Structurizr
Structurizr is a models-as-code tool, founded by C4 model creator Simon Brown, that enables software development teams to define, visualize, and document software architecture using a domain-specific language and multiple C4-compliant diagrams.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Structurizr does
Structurizr, operated by Structurizr Limited and incorporated in Jersey, Channel Islands, is a software architecture documentation tool built around the C4 model, a methodology created by the company's founder, Simon Brown. The product is positioned as the reference implementation of the C4 model, providing a domain-specific language (Structurizr DSL) that allows software development teams to define architecture models as code and generate multiple C4-compliant diagrams (system context, container, component, dynamic, deployment) from a single source definition. The product portfolio spans a cloud-hosted service (currently announced for end-of-life), a self-hosted on-premises enterprise deployment supporting SAML and LDAP, a lightweight local viewer (Structurizr Lite), a CLI for CI/CD integration, an MCP server for AI agent integration, and supporting Java libraries (structurizr-java, structurizr-export) and package manager distributions via Homebrew, Scoop, Docker Hub, and GitHub Actions.
The core technology stack combines a text-based DSL, a JSON workspace format, a browser-based UI for interactive rendering, and a REST API with HMAC authentication. Diagram outputs can be exported to PlantUML, Mermaid, DOT/Graphviz, Ilograph, and D2 formats. Supplementary features include Architecture Decision Records (ADRs), Markdown/AsciiDoc documentation publishing, cloud provider themes (AWS, Azure, GCP, OCI, Kubernetes), and a workspace inspection framework. Infrastructure dependencies are AWS (RDS, S3, SES), Google reCAPTCHA, Braintree Payments, and CloudFlare CDN.
Structurizr operates a product-led and community-led go-to-market: a free tier with a 0.5MB workspace limit funnels users toward a paid subscription tier at 5MB that unlocks sharing, role-based access, client-side encryption, IP restrictions, workspace branching, and versioning. Open-source Java libraries on Maven Central, GitHub repositories, a Slack community, Discord, and a Patreon drive organic adoption. The company is privately held, founder-controlled, with no disclosed institutional funding, no public listing, and an undisclosed headcount. The 2025 announcement of cloud service end-of-life alongside the introduction of Structurizr vNext signals a product transition whose outcome is not yet visible.
Structurizr firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Structurizr
- Legal name
- Structurizr Limited
- Website
- https://structurizr.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Structurizr is a models-as-code tool, founded by C4 model creator Simon Brown, that enables software development teams to define, visualize, and document software architecture using a domain-specific language and multiple C4-compliant diagrams.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Structurizr industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Software Architecture Visualization
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Developer Tooling & SDK Platforms (BPAMAOAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Developer Portals, SDKs & Documentation Platforms (BPAMADAG), Developer Experience Platforms for Enterprise (IDEs, CI/CD, Dev Portals) (HDAEAKAI)
Keywords
Where Structurizr is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Structurizr business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Cloud Service Subscriptions: Monthly or annual subscription-based revenue model for cloud-hosted service. Paid subscribers get 5MB workspace size limit (vs 0.5MB for free), public workspace visibility, sharing links, workspace branches, role-based access controls, client-side encryption, IP address restrictions, and workspace locking features. Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled.
- Free Tier: Free account tier with 0.5MB workspace size limit, basic features, and access to the workspace API. Used as a lead-generation funnel for paid upgrades.
- Free Trial: Optional free trial for paid subscription features. Users may enter billing information but are not charged until the trial period expires.
- On-premises Installation: Self-hosted on-premises installation available as free open-source software. Enterprise deployment with potential for support contracts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free account with basic features and 0.5MB workspace limit |
| Subscription | Monthly | Paid subscription with expanded workspace and collaboration features |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels5 records
Structurizr product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Structurizr is a "models as code" software architecture visualization tool built around the C4 model. Users define software architectures using the Structurizr DSL and generate multiple interactive C4 diagrams (system context, container, component, deployment, dynamic) from a single model, with integrated documentation, Architecture Decision Records (ADRs), and export to formats like PlantUML, Mermaid, and Graphviz. It is delivered as a hosted cloud service, a self-hosted on-premises installation, a CLI, and a Java library, and is the reference implementation of the C4 model created by Simon Brown.
