Caso de uso
Diagramas de arquitectura C4
Vistas de contexto y contenedor sin cambiar de herramienta: C4 en el mismo lienzo que Kubernetes y cloud.
Escenario
Una arquitecta de producto necesita un diagrama de contexto C4 para un canal bancario y, después, una vista de contenedor del mismo sistema, sin exportar a una segunda herramienta solo de C4.
C4 convive con los packs de Kubernetes y nube, para que un diagrama de contexto y el clúster que lo implementa compartan el mismo espacio. Exporta una instantánea o JSON cuando cambie el modelo. El pack C4 está en Free.
Lo que dibujas
Diagramas de arquitectura C4
- Person y External Person
- Software System y External System
- Container y Component
- Database
- Límite de sistema y límite de contenedor
- Nodo de despliegue cuando la vista pasa a infraestructura
Por qué Archboard
Archboard es una herramienta de arquitectura C4, y más: Person, Software System, Container y Component conviven en el mismo lienzo alojado que los packs de Kubernetes y red. IcePanel está centrado en C4; Archboard es el espacio al que te suscribes cuando C4 es una capa del mapa.
Packs en este lienzo
C4 · UML · Diagrama de flujo · Secuencia
Todos los packs incluidos están en Free (3 diagramas, 15 nodos de diagrama + 150 notas, textos, pegatinas y temas de mapa mental cada uno, compartir público con marca, edición en vivo con tus agentes de IA). Pro añade diagramas y nodos ilimitados, asientos para que tus compañeros editen en vivo, embeber y exportar sin marca de agua ($10/asiento/mes).
Cómo va una sesión
Empieza gratis y abre un lienzo (el pack C4 está incluido)
Coloca Person y Software System, y envuélvelos con un límite de sistema
Profundiza en Container y Component sin cambiar de producto
Exporta JSON para el modelo, o SVG/PNG para la revisión de diseño
C4 diagrams without a second tool
C4 architecture diagrams usually force a tool switch: context views in one product, container views in another, and the Kubernetes reality nowhere near either. That split is where models rot, because the context diagram says one thing while the cluster does another. Drawing C4 on the same canvas as Kubernetes, cloud, and network packs removes the seam. Person and Software System sit at the top, Container and Component below, and the Namespace frames that implement them further down. One workspace, one visual language, one map to keep current.
Keep each C4 level on its own area of the board instead of cramming context and component into one frame. The context view answers who uses the system and which external systems it touches; the container view answers what runs where; the component view answers how a container is built. Link the levels with consistent names, such as the same API container label in the container view and beside the cluster, so reviewers can trace a request from Person to Pod without switching products.
From C4 model to engineering artifact
A C4 diagram becomes an engineering artifact when it exports like one. Snapshot a revision before architecture review, export structured JSON for the model, and hand designers an SVG or PNG for the review deck. Share a branded public link with stakeholders who will never open the editor; they can pan, zoom, and read the same board. Pro adds embed for architecture decision records plus watermark-free PDF and JPEG for the moments a snapshot must look final. Reviews go faster when the model and the picture never disagree.
The C4 pack ships on Free: Person, Software System, Container, Component, Database, and boundaries, next to UML and sequence packs when a flow needs them. Start with the context of the system you are actually changing, drill into containers in the same file, and let the canvas, not a slide deck, carry the model forward. That is what a C4 architecture tool should do: keep the model where the system lives.
Open a published example
- C4 Container ViewPerson, systems, containers, and database with boundaries.
- Auth SequenceSequence view of an OAuth-style flow between actors and services.
Questions
Is Archboard a C4 architecture tool?
Yes. The C4 pack covers Person, Software System, Container, Component, Database, and boundaries on the same infinite canvas as Kubernetes, cloud, and network packs, so you get C4 plus the rest of the map, not C4 alone.
Should context and container views share one file?
Yes. Keep them in labeled areas of one canvas with consistent names, so a request can be traced from Person to container to cluster without switching products or hunting across files. One file also means one revision history and one share link for the whole model.
Can I export the C4 model, not just the picture?
Yes. Every diagram is a structured JSON document: export it for the model, snapshot revisions before reviews, and use SVG, PNG, JPEG, or PDF when the audience needs a snapshot.
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