This WIP post compares Structurizr and LikeC4 with a focus on their export capabilities.
2. Export
2.1 Export to Static Site
Structurizr
Prerequisites:
- Graphviz dot
Command:
structurizr export -workspace workspace.dsl -format static
Conlusions:
- ⚠️ The static export of Structurizr is a very trimmed version of the Lite version, without the top menu, just the navigation feature starting with the top context diagram
LikeC4
likec4 build -o ./dist
2.2 Export to SVG/PNG
Structurizr
Structurizr CLI can export to SVG or PNG format via a Node.js and Puppeteer workaround:
Prerequisites:
- Node.js
- Puppeteer
node export-diagrams.js http://localhost:8080/workspace/diagrams svg
LikeC4
likec4 export png -o ./png
2.3 Export to Mermaid
As Mermaid becomes the factor standard for diagrams-as-code, it is worth looking into converting Structurizr or LikeC4 diagrams in order to align with other Mermaid sources.
Structurizr
structurizr export -workspace workspace.dsl -format mermaid
Notes
- The Structurizr CLI can export to Mermaid format, but the output rendered by the official Mermaid Chart VS Code extension has some arrows rendered incorrectly and I’m not sure if it the extension or the way the Structurizr CLI is exporting the diagram; however, subsequent Mermaid-to-SVG output seems correct:
mmdc -i structurizr-SystemContext.mmd -o structurizr-SystemContext.svg
2.4 Export to Other Formats
Structurizr
- Stricturizr CLI can export to D2 format, but the output errors out when parsed by the D2 CLI:
err: failed to compile -: multiboard output cannot be written to stdout