A domain-specific layer on top of Yog for modeling system architectures.
Choreo lets you define infrastructure diagrams (databases, caches, services, networks, etc.) as graphs and render them to DOT format or Mermaid.js syntax with system-diagram theming. You can also run graph algorithms such as MST and topological sort to analyze your architecture.
When to use
Use Choreo when you need to document, communicate, or analyze the
infrastructure of a system — whether for architecture review, onboarding
docs, cost optimisation, or resilience planning.
Quick Start
system =
Choreo.new()
|> Choreo.add_database(:db, label: "Postgres", kind: :postgres)
|> Choreo.add_cache(:cache, label: "Redis", kind: :redis)
|> Choreo.add_service(:api, label: "API Gateway")
|> Choreo.connect(:api, :cache, cost: 5)
|> Choreo.connect(:api, :db, cost: 10)
dot = Choreo.to_dot(system)
mermaid = Choreo.to_mermaid(system)Algorithms
# Minimum spanning tree for cost optimisation
{:ok, mst} = Choreo.Analysis.mst(system)
# Topological sort for data-flow ordering
{:ok, order} = Choreo.Analysis.topological_sort(system)Diagram
Summary
Functions
Adds a cache node to the system.
Defines a cluster (subgraph) for grouping nodes visually.
Adds a compute workload runner node (EC2, ECS task, Kubernetes pod).
Adds a database node to the system.
Adds a data-flow edge between two nodes.
Adds an internet gateway or public internet entrypoint node.
Adds a load-balancer node to the system.
Adds a managed database node (RDS, Aurora, Cloud SQL).
Adds a network / infrastructure boundary node.
Adds a generic node to the system.
Adds a queue / messaging node to the system.
Adds a service / application node to the system.
Adds a storage / blob node to the system.
Adds a private subnet cluster boundary.
Adds a public subnet cluster boundary.
Adds a user / external actor node to the system.
Adds a VPC cluster network boundary.
Returns all cluster definitions in the system.
Connects two nodes with a weighted edge.
Returns all edges in the system as a list of {from, to, cost} tuples.
Returns all edges with their metadata as {from, to, cost, meta} tuples.
Embeds another diagram inside a cluster of the current system.
Creates a new empty system diagram.
Returns all nodes in the system as a map of id => data.
Returns a theme for Choreo infrastructure diagrams.
Renders the system diagram to DOT format.
Returns the raw Yog.Multi.Graph struct underpinning the system.
Renders the system diagram to Mermaid.js flowchart syntax.
Collapses parallel edges into a simple Yog.Graph for algorithm analysis.
Declares a semantic trace (cross-diagram link) between two nodes in a composed system.
Types
@type t() :: %Choreo{ clusters: %{required(String.t()) => map()}, edge_meta: %{optional(Yog.Multi.Graph.edge_id()) => map()}, graph: Yog.Multi.Graph.t() }
Functions
@spec add_cache(t(), Yog.node_id(), keyword()) :: t()
Adds a cache node to the system.
Options
:kind(atom/0) - Specific kind of node (e.g.:postgres,:redis).:label(String.t/0) - Display label (defaults to the node id).:description(String.t/0) - Tooltip / annotation text.:cluster(String.t/0) - Cluster name for visual grouping.:shape(atom/0) - Shape override (e.g.:box,:cylinder).:fillcolor(String.t/0) - Background color override.:fontcolor(String.t/0) - Font color override.:style(String.t/0) - Style override (e.g."filled").:penwidth- Border thickness override.:image(String.t/0) - Image/icon path or URL override.
Examples
iex> system = Choreo.new() |> Choreo.add_cache(:cache, kind: :redis)
iex> Choreo.nodes(system)[:cache].node_type
:cacheDiagram
Defines a cluster (subgraph) for grouping nodes visually.
Options
:parent(String.t/0) - Parent cluster name for nesting.:label(String.t/0) - Display label for the cluster.:cluster_type(atom/0) - Semantic cluster type (e.g.:vpc,:subnet_public,:subnet_private).:style- Visual style (e.g. :filled, :rounded).:fillcolor(String.t/0) - Background color override.:color(String.t/0) - Border color override.
Examples
iex> system = Choreo.new() |> Choreo.add_cluster("vpc", label: "VPC")
iex> Map.keys(Choreo.clusters(system))
["cluster_vpc"]
@spec add_compute(t(), Yog.node_id(), keyword()) :: t()
Adds a compute workload runner node (EC2, ECS task, Kubernetes pod).
Options
:kind(atom/0) - Specific kind of node (e.g.:postgres,:redis).:label(String.t/0) - Display label (defaults to the node id).:description(String.t/0) - Tooltip / annotation text.:cluster(String.t/0) - Cluster name for visual grouping.:shape(atom/0) - Shape override (e.g.:box,:cylinder).:fillcolor(String.t/0) - Background color override.:fontcolor(String.t/0) - Font color override.:style(String.t/0) - Style override (e.g."filled").:penwidth- Border thickness override.:image(String.t/0) - Image/icon path or URL override.
Examples
iex> system = Choreo.new() |> Choreo.add_compute(:app)
iex> Choreo.nodes(system)[:app].node_type
:compute
@spec add_database(t(), Yog.node_id(), keyword()) :: t()
Adds a database node to the system.
Options
:kind(atom/0) - Specific kind of node (e.g.:postgres,:redis).:label(String.t/0) - Display label (defaults to the node id).:description(String.t/0) - Tooltip / annotation text.:cluster(String.t/0) - Cluster name for visual grouping.:shape(atom/0) - Shape override (e.g.:box,:cylinder).:fillcolor(String.t/0) - Background color override.:fontcolor(String.t/0) - Font color override.:style(String.t/0) - Style override (e.g."filled").:penwidth- Border thickness override.:image(String.t/0) - Image/icon path or URL override.
Examples
iex> system = Choreo.new() |> Choreo.add_database(:db, kind: :postgres)
iex> Choreo.nodes(system)[:db].node_type
:database
iex> Choreo.nodes(system)[:db].kind
:postgres
iex> Choreo.nodes(system)[:db].label
"db"Diagram
@spec add_dataflow(t(), Yog.node_id(), Yog.node_id(), keyword()) :: t()
Adds a data-flow edge between two nodes.
This is semantically identical to connect/4 but renders with a
different default style (dashed, data-flow colour).
Examples
iex> system = Choreo.new() |> Choreo.add_service(:a) |> Choreo.add_service(:b) |> Choreo.add_dataflow(:a, :b)
iex> [{:a, :b, 1, meta}] = Choreo.edges_with_meta(system)
iex> meta.type
:dataflow
@spec add_internet(t(), Yog.node_id(), keyword()) :: t()
Adds an internet gateway or public internet entrypoint node.
Options
:kind(atom/0) - Specific kind of node (e.g.:postgres,:redis).:label(String.t/0) - Display label (defaults to the node id).:description(String.t/0) - Tooltip / annotation text.:cluster(String.t/0) - Cluster name for visual grouping.:shape(atom/0) - Shape override (e.g.:box,:cylinder).:fillcolor(String.t/0) - Background color override.:fontcolor(String.t/0) - Font color override.:style(String.t/0) - Style override (e.g."filled").:penwidth- Border thickness override.:image(String.t/0) - Image/icon path or URL override.
Examples
iex> system = Choreo.new() |> Choreo.add_internet(:gw)
iex> Choreo.nodes(system)[:gw].node_type
:internet
@spec add_load_balancer(t(), Yog.node_id(), keyword()) :: t()
Adds a load-balancer node to the system.
Options
:kind(atom/0) - Specific kind of node (e.g.:postgres,:redis).:label(String.t/0) - Display label (defaults to the node id).:description(String.t/0) - Tooltip / annotation text.:cluster(String.t/0) - Cluster name for visual grouping.:shape(atom/0) - Shape override (e.g.:box,:cylinder).:fillcolor(String.t/0) - Background color override.:fontcolor(String.t/0) - Font color override.:style(String.t/0) - Style override (e.g."filled").:penwidth- Border thickness override.:image(String.t/0) - Image/icon path or URL override.
