Use case
Kubernetes architecture diagrams
A Kubernetes canvas for platform teams: namespaces as frames, workloads that stay readable, services you can actually point at.
Scenario
A platform team is onboarding a new cluster: default and payments namespaces, a public Ingress, two Deployments, and an HPA. The on-call needs a map they can keep open after standup, not a whiteboard photo.
Drop Kubernetes nodes on the same infinite canvas as cloud and network packs. Ports connect. Share a branded public link when the topology is ready, or export SVG/PNG. Pro adds embed and watermark-free PDF/JPEG.
Already have YAML?
Paste your manifests into the free Kubernetes YAML to diagram tool and see them as a diagram before you start drawing.
What you draw
Kubernetes architecture diagrams
- Namespace as a frame
- Node, Pod, Deployment, StatefulSet, DaemonSet, Job, CronJob
- Service, Ingress, and Gateway API routes
- ConfigMap, Secret, PVC, PersistentVolume, StorageClass
- HPA, PodDisruptionBudget, NetworkPolicy, and RBAC roles
- cloud.k8s-cluster next to the workloads when the map crosses accounts
Why Archboard
Archboard is a hosted Kubernetes architecture canvas: nodes look like the control plane, ports connect like traffic, and the same board can hold a cloud region or a C4 context view. Start free with the Kubernetes pack; subscribe to Pro for unlimited nodes, embed, and watermark-free export.
Packs on this canvas
Kubernetes · Cloud · Network · Docker
Every built-in pack is on Free (3 diagrams, 15 diagram nodes + 150 notes, text, stickers & mind map topics each, branded public share, live editing with your AI agents). Pro adds unlimited diagrams and nodes, seats for teammates to edit live, embed, and watermark-free export ($10/seat/month).
How a session goes
Sign in with Google or GitHub and open a canvas
Drop a Namespace frame, then Deployment, Service, and Ingress inside it
Connect ports for north-south traffic; add HPA and NetworkPolicy where the story needs them
Share a branded public link, or upgrade to Pro for embed and watermark-free export
Kubernetes diagrams that survive the sprint
Most Kubernetes architecture diagrams die as whiteboard photos. Someone sketches Namespace boxes during planning, the photo goes stale before the next deploy, and the on-call is left reading YAML to answer a simple question: what talks to what. A Kubernetes canvas fixes this by making the diagram the map the team keeps open. Namespace frames hold Deployments, Services, and Ingress the way the cluster holds them; ports connect like traffic; labels carry the names kubectl shows. When the topology changes, the same canvas changes, and nobody redraws it from a photo.
Start with one namespace and the public path into it: Ingress, then the Service behind it, then the Deployment and its Pods. Add ConfigMaps, Secrets, and PersistentVolumeClaims only where the story needs them, because a diagram that shows everything shows nothing. HorizontalPodAutoscalers and NetworkPolicies belong on the same board because scaling and policy are the questions reviewers actually ask. Keep cloud region frames next to the cluster when workloads span accounts; the canvas holds Kubernetes, cloud, and network packs together, so the map never splits across tools.
From cluster map to design review
A good Kubernetes diagram earns its keep in reviews. Share a branded public link when the topology is ready and let reviewers pan and zoom instead of squinting at a screenshot. Save a revision snapshot before each rollout so the previous shape is one click away, and export structured JSON when the platform team wants the model, not just the picture. SVG and PNG snapshots cover tickets and docs; Pro adds embed for runbooks plus watermark-free PDF and JPEG.
The same board can carry the C4 context view above the cluster: Person and Software System at the top, Namespace frames below, so product and platform point at one picture. That is the difference between a drawing file and an architecture workspace: the Kubernetes canvas stays current because it is where the conversation already happens. Sign in with Google or GitHub, open the Kubernetes pack on Free, and draw the namespace you are shipping this week.
Open a published example
- Kubernetes MicroservicesIngress, Service, Deployment, Pod, PVC, and Postgres on one board.
- Docker Runtime MeshContainers, networks, and volumes behind a load balancer.
- Multi-Region Cloud HAThe same workloads mapped across two cloud regions.
Questions
Do I need a running cluster to draw Kubernetes diagrams?
No. The Kubernetes pack is a drawing surface with 33 resource types, from Namespace, Pod, Deployment, StatefulSet, Service, and Ingress to Gateway API routes, RBAC roles, persistent volumes, and custom resources. Draw first, or paste your manifests into the Kubernetes YAML to diagram tool, then compare against the live cluster during review.
How is a Kubernetes canvas different from a whiteboard?
Whiteboards are wiped. An Archboard canvas autosaves, keeps revision snapshots, exports JSON plus SVG, PNG, JPEG, and PDF, and shares branded public links, so the map survives the meeting it was drawn in.
Can platform and product teams share one diagram?
Yes. Put the C4 context or a wireflow next to the Namespace frames on the same infinite canvas. Organizations, seats, and roles keep the workspace shared without sharing a whiteboard photo.
Open a canvas in a minute
Sign in with Google or GitHub. Free for a single seat. Upgrade when the team joins.