Generate system architecture diagrams with components, services, and data flows. Part of the DevTools Surf developer suite. Browse more tools in the Diagrams & Workflows collection.
Use Cases
Create C4 context and container diagrams for new system design
Document cloud infrastructure topology for security review
Generate diagrams for architecture decision records (ADRs)
Onboard new team members with a visual system overview
Tips
Use the predefined component palette (load balancer, database, cache, queue) rather than plain boxes — they carry semantic meaning in the exported diagram
Group related services with dashed-boundary containers to show trust zones or network segments
Export as SVG for embedding in documentation — SVG scales without pixelation, unlike PNG exports
Fun Facts
The 4+1 architectural view model (logical, process, development, physical, and use case views) was proposed by Philippe Kruchten in 1995 — it remains a widely taught framework for structuring architecture documentation.
Simon Brown's C4 model (Context, Container, Component, Code), introduced in 2010, was created as a reaction to the overhead of UML — it uses only 4 diagram types and has become a preferred lightweight alternative.
Amazon Web Services offers over 250 services. The AWS architecture diagram icon set has over 500 official icons, making it one of the largest icon sets maintained by a single vendor for technical documentation.
FAQ
What notation does the generator use?
By default it generates boxes-and-arrows diagrams compatible with C4 Container level. You can switch to AWS icon set or generic cloud icons. Mermaid syntax export is also available for text-based diagrams.
Can I import an existing diagram to edit it?
Yes — paste Mermaid or PlantUML architecture syntax and the tool renders it visually. Edit in the visual editor and export back to text or image.
Is this suitable for security threat modeling?
It covers basic trust boundary and data flow visualization. For full STRIDE threat modeling you would annotate the diagram manually — dedicated threat modeling tools (OWASP Threat Dragon) go deeper.
