Project
draw.io Architecture Libraries
Reusable draw.io shape libraries for clean, professional software architecture diagrams — C4, AWS, and custom notation.
The problem
Architecture diagrams in most teams suffer from inconsistency — each engineer invents their own notation, colour scheme, and level of abstraction. Reviews spend more time decoding the diagram than discussing the decision.
Approach
Built a curated set of draw.io shape libraries covering C4 model levels (Context, Container, Component), AWS service icons, and a custom notation layer for domain events and async flows. Libraries are XML files that can be imported directly into draw.io desktop or app.diagrams.net with one click.
Trade-offs
- Chose draw.io over Mermaid/PlantUML: Draw.io diagrams are visual-first and accessible to non-engineers. Mermaid is better for version control but harder to layout precisely.
- Static XML over dynamic generation: Keeps the library dependency-free and usable offline. The trade-off is that updating icons requires editing XML by hand.
Outcome
The libraries are used in personal architecture documentation and have been shared with colleagues for review. The C4 layer in particular cuts diagram preparation time significantly by providing pre-built component shapes with consistent colour coding.