Best Self Hosted Alternatives to Lucidchart (ER diagrams)

ChartDB is a web app for turning an existing SQL database into an ER diagram you can explore and share. It connects to a database, introspects tables/columns/keys, and renders an entity-relationship view to help you understand and document data models.

Key Features

• Schema introspection to discover tables, columns, indexes, and relationships
• Interactive ERD visualization for navigating database structure
• Supports multiple relational databases via connection configuration
• Diagram organization features for clearer, shareable schema documentation
• Designed for quick onboarding and understanding of legacy databases

Use Cases

• Document a production database schema for engineering and analytics teams
• Speed up onboarding by providing a visual map of tables and relationships
• Review and communicate schema changes during refactors or migrations n ChartDB is a practical tool for teams that need a fast, visual understanding of relational schemas. By generating diagrams directly from the source database, it reduces manual documentation effort and keeps schema knowledge easier to maintain.

diagrams.net (formerly draw.io) is a diagramming and flowcharting application for creating technical and business diagrams in the browser. It focuses on fast editing, broad diagram types, and easy export/sharing, with integrations commonly used in engineering documentation workflows.

Key Features

• Drag-and-drop editor with extensive shape libraries (flowcharts, UML, BPMN, network diagrams, org charts, etc.)
• Diagram-as-a-file approach: save as .drawio/XML and import/export across environments
• Export to PNG/JPEG/SVG/PDF and embed diagrams into documents and wikis
• Connectors, layers, groups, alignment tools, and style controls for precise layouts
• Templates and reusable custom libraries for standardized diagramming
• Integrations and embedding options commonly used with platforms like Confluence/Jira and Git-based documentation
• Desktop app availability (Electron) for offline editing and local file workflows

Use Cases

• Software architecture diagrams (C4-style), UML, and sequence/flow diagrams for engineering teams
• Network/topology diagrams and infrastructure documentation
• ER diagrams and process maps for product, operations, and compliance documentation

Limitations and Considerations

• Real-time multi-cursor collaboration depends on the chosen integration/storage backend; the core editor is primarily file-centric.
• Large/complex diagrams can become heavy in the browser depending on client resources.

A major advantage of diagrams.net is its lightweight, file-based model and wide export compatibility, making it easy to adopt in existing documentation pipelines. It suits both ad-hoc diagramming and repeatable, standardized diagram creation through templates and libraries.