mermaid open source analysis

Generation of diagrams like flowcharts or sequence diagrams from text in a similar manner as markdown

Project overview

⭐ 84117 · TypeScript · Last activity on GitHub: 2025-11-14

GitHub: https://github.com/mermaid-js/mermaid

Why it matters for engineering teams

Mermaid addresses the common challenge software engineers face when documenting complex workflows and system designs clearly and maintainably. By generating diagrams such as flowcharts, sequence diagrams, and UML directly from text, it enables teams to keep documentation in sync with code changes without relying on manual drawing tools. This open source tool for engineering teams is particularly suited for developers, technical writers, and architects who need to communicate ideas visually within documentation or code repositories. With over 84,000 stars and active maintenance, Mermaid is a mature and production ready solution trusted in real engineering environments. However, it may not be the best choice when highly customised or visually detailed diagrams are required, as its simplicity can limit design flexibility compared to specialised graphic tools.

When to use this project

Mermaid is a strong choice when teams want to integrate diagram generation directly into their documentation workflows or codebases, especially if they prefer text-based configuration over graphical editors. Teams should consider alternatives if they need advanced styling options or interactive diagrams that go beyond static representations.

Team fit and typical use cases

Mermaid benefits software engineers, technical writers, and system architects who need to create and maintain clear visual documentation within code repositories. These roles typically use it to embed flowcharts, sequence diagrams, and UML diagrams in markdown files or wikis, supporting products ranging from web applications to complex distributed systems. Its self hosted option for engineering teams ensures diagrams stay up to date alongside evolving codebases.

Topics and ecosystem

diagrams diagrams-as-code documentation flowchart javascript mindmap typescript uml-diagrams

Activity and freshness

Latest commit on GitHub: 2025-11-14. Activity data is based on repeated RepoPi snapshots of the GitHub repository. It gives a quick, factual view of how alive the project is.