Archboard

Architecture

AWS three-tier architecture template

VPC with ALB, EC2 Auto Scaling, RDS, CloudFront and S3

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Preview of the AWS three-tier architecture template

What’s inside

Nodes
13
Packs
NetworkCloudSecurityData
Category
Architecture

Works on the Free plan: 15 diagram nodes + 150 notes, text, stickers & mind map topics per diagram.

A three-tier web application on AWS splits the work into a presentation tier, an application tier and a data tier. In this template, Route 53 resolves the domain, CloudFront serves the site behind AWS WAF, static files come from Amazon S3, and dynamic requests reach an Application Load Balancer in a public subnet.

The load balancer forwards traffic to app servers in an EC2 Auto Scaling group in a private subnet, and the servers read and write Amazon RDS with Multi-AZ and keep sessions in ElastiCache in a separate data subnet. Every card is an editable cloud, network or data node with its AWS service icon, and the VPC and the subnets are frames you can resize.

When to use it

  • Planning a classic web application on AWS before you write the infrastructure code.
  • Reviewing network boundaries: what sits in public subnets and what stays private.
  • Onboarding engineers to an existing three-tier stack and its request path.
  • Preparing an architecture review, a cost discussion or a migration plan from a data center.

How to use it

  1. Rename the VPC and the subnets, and set your own CIDR ranges on the frames.

  2. Swap or add services: relabel the database card for Aurora, add a NAT gateway or split the app tier into several services.

  3. Duplicate the subnets to show a second Availability Zone when you need to explain high availability.

  4. Share a link for review, or export SVG, PNG or PDF for the design document, and save a revision after each change.

Questions

Can I generate this diagram from my Terraform or CloudFormation code?

Yes, as a starting point. Paste .tf files or terraform show -json output into the free Terraform to diagram tool, or a template into the CloudFormation to diagram tool. VPCs and subnets become frames, and resources become cloud, network and data nodes with the same AWS service icons, ready to edit next to this template.

Are these the official AWS Architecture Icons?

No. The cards are Archboard’s vendor-neutral cloud, network and data nodes with AWS service icons, the same icons the Terraform and CloudFormation importers use. If your organization requires the AWS Architecture Icons, upload them as images and place them on the canvas next to the cards.

Can my AI agent extend this diagram?

Yes. Connect your AI agent to Archboard over MCP, open the diagram and ask it to add a service or a second Availability Zone. The change arrives on the canvas live, and you can undo a change your agent made on your behalf in one step.

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