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Component Diagram

Component Diagram: A component diagram is a type of structural diagram used in UML (Unified Modeling Language) to visualize the organization and relationships of system components. These diagrams help in breaking down complex systems into manageable components, showcasing their interdependencies, and ensuring efficient system design and architecture.

Advantages of PlantUML:

Simplicity: With PlantUML, you can create component diagrams using simple and intuitive text-based descriptions, eliminating the need for complex drawing tools.
Integration: PlantUML seamlessly integrates with various tools and platforms, making it a versatile choice for developers and architects.
Collaboration: The PlantUML forum offers a platform for users to discuss, share, and seek assistance on their diagrams, fostering a collaborative community.

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Components

Components must be bracketed.

You can also use the component keyword to define a component. In this case the brackets can be omitted, but only if the component name does not include white-space or special characters.

You can define an alias, using the as keyword. This alias will be used later, when defining relations.

Naming exceptions

Note that component names starting with $ cannot be hidden or removed later, because hide and remove command will consider the name a $tag instead of a component name. To later remove such component they must have an alias or must be tagged.

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Interfaces

Interface can be defined using the () symbol (because this looks like a circle).

You can also use the interface keyword to define an interface. And you can define an alias, using the as keyword. This alias will be used latter, when defining relations.

We will see latter that interface definition is optional.

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Basic example

Links between elements are made using combinations of dotted line (..), straight line (--), and arrows (-->) symbols.

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Using notes

You can use the note left of , note right of , note top of , note bottom of keywords to define notes related to a single object.

A note can be also defined alone with the note keywords, then linked to other objects using the .. symbol or whatever arrow symbol (-, --, ...).

Another note example:

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Grouping Components

You can use several keywords to group components and interfaces together:

package
node
folder
frame
cloud
database

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Changing arrows direction

By default, links between classes have two dashes -- and are vertically oriented. It is possible to use horizontal link by putting a single dash (or dot) like this:

You can also change directions by reversing the link:

It is also possible to change arrow direction by adding left, right, up or down keywords inside the arrow:

You can shorten the arrow by using only the first character of the direction (for example, -d- instead of -down-) or the two first characters (-do-).

Please note that you should not abuse this functionality : Graphviz gives usually good results without tweaking.

And with the left to right direction parameter: