architecture

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Rule 4: Flexible Layout Structure

Architecture diagrams can use flexible layouts based on complexity:

• Single Column: Main content only (for simple architectures)

• Two Column: Main content + one sidebar (left or right)

• Three Column: Full layout with both sidebars (for complex systems)

• Left Sidebar: Supporting systems (monitoring, operations, analytics)

• Main Content: Core architecture layers (user, application, data, infrastructure)

• Right Sidebar: Cross-cutting concerns (security, compliance, governance)

Rule 5: Layer-Based Organization

Each layer should have:

• Clear semantic meaning (User, Application, AI/Logic, Data, Infrastructure)

• Consistent color coding

• Grid-based layout for components

• Appropriate nesting for sub-components

Rule 6: Color Semantics

Use consistent semantic meaning for layers — the exact color palette varies by style (see examples). The standard semantic mapping:

• User Layer — user-facing interfaces and clients

• Application Layer — business logic and API services

• AI/Logic Layer — intelligence, rules, processing engines

• Data Layer — databases, caches, storage

• Infrastructure Layer — containers, networking, DevOps

• External Services — third-party APIs, cloud services (typically dashed border)

Style Examples

Choose a visual style that matches your project's tone and audience. Each example contains a complete, copy-ready HTML template.

#

Style

File

Suitable For

1

Steel Blue

styles/steel-blue.md

Consulting reports, banking/finance, government projects, RFP proposals

2

Ember Warm

styles/ember-warm.md

Retail/e-commerce, education platforms, lifestyle brands, cultural institutions

3

Neon Dark

styles/neon-dark.md

Tech talks, developer conferences, gaming platforms, cybersecurity dashboards

4

Stark Block

styles/stark-block.md

Creative studios, education platforms, indie developers, tech blogs

5

Ocean Teal

styles/ocean-teal.md

Travel platforms, logistics/shipping, green tech, weather/ocean projects

6

Dusk Glow

styles/dusk-glow.md

Social media, entertainment platforms, martech, content creation tools

7

Rose Bloom

styles/rose-bloom.md

Fashion/beauty, luxury brands, wedding platforms, premium memberships

8

Sage Forest

styles/sage-forest.md

Healthcare, agritech, clean energy, sustainability, bioinformatics

9

Frost Clean

styles/frost-clean.md

Design tools, developer docs, API references, minimalist SaaS

10

Indigo Deep

styles/indigo-deep.md

Brand-consistent systems, enterprise white papers, internal platforms

11

Pastel Mix

styles/pastel-mix.md

SaaS products, startups, general tech architecture, product docs

12

Slate Dark

styles/slate-dark.md

Enterprise dark mode, internal tools, developer dashboards

Layout Examples

Choose a layout structure that fits your architecture's complexity. Layouts use wireframe style (no colors) to focus on structural patterns. Combine any layout with any style above.

#

Layout

File

Best For

1

Three-Column

layouts/three-column.md

Complex systems with cross-cutting concerns and monitoring sidebars

2

Single Stack

layouts/single-stack.md

Simple services, microservice detail views, focused documentation

3

Left Sidebar

layouts/left-sidebar.md

Systems with operations/monitoring emphasis, DevOps-centric views

4

Right Sidebar

layouts/right-sidebar.md

Systems with security/compliance emphasis, governance-focused views

5

Pipeline

layouts/pipeline.md

Data pipelines, CI/CD flows, ETL processes, horizontal stage-based flows

6

Two-Column Split

layouts/two-column-split.md

Before/after comparisons, dual-system views, migration architecture

7

Dashboard

layouts/dashboard.md

System overviews with KPIs, monitoring dashboards, executive summaries

8

Grid Catalog

layouts/grid-catalog.md

Service catalogs, component libraries, equal-weight microservices

9

Banner + Center

layouts/banner-center.md

Gateway-centric architectures, user-facing systems with shared infrastructure

10

Nested Containers

layouts/nested-containers.md

Cloud deployments, VPC/network topology, environment isolation

11

Layer Layouts

layouts/layer-layouts.md

Per-layer layout patterns: grid, sub-group, product group, KPI, vertical stack, zones, inline pipeline, mixed width

12

Connectors

layouts/connectors.md

SVG overlay connectors between components: solid/dashed lines, arrows, labels, curved & orthogonal paths

Advanced Features

NOTE: These advanced components require additional CSS styles. Add these to your <style scoped> section:

.arch-product-group { display: flex; gap: 10px; }

.arch-product { flex: 1; border-radius: 8px; padding: 10px; background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.6); border: 1px dashed #d97706; }

.arch-product-title { font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; color: #92400e; margin-bottom: 8px; text-align: center; }

.arch-subgroup { display: flex; gap: 8px; margin-top: 8px; }

.arch-subgroup-box { flex: 1; border-radius: 6px; padding: 8px; background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5); border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.08); }

.arch-subgroup-title { font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; color: #374151; text-align: center; margin-bottom: 6px; }

.arch-user-types { display: flex; gap: 4px; justify-content: center; margin-top: 6px; }

.arch-user-tag { font-size: 9px; padding: 2px 6px; border-radius: 10px; background: rgba(59, 130, 246, 0.15); color: #1d4ed8; }

