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Architecture Catalog

Introduction

Architecture Catalog is an open-source tool that turns plain Markdown files into a browsable, interactive architecture catalog. It replaces monolithic tools like Sparx EA and Archi with a simple, Git-native approach.

The problem

Section titled “The problem”
ChallengeTraditional toolsThis project
Vendor lock-inProprietary formatsPlain Markdown + YAML
CollaborationSingle-user desktop appsGit-friendly, PR-based workflow
CustomizationFixed schemas, rigid UI100% schema-driven, white-label
CostPer-seat licensingFree and open source
DeploymentComplex serversStatic site — deploy anywhere

How it works

Section titled “How it works”

The system has three decoupled layers:

registry-mapping.yaml    Schema: types, fields, relationships
        |
        v
registry-v2/**/*.md      Data: one Markdown file per element
        |
        v
catalog-ui/              UI: Astro pages, React graphs
  1. Define your schema in registry-mapping.yaml — element types, fields, layers, relationships
  2. Add your data as Markdown files with YAML frontmatter in registry-v2/
  3. Build — the loader reads the schema, scans the files, resolves cross-references, and generates static HTML

Each layer is independently modifiable. Change the schema without touching Markdown. Add data without writing code. Redesign the UI without changing the data format.

Vocabulary-agnostic

Section titled “Vocabulary-agnostic”

The catalog works with any architecture vocabulary: ArchiMate, TOGAF, C4, or your own custom terminology. Name your layers, element types, and relationships however you want — the UI adapts automatically.

What you get

Section titled “What you get”
  • Dashboard with domain cards, model-wide statistics, and dark/light theme
  • Domain overview pages with elements grouped by type
  • Element detail pages with metadata, relationships, and rich Markdown documentation
  • Context maps — interactive dependency graphs with search, filter, focus mode, and PNG export
  • Event flow maps — animated publish/consume diagrams showing how events flow between services
  • Diagrams — PlantUML, BPMN, and draw.io rendered inline
  • Discover page for searching and filtering across the entire catalog

Next steps

Section titled “Next steps”

Ready to try it? Head to the Installation guide.