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Ask HN: What do you use for diagramming in software engineering?

• bbulkow 8y ago
  Honestly, I think we use Google docs draw more than anything else. I don't love it, but it is group editable, has a permission system, good comments, and we can just paste urls in tickets and design documents. Many engineers simply use the draw tool in confluence, too. Trying to draw in markdown doesn't work, obviously.
• badhombres 8y ago
  A whiteboard and imagination from the oral documentation. It's actually something I'm working on getting my team to fix sense I got here. I'm interested in this topic.
  • jayliew 8y ago
    I use whiteboarding too, but yeah, it's basically a snapshot / dump of institutional knowledge that resides in an individual's head. Updated my post to mention that I'm looking for something electronic / scalable
    • fundamental 8y ago
      Depending upon the situation it can make sense to just take a picture of the whiteboard with a camera (or use a smartboard) and save that image somewhere. At that point the diagram isn't 'editable' per-say, but that can still be great solution.
      • jayliew 8y ago
        I definitely prefer something editable. The use-case is if someone improves the system, then this visual diagram needs to be updated. I want to avoid the situation where the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. Any person on the team doesn't have to go hunt down the person who knows the system, but can just look up the diagram at a high level and know where to start.
      • mandeepj 8y ago
        There are definitely some apps in this space but unfortunately I don’t remember any, on top of my head now
• fundamental 8y ago
  It depends on the exact problem and how long term you need to documentation to exist. For a lot of things physically drawing out diagrams is great. It's fast to do and based upon the questions you get it's easy to draw more detail on the area being discussed. For more long form docs I tend to use a mix of LaTeX's TiKZ (though I used to use PSTricks) for block diagrams and for a somewhat faster workflow I've used some of the diagramming tools which integrate nicely into an asciidoc based document. That can be graphviz, blockdiag, seqdiag, etc ( https://asciidoctor.org/docs/asciidoctor-diagram/ https://asciidoctor.org/docs/asciidoctor-diagram/ has a decent list of some of the options). With any option it's easier to quickly sketch something out than it is to have some clear well organized diagrams which don't need any external context to understand.
  • jayliew 8y ago
    Something long term, that you can use to onboard new employees. They can just look a the visual and reconstruct a mental map of how things are laid out at a high level, without this institutional knowledge having to be passed around verbally and subject to the quirks of human memory (and subject to individuals possessing this knowledge potentially leaving the team!)
• dirtyaura 8y ago
  Just benchmarked a couple of web-based diagramming tools: LucidChart and draw.io Both work, I ended up choosing LucidChart and we are now testing it with the team
• cdnsteve 8y ago
  Gliffy Diagrams and Draw.io are two that I'm using. Draw.io has a lot more features, export options, etc.
• digikata 8y ago
  I generally use either a wiki page (if there is an agreed upon common wiki), or a short memo document. A wiki is nice because it's easy to include a URL into a commit. The diagramming tool is a minor consideration except it should be easily editable by someone coming along later. The important thing isn't the tool, but that there is a common, known place to look and collect the info for the team. It could be as simple as a shared folder as long as everyone agrees. In general, I write and try to encourage "tech memos" that are short of capital-D official, complete Documentation, and instead focus on capturing the high-level view of some scoped aspect of the total system. Memos that cover say a walk-thru of one type of operation through the entire system, how a single feature interacts with the larger system, or a tricky bit of analysis, logic, or assumptions on some key point; all tend to be popular reading. Whiteboard pics are often included just for convenience if needed too.
• condiment 8y ago
  I use a combination of tools for visual documentation. Block diagrams and sequence diagrams together are a pretty effective means of communicating. For block diagrams that illustrate relationships between components as a sort of directed graph, I prefer Omnigraffle (on OSX). It's fast and effective, easy to label boxes, lines, and interactions, and supports exports to pdf and png for quick sharing. Where omnigraffle falls over is in terms of its popularity and accessibility. You can't really review the diagram source as a part of the code review process, and the output diagrams are not useful to the visually impaired. Popularity is a factor because even if a dev knows some piece of block diagram software well, it's likely that they know a different one than anyone else. For that reason, we're not prescriptive about the tool used on our team, only that some form of block diagram is included with the documentation for a feature or component. For sequence diagrams I use web sequence diagrams, for which I hold a commercial license. These diagrams are great for illustrating different workflows, with the caveat that we generally need several very similar diagrams to explain even the simplest features. These also benefit from having a straightforward text format that can be shared as a reviewable part of the source tree, and which can be read and edited by the visually impaired. Sequence diagrams are a more effective tool for demonstrating the veracity of code against a desired specification than block diagrams are, but understanding the top-level component layout is generally a prerequisite. Not sure about the general popularity of either of these, but they've been an effective toolchain for me so far.
