@diagrams-js/cli

@diagrams-js/cli

CLI for diagrams-js - render, import, export, diff, and manage architecture diagrams from the terminal.

Installation

Install globally with npm:

npm install -g @diagrams-js/cli

# then run `diagrams`
diagrams render diagram.ts

Alternatively, install locally in your project:

npm install @diagrams-js/cli

# then run `npx diagrams`
npx diagrams render diagram.ts

Or use directly with npx:

npx @diagrams-js/cli render diagram.ts

Usage

Render a diagram

# Render to SVG (default)
diagrams render diagram.ts

# Render to PNG
diagrams render diagram.ts -o diagram.png

# Render with theme and direction
diagrams render diagram.ts -f svg -t dark -d LR -o out.svg

# Render to JSON
diagrams render diagram.json -f json

Render from external formats (plugin import)

The render command automatically imports from .yaml/.yml files via plugins:

# Import Docker Compose and render to SVG
diagrams render docker-compose.yml -o architecture.svg

# Import Kubernetes manifest
diagrams render k8s-deployment.yaml -p kubernetes -o architecture.svg

# Import with custom options
diagrams render compose.yml -f png -t dark --width 1200 -o out.png

Export to external formats

# Export diagram to Docker Compose
diagrams export diagram.json -f docker-compose -o docker-compose.yml

# Export to Kubernetes
diagrams export diagram.ts -f kubernetes -o manifest.yaml

Diff diagrams in git

# Diff a single file against HEAD
diagrams diff show HEAD diagram.ts -o diff.html

# Diff between branches
diagrams diff show main...feature diagram.json -F html -o diff.html

# List changed diagram files
diagrams diff list HEAD

# Batch diff all changed files
diagrams diff batch main...feature -o ./diffs

Scaffold a new diagram

# Create a basic diagram
diagrams init "My Architecture"

# Create with AWS template
diagrams init "AWS Stack" -t aws -o aws.ts

# Create with Kubernetes template
diagrams init "K8s Cluster" -t k8s -o k8s.ts

Watch and auto-render

# Watch a diagram file and re-render on changes
diagrams watch diagram.ts -o out.svg

# Watch with custom options
diagrams watch diagram.ts -f png -t dark --scale 2 -o out.png

Manage plugins

# List installed plugins
diagrams plugins list

# Show plugin info
diagrams plugins info docker-compose

Configuration

Create a .diagramsrc.json file in your project root:

{
  "format": "svg",
  "theme": "light",
  "direction": "TB",
  "curveStyle": "ortho",
  "scale": 2,
  "diff": {
    "layout": "side-by-side",
    "showUnchanged": "show",
    "ignorePosition": true
  }
}

Supported File Formats

Input

Extension	Description
.ts	TypeScript diagram file
.js / .mjs	JavaScript diagram file
.json	Diagram JSON export
.svg	Diagram SVG with embedded metadata
.yaml / .yml	Importable config (docker-compose, k8s, etc.)

Output

Format	Description
svg	Scalable Vector Graphics (default)
png	PNG image (requires sharp in Node.js)
jpg	JPEG image (requires sharp in Node.js)
dot	Graphviz DOT source
json	Diagram JSON serialization
html	Self-contained HTML diff

License

MIT