Mermaid for

Backend and Data Engineers

Visualize your data architecture clearly

Turn schemas, databases, and API flows into diagrams that keep documentation accurate and upto date.

Mermaid editor showing an ER diagram of a schema metadata system, rendered live from erDiagram syntax on the left
Mermaid editor showing real-time collaboration on an ER diagram — with two users editing the schema metadata diagram simultaneously, and both user cursors visible on the canvas

Model your data structures

Turn schemas into ER diagrams that help teams understand relationships, constraints, and dependencies.
Mermaid architecture diagram of a backend system, with directional arrows showing how requests flow between layers

Visualize backend services

Show how APIs, databases, and microservices connect behind the scenes.
Mermaid code editor showing a sequence diagram of a user registration and email verification flow, with Mermaid syntax on the left and a live-rendered backend diagram on the right

Text in, diagram out

Describe a schema, workflow, or query in natural language and generate a diagram in seconds.
Mermaid VS Code extension showing the code editor and live preview panel side by side in dark mode — with a Mermaid flowchart.mmd file open on the left and the carbon cycle diagram rendered on the right

Stay in your ecosystem

Bring diagrams into VS Code, GitHub, or Confluence so backend documentation stays close to your code.
Mermaid VS Code extension showing a UML class diagram generated by Claude Code — with classes for MermaidDiagram, Node, Edge, Parser, Renderer, and SpecialNode rendered in the preview panel, and the Claude Code chat explaining the diagram structure and relationships on the right

Version diagrams alongside code

Store diagrams in Git, attach them to repos, and keep database diagrams aligned with your codebase.
Mermaid collaborative editor with real-time and async editing — backend and data teams co-creating diagrams without email chains or duplicate files

Collaborate without overhead

Review schema or API diagrams live in reviews, or leave feedback async across time zones.
Mermaid team workspace selection screen — showing a user joining an organization with two available teams, demonstrating how teams share a single Mermaid workspace

Secure by design

Protect database schemas, backend flows, and sensitive systems with SSO and enterprise-grade controls.

The charts data and backend engineers rely on

From schemas to services, diagrams that evolve with your code and docs.

ER diagrams

Model database schemas, tables, and relationships so engineers and analysts stay aligned.

Mermaid recommends:

Build ER diagrams directly from schema text and keep them versioned in Git.

Sequence diagrams

Map how backend services, APIs, and databases exchange messages.

Mermaid recommends:

Use sequence diagrams for login flows, queries, or distributed transactions.

Architecture diagrams

Map distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, and service dependencies.

Mermaid recommends:

C4 diagrams or system architecture charts, versioned in Git so they stay in sync with your codebase.

Flowcharts

Illustrate backend processes like query handling, ETL pipelines, or CI/CD workflows.

Mermaid recommends:

Generate flowcharts from plain text or AI prompts to save time.

State diagrams

Capture system lifecycles, from database connection states to caching flows.

Mermaid recommends:

Use state diagrams to reason about edge cases and error handling.

User journey and process maps

Show how data flows from input to output across backend systems.

Mermaid recommends:

Map end-to-end data flows for onboarding, billing, or analytics pipelines.

Making waves with Mermaid

“Mermaid makes dense systems easier to explain by handling the diagramming while I focus on the content.”

“A Mermaid sequence diagram helped my team spot a race condition before we wrote any code — and likely saved us a week of debugging.”

“Mermaid made risk visible earlier — compliance, consent boundaries, and failure modes moved into the design phase instead of surfacing late.”

“Mermaid lets me model complex GovTech workflows directly alongside technical documentation. It’s fast, auditable, and precise.”

“Code-driven automation has made onboarding new team members much more efficient and manageable”

“I diagram more often now because it’s fast and enjoyable. Plus, Mermaid really shines during refactors: evolving the diagram tells the story of the change.”

Afrid Shirsekar

Afrid Shirsekar

Data Scientist, Amazon

Less time syncing, more time building

One shared canvas for mapping ideas, collaborating live, and keeping teams on the same page, literally.