/* SVG connector lines between components */

.arch-conn { stroke: #94a3b8; stroke-width: 1.5; fill: none; }

.arch-conn-dashed { stroke: #94a3b8; stroke-width: 1.5; fill: none; stroke-dasharray: 6 4; }

.arch-conn-label { font-size: 9px; fill: #64748b; font-family: sans-serif; }

Custom Product Groups

For complex applications with multiple products/modules:

<div class="arch-product-group">

  <div class="arch-product">

    <div class="arch-product-title">🎯 Product A</div>

    <div class="arch-grid arch-grid-2">

      <div class="arch-box">Feature 1<br><small>Description</small></div>

      <div class="arch-box highlight">Feature 2<br><small>Key Feature</small></div>

    </div>

  </div>

  <div class="arch-product">

    <div class="arch-product-title">📊 Product B</div>

    <div class="arch-grid arch-grid-2">

      <div class="arch-box">Feature 3<br><small>Description</small></div>

      <div class="arch-box">Feature 4<br><small>Description</small></div>

    </div>

  </div>

</div>

Sub-grouped Components

For detailed breakdowns within layers:

<div class="arch-subgroup">

  <div class="arch-subgroup-box">

    <div class="arch-subgroup-title">Component Group A</div>

    <div class="arch-grid arch-grid-3">

      <div class="arch-box tech">Service 1<br><small>Details</small></div>

      <div class="arch-box tech">Service 2<br><small>Details</small></div>

      <div class="arch-box tech">Service 3<br><small>Details</small></div>

    </div>

  </div>

  <div class="arch-subgroup-box">

    <div class="arch-subgroup-title">Component Group B</div>

    <div class="arch-grid arch-grid-2">

      <div class="arch-box tech">Service 4<br><small>Details</small></div>

      <div class="arch-box tech">Service 5<br><small>Details</small></div>

    </div>

  </div>

</div>

User Types/Tags

<div class="arch-user-types">

  <span class="arch-user-tag">Admin Users</span>

  <span class="arch-user-tag">End Users</span>

  <span class="arch-user-tag">API Clients</span>

  <span class="arch-user-tag">Partners</span>

</div>

Metrics and KPIs

<div class="arch-sidebar-item metric">99.9% Uptime</div>

<div class="arch-sidebar-item metric">&#x26;lt;200ms Response</div>

<div class="arch-sidebar-item metric">1M+ Users</div>

SVG Connectors Between Components

Use an SVG overlay to draw orthogonal (right-angle) connectors between components. **Always use <path> with M/L commands for strictly horizontal and vertical segments. Do NOT use <line>, Bézier curves, or diagonal lines.** See layouts/connectors.md for full reference.

<!-- Wrap diagram content in a relative container -->

<div style="position: relative;">

  <!-- ...layers and components here... -->

  <!-- SVG overlay as last child -->

  <svg style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; pointer-events: none; overflow: visible;">

    <defs>

      <marker id="arrowhead" markerWidth="8" markerHeight="6" refX="8" refY="3" orient="auto">

        <path d="M0,0 L8,3 L0,6" fill="none" stroke="#94a3b8" stroke-width="1"/>

      </marker>

    </defs>

    <!-- Orthogonal solid arrow (vertical → horizontal → vertical) -->

    <path d="M 200,72 L 200,90 L 400,90 L 400,108" class="arch-conn" marker-end="url(#arrowhead)"/>

    <!-- Orthogonal dashed line -->

    <path d="M 600,72 L 600,90 L 600,90 L 600,108" class="arch-conn-dashed" marker-end="url(#arrowhead)"/>

    <!-- Label -->

    <text x="420" y="86" class="arch-conn-label">data flow</text>

  </svg>

</div>

Styling Reference

Common Classes (shared across all styles)

• .arch-wrapper — flex container for sidebar + main layout

• .arch-sidebar — fixed-width sidebar column

• .arch-main — flexible main content area

• .arch-layer — layer container (add semantic class: .user, .application, .ai, .data, .infra, .external)

• .arch-box — component box; .arch-box.highlight for key items; .arch-box.tech for smaller tech items

• .arch-grid-2 to .arch-grid-6 — grid column layouts

• .arch-sidebar-panel — sidebar panel container

• .arch-sidebar-item — sidebar item; .arch-sidebar-item.metric for highlighted metrics

Best Practices

HTML Usage Guidelines

• Direct embedding only — Always embed HTML directly in Markdown, never use html code blocks

• No empty lines in structure — Keep the entire HTML block continuous without any empty lines

• Incremental development — Build diagrams step by step:

• Start with basic framework and layout structure (single/two/three column as needed)

• Add empty layer containers with proper CSS classes

• Fill in content layer by layer from top to bottom

• Refine content and add highlights last

Architecture Design

• Keep layers logically separated — Each layer should represent a clear architectural tier

• Use consistent naming — Follow naming conventions for components and services

• Highlight key components — Use .highlight class for critical components

• Add technical details — Include technology stack info in <small> tags

• Balance information density — Don't overcrowd components with text

• Use icons sparingly — Add emojis to titles for visual hierarchy

• Maintain color semantics — Stick to the established color meanings

• Consider responsive design — Grids automatically adapt to content