Product overview
Structurizr is a 'models as code' tool designed for the C4 model for software architecture visualization. The product portfolio consists of multiple delivery mechanisms: the core Structurizr Cloud Service (subscription-based hosted platform), Structurizr On-Premises (self-hosted enterprise version), and Structurizr Lite (lightweight local viewer - now end-of-life). Users define architecture using the Structurizr DSL text-based language, which generates multiple diagrams from a single model. The Structurizr CLI provides command-line access for CI/CD integration, while the structurizr-export library enables export to PlantUML, Mermaid, and other diagramming formats. The structurizr-java library offers programmatic workspace manipulation. Additional products include the MCP Server for AI agent integration, Structurizr Playground for online DSL testing, and Static Site export for documentation hosting. The browser-based UI is shared across all deployment options, supporting diagrams, documentation (Markdown/AsciiDoc), and Architecture Decision Records.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Structurizr Cloud Service Cloud-hosted subscription platform for managing Structurizr workspaces, rendering interactive C4 architecture diagrams, publishing Markdown/AsciiDoc documentation, and managing Architecture Decision Records. Targeted at software development teams and enterprise organizations.
- Structurizr DSL A domain-specific language for defining software architecture models as code. Used to create multiple C4 model diagrams (system context, container, component, dynamic, deployment) from a single model definition. Targeted at software architects and developers.
- Structurizr CLI Command-line utility for pushing/pulling workspaces, locking/unlocking, exporting diagrams to PlantUML, Mermaid, DOT/Graphviz, Ilograph, and D2, merging layouts, and validating/inspecting workspaces. Requires Java 17+. Targeted at developers integrating diagram generation into build pipelines.
- Structurizr On-Premises Self-hosted enterprise deployment of Structurizr that runs behind firewalls with data storage on file system, AWS S3, or Azure Blob, optional Redis caching and Elasticsearch search, and SAML/LDAP authentication. Targeted at enterprise organizations with security and compliance requirements.
- Structurizr Playground Browser-based interactive environment for trying the Structurizr DSL online without local installation, with immediate DSL editing and diagram preview. Targeted at individual developers and evaluators.
- Structurizr MCP Server Model Context Protocol server providing DSL validation, parsing, and inspection tools to enable AI agents and LLMs to generate and validate C4 model software architecture diagrams. Targeted at teams adopting AI-assisted architecture documentation.
- structurizr-java Library Open-source Java library for creating and interacting with Structurizr workspaces programmatically, including a Workspace API client and component finder for extracting architecture from code. Targeted at Java/JVM developers.
- structurizr-export Library Open-source Java library providing exporters for PlantUML, C4-PlantUML, Mermaid, DOT/Graphviz, Ilograph, and D2 diagram formats, used by the Structurizr CLI and other rendering tools. Targeted at developers building custom rendering pipelines.
- Structurizr Static Site Static HTML site export generated by the CLI that renders Structurizr diagrams for hosting on simple web servers or AWS S3. Targeted at teams needing lightweight static documentation hosting.
- Structurizr Lite Lightweight local web-based viewer/editor for Structurizr workspaces distributed as a Docker image or built from source, intended for individual developers. Marked as an end-of-life product but still documented for migration purposes.
Companies that use Structurizr
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Structurizr technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
AI capability3 records
Feature12 records
Structurizr partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.
- Amazon Web ServicessupportingAWS is used as the underlying infrastructure for the Structurizr cloud service, providing RDS for database storage, S3 for file/object storage, and SES for email delivery. AWS GDPR data processing addendum is in place, and AWS is PrivacyShield certified.
- GooglesupportingGoogle reCAPTCHA v2 is integrated for anti-spam, abuse prevention, and credit card fraud protection on the Structurizr website. Google is PrivacyShield certified.
- Braintree PaymentssupportingBraintree Payments provides PCI-compliant payment processing for subscription billing. Structurizr does not directly collect or store credit card details.
- CloudFlaresupportingCloudFlare provides CDN and security services, evidenced by CloudFlare cookies (_cfduid) used on the website.
- SlackcoreSlack integration allows full-text search across workspaces using a slash command, enabling users to find diagrams, documentation, and decision records from within Slack. Supports workspace-specific search with optional channel restrictions.
- NotioncoreLive architecture diagrams can be embedded into Notion via iframe, enabling architecture documentation within Notion wikis.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Structurizr competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Lucidchart (Lucid): Large, well-funded SaaS diagramming platform with broad enterprise distribution and templates for software architecture. Serves the same software-architect buyer but with a GUI-first approach and much wider product scope; represents the natural 'good enough' incumbent Structurizr competes against for paid seats.
