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arc42.org-site
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A View on Functional Software Architecture
There a various standards for documenting software architecture, like arc42 or C4. While useful and somewhat well-known (there is certainly a correlation here), here architecture documentation can be further simplified, particularly due to the self-similarity of project and component. Following is a small template, that can also serve as a project's and component's README:
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Architecture diagrams enable better conversations
I've been using https://structurizr.com/ to automatically generate C4 diagrams from a model (rather than drawing them by hand). It works well with the approach for written documentation as proposed in https://arc42.org/. It's very easy to embed a C4 diagram into a markdown document.
The result is a set of documents and diagrams under version control that can be rendered using the structurizr documentation server (for interactive diagrams and indexed search).
I also use https://d2lang.com/ for declarative diagrams in addition to C4, e.g., sequence diagrams and https://adr.github.io/ for architectural decision records. These are also well integrated into structurizr.
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Documenting a software project
My general approach to documentation is a "software guidebook" (free e-book link) or arc42 ... complemented with diagrams and architecture decision records where necessary.
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System Design How to?
In addition to a small number of diagrams, I'd recommend something like arc42 or my "software guidebook" (link for a free copy of my book describing this), plus some architecture decision records.
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Solution Templates
Arc42 may give some inspiration https://arc42.org/
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What's your process to create documentation for a new startup's application?
If you need more structure than ADRs then https://arc42.org is super useful.
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Recommendations for an Online Introduction to Software Modeling
There are plenty of good resources out there for learning modeling languages and architectural documentation structures. For more lightweight methods, I'd recommend checking out resources like Simon Brown's C4 model for visualizing software architecture, Martin Fowler's UML Distilled: A Brief Guide to the Standard Object Modeling Language, Scott Ambler's Agile Modeling site, and the arc42 template for architectural documentation.
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How to get good at writing design documents?
As you need to, you can get into topics like different modeling languages or documentation template libraries. These are going to be highly dependent on your organization, though, as different organizations have different standards for what and how to document design decisions. Personally, I've found that the arc42 documentation template plus the C4 modeling language plus the UML modeling language (see UML as sketch and UML as notes for more on lightweight UML) for the most detailed models (which are rarely needed outside of the most complex parts of a system) tends to be a good, agile, lightweight model for the kinds of things to think about when it comes to creating design documentation.
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How to improve writing documentation?
We've started using Arc42 and C4 model & PlantUML for diagrams. Working out well so far.
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About documentation
arc42 - arc42
c4-notation
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Show HN: Flyde – an open-source visual programming language
What you are describing sounds a lot like C4: https://c4model.com/
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Ask HN: How do you document complex software systems?
The C4 model [0] provides a mostly sensible structure and techniques for representing pure software systems across different abstraction levels.
For systems involving software and hardware, or other complex interfacing (both technology and bureaucracy) this starts to delve into the universe of systems engineering. There's a decent assembly of knowledge on that in the SEBoK [1].
As another commenter has already called out too, one of the most valuable sources of information is also _why_ a system is in its current form and _how_ that's changed over time. ADR's [2] really do a good job at nailing this for just about any scale.
[0]: https://c4model.com
[1]: https://sebokwiki.org
[2]: https://adr.github.io
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A View on Functional Software Architecture
There a various standards for documenting software architecture, like arc42 or C4. While useful and somewhat well-known (there is certainly a correlation here), here architecture documentation can be further simplified, particularly due to the self-similarity of project and component. Following is a small template, that can also serve as a project's and component's README:
- The C4 model for visualising software architecture
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Inkscape Cloud Architect
I would suggest that if your architecture diagrams are a bunch of icons provided by AWS/Azure/GCP with lines pointing at each other... you are doing it wrong.
The 'what does this box do for my system' is vastly more important than the 'which in vogue offering from my cloud provider implements it'.
I highly suggest folks take a look at the C4 Model: https://c4model.com/
- What do you wish business folks knew about UML?
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How to create interactive zoomable software architecture diagrams
We often use abstractions in software engineering to communicate complex architectures and software systems. In this article, we’ll discuss how abstractions are inherently hierarchical and how the C4 model provides a nested structure for defining your software architecture. We’ll then cover how IcePanel allows you to create interactive and zoomable diagrams for your audience to zoom in and out of different levels of technical detail.
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Architecture diagrams enable better conversations
You probably want https://c4model.com/ which explains what a C4 architecture diagram is. (See the first footnote in the article.)
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Do modern diagramming techniques play a crucial role in software development?
I looked at the book OP is talking about and it seems to be advocating 'C4' (https://c4model.com/). IMO this is the same kind of block diagrams we end up creating organically. I dunno that I'd call this 'modern' or anything special, it's just what everyone already does. I've done hundreds of these and not once has anyone ever mentioned 'C4' or anything being 'modern'. Shrug
What are some alternatives?
diataxis-documentation-framework - A systematic approach to creating better documentation.
excalidraw - Virtual whiteboard for sketching hand-drawn like diagrams
jgmd - A directory of direct links to get your personal data from web services.
backstage - Backstage is an open platform for building developer portals
architecture_decision_record - Architecture decision record (ADR) examples for software planning, IT leadership, and template documentation
C4-PlantUML - C4-PlantUML combines the benefits of PlantUML and the C4 model for providing a simple way of describing and communicate software architectures
architecture-decision
mermaid - Generation of diagrams like flowcharts or sequence diagrams from text in a similar manner as markdown
java - Structurizr for Java
pumla - pumla - systematic re-use of model elements described with PlantUML
swagger-ui - Swagger UI is a collection of HTML, JavaScript, and CSS assets that dynamically generate beautiful documentation from a Swagger-compliant API.
plantuml - Generate diagrams from textual description