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ArchTect

Executive summary: A visual editor for Structurizr DSL inside VS Code. Edit architecture as code and as diagrams — bidirectional canvas ↔ DSL — and generate architecture documentation from your model.

Model once, communicate everywhere

ArchTect is a VS Code extension for Structurizr DSL with a live visual canvas and deterministic outputs.

Every diagram is a faithful projection of the DSL — stable, repeatable, and governance-ready.

Create your first project Take the UI tour
At a glance
  • VS Code extension for Structurizr DSL
  • Bidirectional canvas ↔ DSL editing
  • Deterministic views and layouts
  • Architecture documentation generation
  • Export to PNG and SVG
ArchTect in action — bidirectional canvas and DSL editing inside VS Code

Core capabilities

Model
Capture systems, containers, components, and relationships in a rigorous DSL.
Visualize
Generate clean, consistent diagrams with stable view identity.
Control
Filter views, apply themes, and keep layouts deterministic.
Review
Validate architecture and track changes with confidence.
Export
Produce shareable PNG, SVG, ILOGRAPH exports outputs.
Document
Generate architecture documentation directly from your model with a single command.

Why ArchTect

Compared to code-only tools: ArchTect adds a visual editor without losing DSL precision.
Compared to visual-only tools: ArchTect preserves a canonical DSL for traceability and governance.

  • Bidirectional canvas ↔ DSL editing. Edit in the visual canvas or in the DSL — both stay in sync.
  • Architecture documentation generation. Produce documentation artifacts from your model with ArchTect: Generate Documentation.
  • Opinionated modeling. Clear, view-specific rules keep architecture consistent.
  • Deterministic outputs. Stable serialization and predictable layouts support governance and review.
  • Executive-ready exports. Share PNG and SVG outputs for reviews and presentations.

Quick start

What's in this documentation

Page What it covers
Getting Started Install the extension, first project, UI tour
User Guide UI layout, toolbar, inspector, editing
UI Reference Canvas, toolbar, inspector in detail
View Types All view types with DSL examples
DSL Support What ArchTect supports from the Structurizr DSL
Reference & Troubleshooting Commands, file types, common issues

DSL Reference

ArchTect follows the Structurizr DSL. The canonical language reference is at structurizr.com/help/dsl.