Guide for creating visual diagrams in Neon documentation

This guide shows Neon documentation writers and contributors how to create visual diagrams using Mermaid, a markdown-like syntax for generating diagrams and flowcharts. Mermaid diagrams are automatically styled with Neon's brand colors and support both light and dark modes.

## Why use Mermaid diagrams?

Visual diagrams help explain complex concepts, workflows, and architectures more effectively than text alone. Mermaid diagrams are ideal for Neon documentation because they:

- **Stay in sync**: Diagrams are created from text, making them easy to update alongside code
- **Work everywhere**: Rendered automatically in documentation, no external tools needed
- **Look professional**: Automatically styled with Neon's brand colors (#00E599 green)
- **Support themes**: Seamlessly switch between light and dark modes
- **AI-friendly**: Can be generated quickly using Cursor, Claude, or ChatGPT

## Quick start

Add a Mermaid diagram to any documentation page by using a code block with the `mermaid` language tag:

````markdown
```mermaid
flowchart TD
    A[Production Database] --> B[Create Branch]
    B --> C[Development Branch]
    C --> D[Make Changes]
    D --> E[Deploy]
```
````

This renders as:

```mermaid
flowchart TD
    A[Production Database] --> B[Create Branch]
    B --> C[Development Branch]
    C --> D[Make Changes]
    D --> E[Deploy]
```

**Note:** **Keep diagrams simple**: Mermaid diagrams are constrained to a maximum width of 800px for readability. Keep your diagrams focused with 5-10 nodes maximum. For complex workflows, consider breaking them into multiple simpler diagrams.

## Using AI to generate diagrams

At Neon, we use **Cursor** and **Claude** (or ChatGPT) extensively to generate Mermaid diagrams. Here's how to use AI to create diagrams:

### Using Cursor AI

Cursor has built-in AI that can generate Mermaid diagrams directly in your editor:

1. **Open your markdown file** in Cursor
2. **Start Cursor Composer** (Cmd+I or Ctrl+I)
3. **Write a prompt** describing the diagram you need

**Example prompts for Cursor:**

```
Create a Mermaid flowchart showing Neon's branching workflow:
- User creates a project
- Creates a development branch
- Makes schema changes
- Tests changes
- Merges to production
```

```
Generate a Mermaid sequence diagram for Neon's autoscaling process:
- Client connects
- Proxy checks compute status
- If idle, wake up compute
- Load data from storage
- Execute query
- Return results
```

```
Make a Mermaid ER diagram for a SaaS application using Neon with:
- tenants table
- users table
- subscriptions table
Show the relationships
```

**Tips for Cursor:**

- Be specific about the diagram type (flowchart, sequence, ER, etc.)
- Mention you want Mermaid syntax
- Include the main nodes/steps you want to show
- Ask for revisions if the first result isn't perfect

### Using Claude or ChatGPT

If you prefer using Claude or ChatGPT in their web interfaces:

1. **Open Claude or ChatGPT**
2. **Ask for a Mermaid diagram** with clear requirements
3. **Copy the generated code** and paste it into your markdown file

**Example prompts for Claude/ChatGPT:**

```
Create a Mermaid flowchart showing how Neon's scale-to-zero works:
1. Database is active
2. No activity detected for X minutes
3. Compute scales to zero
4. New connection arrives
5. Compute automatically resumes
6. Connection established

Use clear labels and make it easy to understand.
```

```
Generate a Mermaid class diagram showing Neon's API structure with:
- Project class (id, name, region, methods: createBranch, deleteBranch)
- Branch class (id, name, projectId, methods: createCompute, restore)
- Compute class (id, status, methods: start, suspend)
Show the relationships between them
```

```
Create a Mermaid Gantt chart for a database migration project:
- Planning phase (1 week)
- Schema migration (2 weeks)
- Data transfer (2 weeks)
- Testing (1 week)
- Production deployment (3 days)
```

**Pro tips:**

- Ask for specific Mermaid diagram types by name
- Provide the structure or flow you want to visualize
- Request revisions to adjust complexity or styling
- Validate the syntax using [Mermaid Live Editor](https://mermaid.live/)

### AI prompt templates

Here are reusable prompt templates for common diagram needs:

**Architecture diagram:**

```
Create a Mermaid flowchart showing [system/feature] architecture with:
- [Component 1]
- [Component 2]
- [Component 3]
Show how they interact and data flows between them.
```

**Workflow diagram:**

```
Generate a Mermaid flowchart for the [process name] workflow:
1. [Step 1]
2. [Step 2]
3. [Decision point]
4. [Step 3a or 3b based on decision]
5. [Final step]
```

**Database schema:**

```
Create a Mermaid ER diagram for [use case] with these tables:
- [table1] with fields [field1, field2, field3]
- [table2] with fields [field1, field2]
- [table3] with fields [field1, field2]
Show the relationships between them.
```

