Create Cloud Architecture Diagrams in Python with Diagrams Library

Introduction

The Diagrams library by Mingrammer offers a Pythonic way to create cloud system architecture diagrams. Unlike traditional drawing tools, Diagrams lets you use Python code to specify the components and their interactions within your architecture, streamlining documentation and design processes.

Step 1. Install necessary libraries

pip install Diagram
pip install diagrams

Step 2. Simple code

from diagrams import Diagram
from diagrams.aws.compute import EC2
from diagrams.aws.database import RDS
from diagrams.aws.network import ELB
with Diagram("Web Service", show=False) as diag:
    ELB("lb") >> EC2("web") >> RDS("db")
diag.render()

Explanation

The provided sample code demonstrates creating a basic web service architecture diagram using the Diagrams library. The code outlines a simple architecture consisting of a load balancer (ELB), a web server (EC2), and a database (RDS). The Diagram context manager initializes the diagram, with the show=False parameter indicating that the diagram should not be displayed immediately but rendered into a file. The render() method generates the diagram as a file. This example illustrates the library's ability to concisely represent cloud architectures in code, making it easy to visualize, share, and maintain architectural designs.

Step 3. Extended code

from diagrams import Diagram
from diagrams.aws.compute import EC2
from diagrams.aws.database import RDS
from diagrams.aws.network import ELB
# Define the components and their connections
components = [
    ("ELB", "lb", "EC2", "web"),
    ("EC2", "web", "RDS", "db")
]
# Print the diagram components and connections
print("Diagram: Web Service Architecture")
for source_type, source_name, target_type, target_name in components:
    print(f"{source_type} '{source_name}' connects to {target_type} '{target_name}'")
# Note: The original diag.render() is used to generate the diagram image file,
# but here we're focusing on textual output, so it's not included.

When you run the modified code above, it will print out the connections between the components in your architecture as a textual description.

Diagram: Web Service Architecture
ELB 'lb' connects to EC2 'web'
EC2 'web' connects to RDS 'db'

Conclusion

By integrating diagram generation into the development process, Diagrams ensure that architecture documentation is always up-to-date and aligned with the actual infrastructure. Start using the Diagrams library to enhance your documentation, streamline design processes, and elevate your architectural diagrams to the next level.