- Bizzdesign (Horizzon): Enterprise architecture management platform supporting ArchiMate, TOGAF, and related frameworks. Sells into the same enterprise architecture buyer as Structurizr's on-premises offering but at much larger deal sizes and with broader EA suite functionality.
- Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect: Long-established enterprise architecture and modeling tool supporting UML, ArchiMate, and BPMN. Competes with Structurizr for enterprise architecture documentation budgets, especially in larger organizations, though with a heavier, GUI/desktop-centric product rather than a DSL-driven workflow.
- draw.io (diagrams.net / JGraph): Free, widely-used general-purpose diagramming tool with native Confluence, Notion, and Google Drive integrations. Targets the same software-architecture documentation use case at zero cost and is embedded in many of the same Atlassian/Notion workflows Structurizr integrates with.
Emerging players
- Mermaid: JavaScript-based text-to-diagram tool, popular in developer documentation and natively integrated into GitHub, GitLab, Notion, and Confluence. Structurizr exports to Mermaid, and Mermaid's free, ubiquitous distribution inside major platforms represents the most accessible substitute for many of Structurizr's use cases.
- Archi (ArchiMate): Open-source modeling tool for the ArchiMate enterprise architecture language, with a C4-like model concept. Targets a similar software-architecture and enterprise-architecture audience and competes primarily on price (free) and depth of EA modeling rather than DSL ergonomics.
- Ilograph: Interactive hierarchical and relationship-diagramming tool that Structurizr explicitly exports to. Targets software architecture and cloud infrastructure documentation with an interactive viewer, and represents an alternative rather than direct substitute, with overlap in interactive diagram exploration.
- PlantUML: Open-source text-based diagramming tool widely used for software architecture diagrams, including a C4-PlantUML extension that Structurizr explicitly exports to. Competes on the same 'diagrams as code' developer workflow at zero cost, putting structural pressure on Structurizr's paid tiers.
- D2 (Terrastruct): Modern text-to-diagram language from Terrastruct positioned as a developer-friendly successor to Graphviz/DOT, with a SaaS collaboration product. Structurizr exports to D2, and D2 represents a fast-improving free/cheap alternative for the 'diagrams-as-code' developer segment.
Direct peers
- IcePanel: Interactive C4 model architecture diagramming tool aimed at software engineering teams. Closest direct competitor to Structurizr — same C4 methodology, same developer audience, same cloud SaaS delivery model (IcePanel also announced a cloud shutdown / pivot), making the vNext transition dynamics highly comparable.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Structurizr social profiles
Digital presenceStructurizr compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Structurizr financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Structurizr leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Structurizr funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Structurizr M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Structurizr
What does Structurizr do?
Structurizr is a "models as code" software architecture visualization tool built around the C4 model. Users define software architectures using the Structurizr DSL and generate multiple interactive C4 diagrams (system context, container, component, deployment, dynamic) from a single model, with integrated documentation, Architecture Decision Records (ADRs), and export to formats like PlantUML, Mermaid, and Graphviz. It is delivered as a hosted cloud service, a self-hosted on-premises installation, a CLI, and a Java library, and is the reference implementation of the C4 model created by Simon Brown.
Is Structurizr a public or private company?
Structurizr is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Structurizr founded?
Structurizr was founded in -1.
Where is Structurizr based?
Structurizr is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Structurizr make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Cloud Service Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are free Tier, free Trial and on-premises Installation.
Who are Structurizr's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Lucidchart (Lucid), Bizzdesign (Horizzon), Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect and draw.io (diagrams.net / JGraph). Emerging players are Mermaid, Archi (ArchiMate), Ilograph, PlantUML and D2 (Terrastruct). IcePanel is listed as a direct peer.
Does Structurizr have an API?
Yes. The cloud service provides a JSON/HTTPS API for getting and putting workspaces. API endpoints include GET https://api.structurizr.com/workspace/{workspaceId} (get workspace), PUT https://api.structurizr.com/workspace/{workspaceId} (put workspace), PUT/DELETE for workspace locking. Authentication uses HMAC scheme with workspace API key and secret pair. Workspace size limits: 0.5MB for free accounts, 5MB for paid subscribers. API rate limiting is enforced. Developer documentation is at docs.structurizr.com/cloud/workspace-api.
What industry is Structurizr in?
Structurizr's product category is Software Architecture Visualization. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAOAD, Developer Tooling & SDK Platforms, with a secondary code of BPAMADAG, Developer Portals, SDKs & Documentation Platforms. Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.