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Does anyone use C4 model for visualizing software architecture (programming.dev)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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We are considering using C4 for our architecture diagrams. Many diagramming tools (including Structurizr which was developed specifically for it) support C4. I wonder if there are others that use it and I would like to hear your experiences.

My initial assessment is as follows:

Pros

Diagram as code is a great way to keep things open to change.
It allows for better versioning
It enforces semantics into the diagrams. Instead of just thinking in terms of boxes and arrows, one need to dig deeper

Cons

It has a relative steep learning curve (one needs to study the DSL even though the end result is just boxes and arrows)
The tooling is not perfect. One needs to run a docker container to be able to navigate within the diagram (solution: there is also a SaaS offering)
Its view of architecture is somewhat limiting. It doesn't seem to be catered for augmenting the diagrams with other forms of diagrams (flowcharts, etc.) or text.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Yeah for us, mermaid has been great to through in a documentation git repo and keep some consistencies. But 90% of the utility of a diagraming system is easily being able to draw something on a whiteboard with an almost empty marker and be halfway understood