draw.io (diagrams.net)

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.