## Supported diagram types

Mermaid supports many diagram types. Here are the most useful for Neon documentation:

### Flowcharts

Best for: Workflows, decision trees, process flows

````markdown
```mermaid
flowchart LR
    A[Start] --> B{Decision}
    B -->|Yes| C[Action 1]
    B -->|No| D[Action 2]
    C --> E[End]
    D --> E
```
````

**Directions:**

- `TD` or `TB` - Top to bottom
- `LR` - Left to right
- `RL` - Right to left
- `BT` - Bottom to top

### Sequence Diagrams

Best for: API interactions, request/response flows, time-based processes

````markdown
```mermaid
sequenceDiagram
    participant Client
    participant Proxy
    participant Compute
    participant Storage

    Client->>Proxy: Connection Request
    Proxy->>Compute: Wake Up
    Compute->>Storage: Load Data
    Storage-->>Compute: Data Ready
    Compute-->>Proxy: Ready
    Proxy-->>Client: Connected
```
````

### Entity Relationship Diagrams

Best for: Database schemas, data models

````markdown
```mermaid
erDiagram
    PROJECTS ||--o{ BRANCHES : contains
    BRANCHES ||--o{ DATABASES : has
    BRANCHES ||--o{ COMPUTES : runs

    PROJECTS {
        uuid id PK
        string name
        string region
    }

    BRANCHES {
        uuid id PK
        string name
        uuid project_id FK
    }
```
````

**Relationships:**

- `||--||` - One to one
- `||--o{` - One to many
- `}o--o{` - Many to many

### State Diagrams

Best for: Lifecycle states, status changes

````markdown
```mermaid
stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> Idle
    Idle --> Active: Connection
    Active --> Idle: Timeout
    Active --> Suspended: Manual Suspend
    Suspended --> Active: Resume
    Idle --> [*]: Delete
```
````

### Git Graphs

Best for: Branching strategies, version control workflows

````markdown
```mermaid
gitGraph
    commit id: "Initial"
    branch development
    checkout development
    commit id: "Feature A"
    checkout main
    merge development
    commit id: "Release"
```
````

### Class Diagrams

Best for: Code architecture, API structure

````markdown
```mermaid
classDiagram
    class Project {
        +String id
        +String name
        +createBranch()
        +delete()
    }

    class Branch {
        +String id
        +String name
        +restore()
    }

    Project "1" --> "*" Branch
```
````

### Gantt Charts

Best for: Project timelines, migration plans

````markdown
```mermaid
gantt
    title Migration Timeline
    dateFormat YYYY-MM-DD
    section Planning
        Requirements    :a1, 2024-01-01, 7d
        Design         :a2, after a1, 5d
    section Execution
        Migration      :b1, after a2, 14d
        Testing        :b2, after b1, 7d
```
````

### Pie Charts

Best for: Usage statistics, distributions

````markdown
```mermaid
pie title Workload Distribution
    "OLTP" : 45
    "Analytics" : 25
    "Dev/Test" : 20
    "AI/ML" : 10
```
````

## Styling and best practices

### Color scheme

Mermaid diagrams automatically use Neon's brand colors:

- **Primary**: Neon green (#00E599) for main elements
- **Secondary**: Blue (#2272b4) for connections
- **Git branches**: Full Neon color palette
- **Dark mode**: Automatically adapts with proper contrast

No manual color configuration needed!

### Writing effective diagrams

**Keep it simple:**

- Focus on one concept per diagram
- Limit to 5-10 nodes for readability
- Use clear, concise labels

**Use meaningful labels:**

```mermaid
flowchart TD
    A[User Creates Branch] --> B[Neon Provisions Compute]
    B --> C[Database Ready]
```

Better than:

```mermaid
flowchart TD
    A[Step 1] --> B[Step 2]
    B --> C[Step 3]
```

**Consider mobile users:**

- Avoid overly wide diagrams
- Test on smaller screens
- Use top-to-bottom layouts when possible

**Add context:**

- Include a brief description before the diagram
- Explain what the diagram shows
- Reference related documentation

## Testing your diagrams

### Test in Mermaid Live Editor

Before adding a diagram to documentation:

1. Go to [Mermaid Live Editor](https://mermaid.live/)
2. Paste your Mermaid code
3. Verify it renders correctly
4. Check for syntax errors

### Test locally

Run the docs site locally to see how your diagram looks:

```bash
npm run dev
```

Then navigate to your page and:

- Check light mode appearance
- Toggle to dark mode
- Test on mobile viewport
- Verify on different screen sizes

### Common syntax errors

**Missing quotes:**

```text
# Wrong - special characters in labels may cause issues
flowchart TD
    A[Label with special chars!] --> B
```

