Key Concepts

Before diving deep into NeoArc, it helps to understand the core concepts and how they fit together. This page explains the building blocks you'll work with.

Workspaces

Architecture Directories

NeoArc organises content into eight architecture directories, each designed for a specific type of documentation:

You choose which directories to enable when creating a workspace. Content (diagrams, pages, schemas) can be created in any directory, and the same content can appear in multiple published sites through site bindings.

Git Integration

Workspaces are designed to live in Git repositories. All NeoArc content is stored as text-based JSON files that:

Content Foundry

Multiple Publications

A workspace can contain multiple Content Foundry publications, each with its own configuration. Each publication can be either a Website or a PDF. Common patterns include:

Each publication has its own settings, navigation, branding, and publishing targets.

Publication Structure

Each Content Foundry publication contains:

Site Bindings

Pages

Content Blocks

Pages are built from 100+ content block types, organised into categories. This page you are reading uses several of these block types.

Diagrams

NeoArc includes several diagram types, each suited to different purposes.

Schemas

REST APIs

Architecture Decision Records

Architectural Intent Graph

Publishing Targets

Target Types

Target Configuration

Each target can have:

• Content selection (which pages to include)
• Navigation settings (top bar, footer visibility)
• Home page configuration (marketing home vs docs home)

This enables different views for different audiences from the same source content.

File Formats

All NeoArc content uses JSON files with specific extensions:

Data Model

Views

Database Profiles

Search Profiles

Property Projections

Putting It Together

These concepts work together: