Architecture Designer - Interactive tool for creating system architecture diagrams

Interactive System Architecture Designer

Functional Overview

This example provides an interactive designer tool for creating and editing system architecture diagrams. Users can add, remove, and connect components, adjust layouts, and export the resulting architecture. It demonstrates drag-and-drop node placement, inline editing, and real-time architecture validation.

Implementation of Key Features

Component Palette

const componentTypes = [
    { type: 'service', icon: 'server', label: 'Service' },
    { type: 'database', icon: 'database', label: 'Database' },
    { type: 'queue', icon: 'queue', label: 'Message Queue' },
    { type: 'cache', icon: 'cache', label: 'Cache' }
];

Drag-and-Drop Creation

const onCanvasDrop = (e: DragEvent) => {
    const componentType = e.dataTransfer.getData('componentType');
    const newNode = {
        id: `node-${Date.now()}`,
        type: componentType,
        x: e.offsetX,
        y: e.offsetY
    };
    graphInstance.addNodes([newNode]);
};

Connection Creation

const startConnection = (nodeId: string) => {
    connectingFromRef.current = nodeId;
};

const completeConnection = (targetNodeId: string) => {
    if (connectingFromRef.current) {
        graphInstance.addLines([{
            from: connectingFromRef.current,
            to: targetNodeId
        }]);
        connectingFromRef.current = null;
    }
};

Architecture Validation

const validateArchitecture = () => {
    const nodes = graphInstance.getNodes();
    const lines = graphInstance.getLines();

    // Check for orphaned nodes
    const connectedNodes = new Set();
    lines.forEach(line => {
        connectedNodes.add(line.from);
        connectedNodes.add(line.to);
    });

    const orphaned = nodes.filter(n => !connectedNodes.has(n.id));
    return { valid: orphaned.length === 0, warnings: orphaned };
};

Creative Use Cases

Architecture Planning: Design system architectures before implementation.

Documentation Tools: Create living architecture diagrams that stay in sync.

Team Collaboration: Multiple engineers editing architecture simultaneously.

Architecture Review Boards: Interactive presentations of proposed changes.

Migration Planning: Design target architectures and plan migration paths.