Overarch: Architecture Descriptions as Data Based on the C4 Model
The article discusses Overarch, a tool that provides architecture descriptions as data based on the C4 model. It highlights the multiple use cases for this data and emphasizes its support for diagram generation with PlantUML. The author explains that while UML and C4 models are great for visualizing architecture, the existing tools lack generality and restrict the use of the models to rendering them with PlantUML. Overarch aims to address this limitation by separating the model data from information about its representations, allowing for composition with other models and views. This enables the model to be used in various ways, such as generating documentation, code, or infrastructure. The article emphasizes the importance of describing the model as plain data in an open format, making it easily editable and commitable to version control. As a result, Overarch offers developers a flexible and reusable approach to architecture descriptions that goes beyond traditional diagram generation.