• Discere 8y ago
  I have been using DOT diagrams a bit recently - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DOT_(graph_description_language) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DOT_(graph_description_languag... - I like it because I can put into source control too
  • Jtsummers 8y ago
    PlantUML is a cool tool that will generate a lot of the types of diagrams programmers and system designers might like to make and see. Plain text descriptions of the diagrams turned into images. Some of them you could do directly in DOT syntax, but not all or not as easily. http://plantuml.com http://plantuml.com (I do, however, seriously dislike how many ads are on the site for this thing)
    • krueger71 8y ago
      Good tool that is often enough. Text-based means version control. I'm using it via a plugin in Visual Studio Code. Very lightweight solution.
• samlittlewood 8y ago
  https://www.yworks.com/products/yed https://www.yworks.com/products/yed http://casual-effects.com/markdeep/ http://casual-effects.com/markdeep/
• cpburns2009 8y ago
  When I left my previous employer several years ago I documented our infrastructure using Dia [1]. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dia_(software) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dia_(software)
• curyous 8y ago
  https://www.planttext.com https://www.planttext.com
• mlazos 8y ago
  I really like Microsoft Visio for this purpose, it has all of the nice auto alignment draw features you’d expect and it can really be used for anything from ultra formal process designs to sketching an idea.
• wwwhizz 8y ago
  I like draw.io for most diagrams. Visio is good too, but I think it is too expensive.
• quintes 8y ago
  I use lucidcharts a little, it's pretty good for component models. Primarily though I use sparx enterprise Architect. I've been told it's outdated, others don't like the ui, but honestly all my models are in one place, including wire frames and use cases. I enjoy use it. It's roadmap creation support I do not like, like a poor Gantt (at least last time I tried it)
• pcx 8y ago
  Draw.io is pretty great. I've started trying out RealtimeBoard.com, but haven't really got a hang of it yet.
• jefe_ 8y ago
  Omnigraffle is by far my favorite, unfortunately only available on Mac OSX. I use Windows more lately and struggled to find a comparable offering. Then discovered Lucidchart https://www.lucidchart.com/ https://www.lucidchart.com/ and have grown to enjoy it quite a lot. It offers common Cisco and AWS networking icons, and has some nice exporting options and the auto-expanding canvas. There are some quirks but it is cheaper and in my opinion cleaner than Visio.
  • erric 8y ago
    They even claim to be able to import your existing g infrastructure and diagram it out, however I’ve not yet personally tested this. Lucidchart is pretty good though and has, as you pointed out, the advantage of being platform agnostic. I do also really like Omnigraffle and that’s my first go to.
  • icc97 8y ago
    I've been trying out Lucidchart, I've been finding it frustrating, albeit the charts do come out looking nice. Personally I prefer Pencil [0], it suffers from 'another electron app' syndrome, but I've grown to really like it. It's probably predominantly a UX tool but it has more fine control over elements than lucidchart does, plus it's open source. [0]: http://pencil.evolus.vn/ http://pencil.evolus.vn/
• chrisgoman 8y ago
  https://mermaidjs.github.io/ https://mermaidjs.github.io/
• siruncledrew 8y ago
  draw.io. It has nice AWS add-ons too.
• ttd 8y ago
  I'll put in a plug for an offline diagramming tool that I created, Vexlio (https://vexlio.com https://vexlio.com). It has some neat features like embedded LaTeX equation editing, nice snapping, and a program mode (so you can draw diagrams in Lua code if you prefer that to mouse work).
  • zxexz 8y ago
    I love Vexlio! I use the Windows version whenever I'm doing diagramming on Windows. As somebody who predominantly uses Linux, I was wondering if you have Linux support on your roadmap? I'm rarely actually in a situation where I could use Vexlio on OSX or Windows, but of you had Linux support I would literally be using it daily (and I'm sure I'm not the only one). I used to use it in Wine, but it took a lot of finicking to get it working and behaviour was just a little too nondeterministic when it worked.
    • ttd 8y ago
      Thanks, I'm glad you like it! I should experiment with Wine to see if any of the finicky behavior is something I can fix on the Vexlio side. There has been a lot of interest in a native Linux version, and it is on the longer-term roadmap. Unfortunately it is a fairly significant undertaking, so it will most likely be a while.
      • zxexz 8y ago
        Thank you for the response :) When I get some spare time I can send you the details on what I had to do to get it (barely) working.
