d2
A modern text-to-diagram language for developers and technical writers
Alternatives
Choose PlantUML if…
- you need sequence, class or state diagrams
- you require fine‑grained styling options
- you want PlantUML plugins in Eclipse or IntelliJ
- you must export to formats beyond PNG/SVG
Choose Mermaid if…
- you need mind‑map or advanced graph layouts
- you must run diagram generation on your own servers
- your CI pipeline must export PNG/SVG automatically
- you want a live preview without external plugins
How to Decide
d2 is a modern text‑to‑diagram language used by developers and technical writers for instant, browser‑based diagram rendering. The alternatives split into a few clear camps: PlantUML is chosen for its broad support of many UML‑style diagram types and deep IDE integrations such as Eclipse and IntelliJ; Mermaid is chosen for its markdown‑like syntax and tight integration with Git platforms like GitHub, Bitbucket and GitLab.
When picking a d2 alternative, focus on (1) the breadth of diagram types each tool can produce, since PlantUML covers UML‑specific charts while Mermaid focuses on flowcharts and Gantt diagrams; (2) the integration ecosystem – IDE plugins for PlantUML versus Git‑hosted documentation pipelines for Mermaid; (3) the depth of visual customization options, with PlantUML offering extensive appearance controls and Mermaid providing theme‑based styling; (4) the deployment model, both being self‑hostable open‑source solutions but built on different runtimes (Java vs TypeScript); and (5) the pricing model, which is free for all three but may affect support expectations.
All Alternatives
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