The C4 Model

Chapter 10. Notation

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Now that we’ve looked at all of the C4 model diagram types, it’s finally time to discuss notation. As I mentioned back in Chapter 2, while it comes as a surprise to many people, the C4 model is notation independent and doesn’t require any particular notation. This means that you can use whatever shapes, colors, line styles, icons, and so forth that you like. You could even use existing notations such as UML or ArchiMate, but more on that topic later.

This doesn’t mean that all notations are equal though, so this chapter will take a detailed look at notation, providing guidance on how to take your diagram notation from good to great.

What Makes a Good Notation?

I want to start by reiterating what I just said, because it’s often missed: the C4 model is notation independent. The notation that I used for the first example diagrams consisted of blue and gray shapes. Many people and toolmakers have, unfortunately, adopted this same convention, resulting in the misconception that those blue and gray shapes are the standard C4 model notation. ...