C4 Views
Diagrams here are outputs, not drawings. Every view is generated from the design model itself, regenerates with every run, and therefore always matches the design that compliance scoring, approval, and delivery planning operate on. There is no stale diagram problem because there is no separately maintained diagram.
The views follow the C4 model, from the widest frame to the narrowest:
| View | Shows |
|---|---|
| Context | The solution as one box, the people who use it, and the external systems it exchanges business-meaningful data with |
| Container | What runs: deployable units and capability components, laid out in trust zones |
| Component | Inside a unit or application: its functional parts and how they call each other |
| Deployment | Where things run: hosting platforms, nodes, and replica counts where the design states them |
What the Elements Mean
The design's own statements drive the picture, not guesswork:
- People render as persons. Actors from the design appear on the Context view and as flow endpoints; a person is never drawn as a system.
- External systems render outside the boundary. Counterparty systems the solution genuinely exchanges data with appear on Context; supporting platform services the solution is operated with appear from the Container view down, keeping Context readable.
- Trust zones are deterministic. Internet-facing edge components sit in the public zone, persistence in the data zone, everything else in the application zone, so a security review can see exactly where each flow crosses a boundary.
- Gaps wear a badge. An open gap is visibly marked; a diagram never dresses an undecided slot as a decision.
Reading the Edges
Every flow's edge carries its intent as a short verb phrase ("Submits orders to"), its protocol, and its transit-encryption posture; encrypted, cleartext, and unknown render distinctly, so an unencrypted or unverified flow is visible at a glance rather than buried in a property sheet. The key on each view explains every visual convention in place.
The Diagram Is an Argument
Because views regenerate from the model, a wrong-looking diagram means the design says something wrong; fix the design (or its rendering standards), never a picture.