Creating Software with Modern Diagramming Techniques: Build Better Software with Mermaid

Publication date:
March 12, 2024
Ashley Peacock
Ashley Peacock

Staff Software Engineer & Author of "Creating Software with Modern Diagramming Techniques"

Diagrams communicate relationships more directly and clearly than words ever can. Using only text-based markup, create meaningful and attractive diagrams to document your domain, visualize user flows, reveal system architecture at any desired level, or refactor your code. With the tools and techniques this book will give you, you'll create a wide variety of diagrams in minutes, share them with others, and revise and update them immediately on the basis of feedback. Adding diagrams to your professional vocabulary will enable you to work through your ideas quickly when working on your own code or discussing a proposal with colleagues. Expand your professional vocabulary by learning to communicate with diagrams as easily and naturally as speaking or writing. This book will provide you with the skills and tools to turn ideas into clear, meaningful, and attractive diagrams in mere minutes, using nothing more complicated than text-based markup. You'll learn what kinds of diagrams are suited to each of a variety of use cases, from documenting your domain to understanding how complex code pieces together. Model your software's architecture, creating diagrams focused broadly or narrowly, depending on the audience. Visualize application and user flows, design database schemas, and use diagrams iteratively to design and refactor your application.

BOOK EPISODE

Creating Software with Modern Diagramming Techniques: Build Better Software with Mermaid

Stefan Hofer and Ashley Peacock explore various diagrams-as-code approaches, focusing on PlantUML, Structurizr, and Mermaid. Ashley emphasizes Mermaid's GitHub integration and syntax similarities with PlantUML, making migration seamless. Structurizr's specialization in the C4 model and its unique DSL is highlighted. The conversation touches on the ease of code refactoring using Mermaid, making it a favorable choice. Stefan applauds Ashley's book for guiding users through Mermaid, making diagrams as code accessible even for beginners. They speculate on the future integration of AI into diagram creation and note the enduring value of diagramming techniques, irrespective of specific tools.

Watch the video here