link" not in httpdomain.HEADER_REFS:
-        httpdomain.HEADER_REFS["Link"] = httpdomain.IETFRef(5988, "5")
-    sphinx_conf.extlinks["swh_web"] = (_swh_web_base_url + "/%s", None)
-    sphinx_conf.extlinks["swh_web_api"] = (_swh_web_api_url + "%s", None)
-    sphinx_conf.extlinks["swh_web_browse"] = (_swh_web_browse_url + "%s", None)
-    sphinx_conf.setup = setup