  • sriram_malhar 8y ago
    Where were you hiding all these years! I love this. The latex typesetting and dup'ing objects in a line and circle are two features I miss elsewhere. Plus programmability!
    • ttd 8y ago
• gregatragenet3 8y ago
  Gliffy as part of confluence (save often!) Dia for personal projects. Would be interesting to see what folks suggest re tools that are code-review friendly.
• BerislavLopac 8y ago
  https://www.lucidchart.com/ https://www.lucidchart.com/
• flarg 8y ago
  I've used PlantUML for ages and that's good, but Sparx Enterprise Architecture is my goto these days because it works as a database of components as well as documentation authoring and publishing tool.
• qpiox 8y ago
  Modelio is open source and has one of the best support for UML2. I have been using it for several years. It also has jython scripting support to write automation for mass modifications in large models. I have managed to learn how to use jython to create a script to automatically generate java source as hibernate jpa entity classes just the way i like it in just one day. This was made much easier with the builtin metamodel browser so that you learn how your whole project model is constructed internally. https://www.modelio.org https://www.modelio.org
• ifend 8y ago
  yEd is my go to editor. Works on all platforms and is free. https://www.yworks.com/products/yed https://www.yworks.com/products/yed
• ezekg 8y ago
  I've started using Monodraw[0] recently for creating technical diagrams and really enjoy it. [0]: https://monodraw.helftone.com https://monodraw.helftone.com
• kapauldo 8y ago
  Draw.io
• imhoguy 8y ago
  For manual diagrams Dia or Gliffy with Confluence. Unfortunatelly manualy side-made diagrams get out of sync quickly as codebase is a live thing. When the code is primary source of truth it is better to use some on the fly visual analysis. In my current place we use Softagram to mainly analyse bird eye level changes at reviews, but it also helps during staff onboarding.
• joaofs 8y ago
  Quite surprised no one suggested https://structurizr.com/ https://structurizr.com/. It uses C4 diagramming approach. Quite useful for a more lean approach to docs.
• bitL 8y ago
  Mainly draw.io, tried also Lucidchart. In addition attempted to use Dia on Ubuntu and long before that Visio of course.
• scruple 8y ago
  Mostly draw.io but I am very keen to check out Pencil the next time I need to diagram something based on what I've seen.
  • jimpudar 8y ago
    We use Confluence for our Wiki and have draw.io integration. This works really well as all our diagrams are editable by anyone forever. I used to use Visio on Windows and had an excellent experience.
  • coreypreston 8y ago
    What a clean & useful tool for sketching, thanks for sharing!
• ljnelson 8y ago
  Love UMLet (http://www.umlet.com/ http://www.umlet.com/), particularly for the ability to copy and paste diagrams instantly. In contrast to some others here, I find quick, simple diagrams immensely useful in resolving long, unproductive discussions. They tend to focus discussions on concepts, ontologies and cardinalities instead of trying to verbally represent mental models.
• mehrundmehr 8y ago
  I've turned many people onto OmniGraffle. I'm quite the power user. Fortunately it's very well-made software that rewards power users well. I have the full version (the most expensive one) but I use it so much that I feel it's totally justified paying hundreds of dollars for. I also use it for light wireframing instead of Sketch.
• jillesvangurp 8y ago
  I use Umlet in the rare case where I actually need to produce a diagram. Umlet has a nice delarative syntax and allows you to create complex diagrams with a minimum of fuss. Which for me is the key point because Imho, most diagrams are completely pointless. The less time spent on them, the better. But sometimes you just have sit down and waste some time on them. I don't get a lot of value out of diagrams for the work it takes to produce them.
• elango 8y ago
  Draw.io is a gem, with gdrive integration, it is easy to collaborate, embed and cross reference diagrams. We tried creatly before locking on draw.io It is free btw
• senatorobama 8y ago
  Asciiflow.
• a_lifters_life 8y ago
  lucidchart.com - been using for ~5 years now, really great s/w. And no: I'm not a paid sales rep, but a happy customer.
• makimat 8y ago
  Softagram was mentioned once here as a solution to keep your diagrams up-to-date automatically. I happen to know it quite well as I am their lead developer ( --> take my words with a grain of salt ;). It's surprising though how many are still bound to the idea that if you want diagrams for documentation, you'd better get a good drawing tool and draw them yourself. While manual drawing might give more flexibility, the burden of creating and maintaining those diagrams is often too much in the agile projects we work with. I suggest you all take a test drive on Softagram. Just go to softagram.com, register for a free trial, add your git repo and off you go. I'd be delighted to hear if you like it or not.