Top 6 Tools to Turn Code into Beautiful Diagrams

Summary

This video introduces six innovative tools for converting code into architectural diagrams, ideal for developers and tech leads. Diagrams, a Python library, and Go-Diagrams facilitate 'diagram as code' for easy version control. Mermaid and PlantUML offer text-based diagram creation, tackling 'doc-rot'. ASCII diagram editors like asciiflow and Monodraw provide simplicity with plain text, while Markmap generates mind maps from Markdown. The video also promotes a System Design Newsletter for the latest in system design trends.

Takeaways

• 📚 The video showcases six tools for converting code into architectural diagrams, useful for developers and tech leads.
• 🔍 The first tool, Diagrams, is a Python library for drawing cloud system architectures in code, emphasizing 'diagram as code' for version control integration.
• 🛠️ Diagrams supports visualization across major cloud providers and tech stacks, including AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, and more.
• 🎨 It offers an extensive icon catalog and intuitive syntax to speed up diagram creation for modern tech stacks.
• 🐍 For those who prefer Go, Go-Diagrams provides a similar functionality but with Go language support.
• 📝 Mermaid is a JavaScript library that allows creating diagrams and visualizations using Markdown-style text definitions.
• 🔄 Mermaid addresses 'doc-rot' by enabling even non-programmers to create detailed visuals through its Live Editor.
• 🌿 PlantUML is a powerful tool with a domain-specific language for generating various diagram types, including a learning curve.
• 📝 ASCII diagram editors like asciiflow and Monodraw allow for visual or text-based diagram creation, outputting in plain text format.
• 🧠 Markmap is a tool for creating and visualizing mind maps from Markdown documents, parsing content to render hierarchies.
• 📰 The System Design Newsletter is recommended for readers interested in system design trends and large-scale system design, with a large readership base.

Q & A

What is the purpose of showcasing the six tools in the video?

The purpose is to present tools that convert code into architectural diagrams, which are beneficial for developers documenting systems and tech leads sharing knowledge.

What is the 'Diagrams' Python library used for?

Diagrams is a library for drawing cloud system architectures in code, facilitating rapid prototyping of new designs without the need for separate diagramming tools.

How does the 'diagram as code' approach benefit documentation and system implementation?

This approach allows for tracking diagram changes in version control systems, thus bridging the gap between documentation and system implementation.

Which major cloud providers and stacks are supported by Diagrams?

Diagrams supports major providers and stacks such as AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, and more, along with on-premise nodes, SaaS services, and major programming frameworks and languages.

What is Go-Diagrams and how does it relate to Diagrams?

Go-Diagrams is a similar tool to Diagrams but allows users to write in Go instead of Python, providing the same 'diagram as code' capabilities.

What does Mermaid enable users to create using text?

Mermaid enables users to create diagrams and visualizations using text definitions in a Markdown-style format, which are then rendered into diagrams.

What problem does Mermaid aim to solve in documentation?

Mermaid aims to solve 'doc-rot', where documentation and diagrams become outdated quickly, consuming developer time and affecting productivity and organizational learning.

What is PlantUML and what types of diagrams can it generate?

PlantUML is a powerful diagramming tool that uses a domain-specific language to generate various diagram types, including sequence diagrams, architectural diagrams, network topology, Gantt charts, and ASCII art.

How do ASCII diagram editors differ from other tools mentioned in the script?

ASCII diagram editors allow for the creation of diagrams in text form that can be rendered as ASCII art, leveraging the simplicity and universality of plain text.

What is Markmap and how does it create mind maps?

Markmap is a tool that creates and visualizes mind maps derived from Markdown documents by parsing the content and extracting inherent hierarchies to render a mind map.

What additional resource is offered for those interested in system design?

The System Design Newsletter is offered, which covers trends and large-scale system design topics and is trusted by 500,000 readers.

