Microservices Architecture
Create microservices and API architecture diagrams showing independent services, API gateways, and service interactions.
Microservices architecture diagrams document independently deployable services and their interactions. API architecture diagrams focus on how APIs are exposed, managed, and consumed.
Microservices Architecture
Microservices diagrams typically show:
Creating Microservices Diagrams
Visual Conventions for Microservices
| Element | Representation |
|---|---|
| Individual microservices | Hexagons (ports and adapters pattern) |
| Alternative service representation | Rectangles |
| Per-service data stores | Database icons |
| Message brokers | Queue icons |
| API Gateway | Gateway icons at edge |
Example: Microservices Dependencies
This graph diagram shows a microservices architecture with service dependencies. The API Gateway is shown in purple, services in green, databases in pink, and the message queue in orange. Each node includes configuration properties like technology stack and replica counts.
API Architecture
API architecture diagrams focus on:
Creating API Diagrams
Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
SOA diagrams show services and their contracts:
Icons for Service Architecture
Use platform-specific icons:
| Platform | Services |
|---|---|
| Azure | API Management, App Service, Container Apps |
| AWS | API Gateway, Lambda, ECS, App Mesh |
| Kubernetes | Pods, Services, Ingress, Gateway |
| CNCF | Istio, Envoy, Linkerd for service mesh |
Best Practices
Show Service Boundaries Clearly
Each service should be visually distinct.
Document Data Ownership
Show which service owns which data.
Include Infrastructure
API gateways, service mesh, config servers.
Label Communication Patterns
Sync vs async, protocols used.
Do Not Overload
Create focused diagrams for subsets of services.