June 2026
Intermediate to advanced
170 pages
4h 21m
English
Content preview from The C4 Model
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Chapter 4. Container Diagram
Once you’ve created a system context diagram and you understand how your software system fits into the overall system landscape, the next step is to describe the applications and data stores (the C4 containers) that exist within the boundary of the software system. This is the purpose of the C4 container diagram and the topic of this chapter.
Key Aspects of the Container Diagram
To understand why and how to use container diagrams, keep in mind their intent, scope, content, use cases, and audience.
Intent
A container diagram helps you to answer the following questions:
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How has the software system been decomposed into applications and data stores?
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What are the responsibilities of those applications and data stores?
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What are the primary technology choices (e.g., programming languages and products) used to implement those applications and data stores?
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How do the applications and data stores communicate with one another?
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As a software engineer, where do I need to write code to add a feature?
An important point to note ...
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