Outlines

00:00

🛠️ Code-to-Diagram Tools Showcase

This paragraph introduces a collection of six innovative tools that transform code into architectural diagrams, catering to developers and tech leads for efficient system documentation and knowledge sharing. The first tool highlighted is 'Diagrams,' a Python library designed for rapid prototyping of cloud system architectures through code, enabling version control tracking of diagram changes. It supports visualization across major cloud providers and tech stacks and offers an extensive icon catalog for modern tech stacks. 'Go-Diagrams' is mentioned as an alternative for Go developers. 'Mermaid' is a JavaScript library that creates diagrams from text definitions, aiming to tackle 'doc-rot' by allowing non-programmers to create visuals through its Live Editor. 'PlantUML' is presented as a powerful tool with a domain-specific language for generating various diagram types, though it has a steeper learning curve. The paragraph concludes with ASCII diagram editors, which offer simplicity and versatility in creating text-based diagrams, and 'Markmap,' a tool for creating mind maps from Markdown documents, suitable for idea connection but with limitations in complexity.

Keywords

💡Architectural Diagrams

Architectural diagrams are visual representations of the structure and components of a system. They are crucial for developers and tech leads to document systems and share knowledge effectively. In the video, these diagrams are generated from code, emphasizing the 'diagram as code' approach that integrates documentation with system implementation.

💡Diagram as Code

The 'diagram as code' concept refers to the practice of representing diagrams in a form that can be tracked and managed within version control systems, just like source code. This approach is highlighted in the video as a way to keep documentation synchronized with system changes, using tools like Diagrams and Go-Diagrams.

💡Version Control Systems

Version control systems are essential tools for developers to manage changes to source code over time. In the context of the video, these systems are used to track changes to architectural diagrams when they are represented as code, ensuring that documentation remains up-to-date with the system's evolution.

💡Diagrams (Python Library)

Diagrams is a Python library mentioned in the video that allows users to draw cloud system architectures using code. It supports major cloud providers and tech stacks, and its syntax and icon catalog facilitate the creation of diagrams that reflect modern infrastructure designs.

💡Go-Diagrams

Go-Diagrams is a tool similar to Diagrams but designed for the Go programming language. It enables developers to create diagrams using Go code, providing an alternative for those who prefer or work with Go over Python.

💡Mermaid

Mermaid is a JavaScript library that allows the creation of diagrams and visualizations through text definitions in a Markdown-style format. It is introduced in the video as a solution to 'doc-rot,' helping to keep documentation current with development by enabling even non-programmers to create visuals.

💡PlantUML

PlantUML is a powerful diagramming tool that uses a domain-specific language to generate various types of diagrams, including sequence diagrams, architectural diagrams, and more. It is noted for its flexibility and power but has a steeper learning curve compared to other tools mentioned in the video.

💡ASCII Diagram Editors

ASCII diagram editors are tools that allow for the creation of diagrams using plain text characters, which can then be rendered as ASCII art. They are simple and versatile, as demonstrated in the video with examples like asciiflow and Monodraw, and are useful for creating text-based diagrams that can be embedded anywhere.

💡ASCII Art

ASCII art refers to visual designs made from ASCII characters. In the context of the video, ASCII diagram editors use this technique to create diagrams that are both simple and compatible with a wide range of platforms and systems.

💡Markmap

Markmap is a tool that creates and visualizes mind maps from Markdown documents. It extracts hierarchies from the content to render a mind map, which is useful for illustrating the relationships between ideas. The video mentions that it works well for connecting written ideas but may have limitations with very large or complex mind maps.

💡System Design Newsletter

The System Design Newsletter is a resource mentioned in the video for those interested in trends and large-scale system design. With a readership of 500,000, it is a trusted source for professionals in the field, and viewers are encouraged to subscribe for related content.

Highlights

Six cool tools are showcased for converting code into architectural diagrams.

Diagrams, a Python library, allows drawing cloud system architectures in code.

