Ask HN: What diagrams do you use in software development?

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  • mermaid

    Generation of diagrams like flowcharts or sequence diagrams from text in a similar manner as markdown

  • I mainly use diagrams in documentation and not in specification or development (although tools I am learning to use, such as Alloy [0], for specifications do generate diagrams of the state).

    In documentation I typically use a mix of ditaa[1], mermaid[2], and graphviz[3]. I used ditaa for architecture diagrams, a mix of sequence, flow chart, and ER diagrams in mermaid to explain protocols or interactions; and I use graphviz usually for datastructures or dependencies, etc.

    [0] https://alloytools.org

    [1] https://ditaa.sourceforge.net

    [2] https://mermaid-js.github.io/mermaid/#/

    [3] https://graphviz.org/

  • excalidraw

    Virtual whiteboard for sketching hand-drawn like diagrams

  • Flow chart, sequence and class diagrams are the ones I use the most in my current job.

    In source, I generally use Mermaid[1] as its syntax is easily maintainable and understandable. As our documentation (mdBook) is written in markdown and can render Mermaid via a plugin[2].

    When drawing quick diagrams during online communications, I use Excalidraw[3] as it's easy to use and has a nice whiteboard style to it. When I'm with my team (pre-covid), whiteboard or paper did the trick.

    [1]: https://mermaid-js.github.io/ [2]: https://github.com/badboy/mdbook-mermaid [3]: https://excalidraw.com/

  • SurveyJS

    Open-Source JSON Form Builder to Create Dynamic Forms Right in Your App. With SurveyJS form UI libraries, you can build and style forms in a fully-integrated drag & drop form builder, render them in your JS app, and store form submission data in any backend, inc. PHP, ASP.NET Core, and Node.js.

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  • diagrams

    :art: Diagram as Code for prototyping cloud system architectures

  • mdbook-mermaid

    A preprocessor for mdbook to add mermaid support

  • Flow chart, sequence and class diagrams are the ones I use the most in my current job.

    In source, I generally use Mermaid[1] as its syntax is easily maintainable and understandable. As our documentation (mdBook) is written in markdown and can render Mermaid via a plugin[2].

    When drawing quick diagrams during online communications, I use Excalidraw[3] as it's easy to use and has a nice whiteboard style to it. When I'm with my team (pre-covid), whiteboard or paper did the trick.

    [1]: https://mermaid-js.github.io/ [2]: https://github.com/badboy/mdbook-mermaid [3]: https://excalidraw.com/

  • draw.io

    draw.io is a JavaScript, client-side editor for general diagramming.

  • Draw.io is amazing!

    It has now been renamed to diagrams.net: https://app.diagrams.net/

    Github repo: https://github.com/jgraph/drawio

    It's very easy to self-host, especially on Github Pages: https://github.com/jgraph/drawio#running

    There's also desktop apps for Windows, GNU/Linux, Mac and Chrome OS: https://github.com/jgraph/drawio-desktop/releases/latest

  • drawio-desktop

    Official electron build of draw.io

  • Draw.io is amazing!

    It has now been renamed to diagrams.net: https://app.diagrams.net/

    Github repo: https://github.com/jgraph/drawio

    It's very easy to self-host, especially on Github Pages: https://github.com/jgraph/drawio#running

    There's also desktop apps for Windows, GNU/Linux, Mac and Chrome OS: https://github.com/jgraph/drawio-desktop/releases/latest

  • GoJS, a JavaScript Library for HTML Diagrams

    JavaScript diagramming library for interactive flowcharts, org charts, design tools, planning tools, visual languages.

  • I actually make a diagramming library for the web, called GoJS: https://gojs.net

    So I make all kinds of diagrams, mostly as demonstrations. When developing an API itself, especially one where there are phases (objects must measure themselves and draw in a certain order, and not more than they need to), state machine-style and flowchart-style diagrams are awfully helpful.

  • WorkOS

    The modern identity platform for B2B SaaS. The APIs are flexible and easy-to-use, supporting authentication, user identity, and complex enterprise features like SSO and SCIM provisioning.

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  • vscode-drawio

    This unofficial extension integrates Draw.io (also known as diagrams.net) into VS Code.

  • Modelio

    Modelio is a modeling solution offering a wide range of functionalities based on the main standards of enterprise architecture, software development and systems engineering.

  • Markdeep[0] from Casual Effects has a way of drawing diagrams using extended markdown.

    I used it to write this document with two diagrams: https://loan-free-ed.neocities.org

    Other tool I like are PlanetUML[1], BoUML[2] and Modellio[3](it is very heavy though on system resources!)

    [0] https://casual-effects.com/markdeep

    [1] https://plantuml.com

    [2] https://bouml.fr

    [3] https://www.modelio.org

  • egon.io

    A tool to visualize Domain Stories in your browser

NOTE: The number of mentions on this list indicates mentions on common posts plus user suggested alternatives. Hence, a higher number means a more popular project.

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