Guides
11 guides on software design. Practical writing from the team building Atlas, useful whether or not you buy anything.
UML spans a dozen diagram types with strict rules, so "supports UML" hides enormous variation. This framework helps you judge UML tools by the notation and workflows you will actually use.
The hardest part of UML is not the notation but knowing which diagram to draw. Match the diagram to the question and the rest gets easy.
UML defines fourteen diagram types, but you will use a handful of them constantly and the rest rarely. This guide covers all fourteen and tells you which ones actually earn their place.
The C4 model describes software at four zoom levels, and Mermaid lets you write the top three as text: this guide covers the C4Context, C4Container, and C4Component syntax.
Sequence diagrams are the sharpest tool for designing an API, because they force you to think about the full conversation (including the failures) before you build it.
The genius of C4 is its four zoom levels. This guide goes deep on each one: what belongs there, who reads it, and the mistakes that blur the boundaries between them.
Microservices diagrams have a way of turning into an unreadable web of arrows. This guide shows how to draw them so the system's real structure and behavior stay clear.
There is no single "architecture diagram." There is a toolbox of diagram types, each answering a different question. Knowing which to reach for is half the skill.
A good architecture diagram is not decoration for a slide deck. It is a tool for making decisions and onboarding people faster. This guide shows you how to draw one that stays useful.
UML has fourteen diagram types split into two families: structural diagrams for what a system is, and behavioral diagrams for what it does. This guide maps them all and helps you pick.
UML is a shared visual language for describing software before you build it. This guide covers what it is really for, all 14 diagram types, and how to use the handful that earn their keep.
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