Diagrams supports 'diagram as code' approach for tracking changes in version control systems.

Diagrams can visualize infrastructure across major cloud providers and tech stacks.

Go-Diagrams offers the same functionality as Diagrams but in the Go programming language.

Mermaid is a JavaScript library for creating diagrams using Markdown-style text definitions.

Mermaid aims to solve 'doc-rot' by keeping documentation in sync with development.

Non-programmers can create detailed visuals with Mermaid Live Editor.

PlantUML offers a domain-specific language for generating various types of diagrams.

PlantUML is a powerful tool with a learning curve for embedding diagrams alongside code.

ASCII diagram editors allow drawing diagrams visually or in text and rendering them as ASCII art.

ASCII editors harness the simplicity of plain text for easy authoring of text-based diagrams.

Examples of ASCII editors include web-based asciiflow and Mac-only Monodraw.

Markmap creates and visualizes mind maps derived from Markdown documents.

Markmap is useful for connecting ideas and their relationships in written form.

Markmap may not work well with very large or complex mind maps.

System Design Newsletter covers trends and large-scale system design, trusted by 500,000 readers.

The System Design Newsletter can be subscribed at blog.bytebytego.com.

Transcripts

Today I’m showcasing six cool tools that  convert code into architectural diagrams.

Whether you’re a developer documenting  systems or a tech lead sharing knowledge,  

I think you’ll see some awesome options here.

First up is Diagrams - a Python library that  lets you draw cloud system architectures in  

code. It was created for rapidly prototyping  new designs without separate diagramming tools.

Representing diagrams as code allows tracking  of diagram changes in version control systems.

This "diagram as code" approach bridges  documentation with system implementation.

Diagrams supports visualizing infrastructure  across major providers and stacks:

AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, and more.

It can also model on-premise nodes, SaaS services,  and major programming frameworks and languages.

The extensive catalog of icons  and intuitive syntax accelerates  

diagram creation for modern tech stacks.

If you prefer Go, there is Go-Diagrams.  It’s the same idea as the python version,  

but let’s you write in Go.

Next is Mermaid - it enables creating diagrams  and visualizations using text. As a JavaScript  

library, Mermaid uses Markdown-style text  definitions that feed into a renderer to  

modify complex diagrams. Their stated goal is to  help documentation keep pace with development.

Mermaid aims to solve "doc-rot"  - where diagramming and docs take  

precious developer time yet  still get outdated quickly.

This ruins productivity and  organizational learning.

Mermaid enables even non-programmers to create  detailed visuals through the Mermaid Live Editor.

If you want an even more powerful  diagramming tool, check out PlantUML.

It offers a domain-specific language to  generate many diagram types: sequence  

diagrams, architectural diagrams, network  topology, Gantt charts, and even ASCII art.

PlantUML’s language is very capable but  has a bit more learning curve compared  

to other tools we covered. The broad  features make PlantUML a flexible,  

powerful option for embedding  diagrams alongside code.

The next category of tools goes in the  opposite direction - ASCII diagram editors.

These tools allow you to draw diagrams visually  or in text and then render them as ASCII art. They  

harness the power and simplicity of plain  text, which has been around for decades.

ASCII editors let you easily author  text-based diagrams, layouts, flow charts,  

and more. Since they output in plain text  format, these diagrams can embed anywhere.

Some examples of this class  of tools include web-based  

asciiflow and Monodraw, which is Mac only.

Finally, Markmap creates and visualizes mind  maps derived from Markdown documents. It  

parses Markdown content and extracts  its inherent hierarchies to render  

a mindmap. It’s great for connecting ideas  and their relationships defined in writing.

It supports various platforms but may not  work well on very large or complex mind maps.

if you like our videos, you might like  our System Design Newsletter as well.

It covers topics in trends  and large-scale system design.

Trusted by 500,000 readers.

Subscribe it at blog.bytebytego.com.