Dependency mapping examples.
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What dependency mapping is.
Dependency mapping is the practice of drawing the systems, services and infrastructure that rely on one another. The lines identify paths such as a web application calling an API, an API querying a database, or a service sending metrics to a monitoring platform.
A good dependency map starts with one service and follows the systems it needs to work. It is useful before a change because it turns an assumed relationship into a reviewable one.
- Standard
- Cisco-convention topology icons
- Also follows
- Hierarchical / spine-leaf models · ANSI/TIA-606 · ONVIF
- Engine
- schematex-network
- Editable
- Double-click text, drag nodes
- Export
- SVG · PNG · PDF
Who uses dependency maps.
Application, cache and database dependencies identified before deploying a change.
Monitoring components and alert paths documented so an outage has an understandable service map.
A payment request path traced through gateways, services, providers and audit components.
How to make a dependency map in three steps.
Describe it
One paragraph is enough to start.
See the drawing
Drawn by the right engine.
Say what changes
Every edit keeps a version.
Common questions
What is dependency mapping?
Dependency mapping creates a visual record of the systems and components that rely on each other to deliver a service or process.
Why are dependency maps useful?
They reveal shared services, critical paths and likely impact before a system is changed, maintained or taken offline.
What should I include in a dependency map?
Start with the service being studied, then add the APIs, databases, queues, identity services, infrastructure and external providers it requires.
How is a dependency map different from a network diagram?
A network diagram emphasizes devices and connectivity. A dependency map emphasizes which systems need other systems to function, even when they are not directly connected by a physical link.
Other drawings for the same work.
Map a system dependency.
Free account, no card. Describe the service and the systems it relies on.
Open the editor