**Incorrect direction:**

```text
# Wrong - XY is not a valid direction
flowchart XY
    A --> B

# Correct - use TD, LR, RL, or BT
flowchart TD
    A --> B
```

**Broken relationships in ER diagrams:**

```text
# Wrong - incorrect relationship syntax
erDiagram
    A ||--|{ B : has

# Correct - use proper relationship notation
erDiagram
    A ||--o{ B : has
```

## Examples for common Neon use cases

### Branching workflow

```mermaid
flowchart TD
    A[Production Database] -->|Create Branch| B[Development Branch]
    B -->|Make Changes| C[Test Changes]
    C -->|Deploy| D[Merge to Production]
    D --> A
    C -->|Issues Found| B
```

### Autoscaling process

```mermaid
sequenceDiagram
    participant App as Application
    participant Proxy as Neon Proxy
    participant Compute as Compute
    participant Storage as Storage

    App->>Proxy: Connection Request
    Proxy->>Compute: Check Status

    alt Compute Idle
        Proxy->>Compute: Wake Up
        Compute->>Storage: Load Data
        Storage-->>Compute: Ready
    end

    Compute-->>Proxy: Active
    Proxy-->>App: Connected
```

### Multi-tenant architecture

```mermaid
erDiagram
    TENANTS ||--o{ USERS : has
    TENANTS ||--o{ DATABASES : owns
    USERS ||--o{ SESSIONS : creates
    DATABASES ||--o{ TABLES : contains

    TENANTS {
        uuid id PK
        string name
        timestamp created_at
    }

    USERS {
        uuid id PK
        uuid tenant_id FK
        string email
    }

    DATABASES {
        uuid id PK
        uuid tenant_id FK
        string name
    }
```

### Compute lifecycle

```mermaid
stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> Provisioning
    Provisioning --> Active: Startup Complete
    Active --> Active: Processing Queries
    Active --> Idle: No Activity
    Idle --> Active: New Connection
    Active --> Suspended: Manual Suspend
    Suspended --> Active: Resume
    Idle --> [*]: Auto-Suspend
    Active --> [*]: Delete Branch
```

### Migration timeline

```mermaid
gantt
    title Database Migration to Neon
    dateFormat YYYY-MM-DD
    section Planning
        Assess Current Setup    :a1, 2024-01-01, 5d
        Design Architecture     :a2, after a1, 5d
    section Migration
        Schema Migration        :b1, after a2, 7d
        Data Transfer          :b2, after b1, 14d
    section Testing
        Functional Testing     :c1, after b2, 7d
        Performance Testing    :c2, after c1, 5d
    section Deployment
        Staging Deployment     :d1, after c2, 2d
        Production Cutover     :d2, after d1, 1d
```

## Troubleshooting

### Diagram not rendering

**Check the language tag:**

Wrong:

````markdown
```diagram
flowchart TD
    A --> B
```
````

Correct:

````markdown
```mermaid
flowchart TD
    A --> B
```
````

**Validate syntax:**

- Use [Mermaid Live Editor](https://mermaid.live/)
- Check for missing quotes, arrows, or semicolons
- Look for typos in diagram type names

### Theme not switching correctly

If diagrams don't update when switching themes:

- Hard refresh the page (Cmd+Shift+R / Ctrl+Shift+R)
- Clear browser cache
- Check browser console for JavaScript errors

### Performance issues

For pages with many diagrams:

- Consider splitting into multiple pages
- Simplify complex diagrams
- Use fewer nodes per diagram

## Additional resources

- **[Mermaid Official Documentation](https://mermaid.js.org/)** - Complete syntax reference
- **[Mermaid Live Editor](https://mermaid.live/)** - Test diagrams before adding to docs
- **[Component Guide](/guides/community-component-guide)** - Other custom components available
- **[Contribution Guide](/guides/community-contribution-guide)** - General documentation guidelines

## Getting help

Need help with Mermaid diagrams?

- **Discord**: Ask in [#docs channel](https://neon.com/discord)
- **GitHub**: Open an issue in the [website repository](https://github.com/neondatabase/website)
- **AI**: Use Cursor or Claude to help debug syntax errors

***

Ready to add visual diagrams to your documentation? Start with a simple flowchart and iterate from there. The AI tools make it easy to create professional diagrams quickly!

## Related pages

- [AI tools for Agents](./ai-agents-on-neon-index.md)
- [APIs & SDKs](./apis-sdks-index.md)
- [Changelog](../changelog.md)
- [Integrating with Neon](./building-on-neon-index.md)
- [Lakebase Postgres](./postgres-index.md)
- [Managed Better Auth](./auth-index.md)
- [More](./more-index.md)
- [Neon AI Gateway](./ai-gateway-index.md)
- [Neon community](./community-index.md)
- [Neon documentation](./neon-docs-index.md)

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