Examples
iex> system = Choreo.new() |> Choreo.add_load_balancer(:lb)
iex> Choreo.nodes(system)[:lb].node_type
:load_balancerDiagram
@spec add_managed_db(t(), Yog.node_id(), keyword()) :: t()
Adds a managed database node (RDS, Aurora, Cloud SQL).
Options
:kind(atom/0) - Specific kind of node (e.g.:postgres,:redis).:label(String.t/0) - Display label (defaults to the node id).:description(String.t/0) - Tooltip / annotation text.:cluster(String.t/0) - Cluster name for visual grouping.:shape(atom/0) - Shape override (e.g.:box,:cylinder).:fillcolor(String.t/0) - Background color override.:fontcolor(String.t/0) - Font color override.:style(String.t/0) - Style override (e.g."filled").:penwidth- Border thickness override.:image(String.t/0) - Image/icon path or URL override.
Examples
iex> system = Choreo.new() |> Choreo.add_managed_db(:db)
iex> Choreo.nodes(system)[:db].node_type
:managed_db
@spec add_network(t(), Yog.node_id(), keyword()) :: t()
Adds a network / infrastructure boundary node.
Options
:kind(atom/0) - Specific kind of node (e.g.:postgres,:redis).:label(String.t/0) - Display label (defaults to the node id).:description(String.t/0) - Tooltip / annotation text.:cluster(String.t/0) - Cluster name for visual grouping.:shape(atom/0) - Shape override (e.g.:box,:cylinder).:fillcolor(String.t/0) - Background color override.:fontcolor(String.t/0) - Font color override.:style(String.t/0) - Style override (e.g."filled").:penwidth- Border thickness override.:image(String.t/0) - Image/icon path or URL override.
Examples
iex> system = Choreo.new() |> Choreo.add_network(:vpc)
iex> Choreo.nodes(system)[:vpc].node_type
:networkDiagram
@spec add_node(t(), Yog.node_id(), keyword()) :: t()
Adds a generic node to the system.
Use this when none of the typed builders fit.
Examples
iex> system = Choreo.new() |> Choreo.add_node(:misc, label: "Custom")
iex> Choreo.nodes(system)[:misc].node_type
:generic
iex> Choreo.nodes(system)[:misc].label
"Custom"
@spec add_queue(t(), Yog.node_id(), keyword()) :: t()
Adds a queue / messaging node to the system.
Options
:kind(atom/0) - Specific kind of node (e.g.:postgres,:redis).:label(String.t/0) - Display label (defaults to the node id).:description(String.t/0) - Tooltip / annotation text.:cluster(String.t/0) - Cluster name for visual grouping.:shape(atom/0) - Shape override (e.g.:box,:cylinder).:fillcolor(String.t/0) - Background color override.:fontcolor(String.t/0) - Font color override.:style(String.t/0) - Style override (e.g."filled").:penwidth- Border thickness override.:image(String.t/0) - Image/icon path or URL override.
Examples
iex> system = Choreo.new() |> Choreo.add_queue(:q, kind: :kafka)
iex> Choreo.nodes(system)[:q].node_type
:queueDiagram
@spec add_service(t(), Yog.node_id(), keyword()) :: t()
Adds a service / application node to the system.
Options
:kind(atom/0) - Specific kind of node (e.g.:postgres,:redis).:label(String.t/0) - Display label (defaults to the node id).:description(String.t/0) - Tooltip / annotation text.:cluster(String.t/0) - Cluster name for visual grouping.:shape(atom/0) - Shape override (e.g.:box,:cylinder).:fillcolor(String.t/0) - Background color override.:fontcolor(String.t/0) - Font color override.:style(String.t/0) - Style override (e.g."filled").:penwidth- Border thickness override.:image(String.t/0) - Image/icon path or URL override.
Examples
iex> system = Choreo.new() |> Choreo.add_service(:api, label: "Gateway")
iex> Choreo.nodes(system)[:api].node_type
:service
iex> Choreo.nodes(system)[:api].label
"Gateway"Diagram
@spec add_storage(t(), Yog.node_id(), keyword()) :: t()
Adds a storage / blob node to the system.
Options
:kind(atom/0) - Specific kind of node (e.g.:postgres,:redis).:label(String.t/0) - Display label (defaults to the node id).:description(String.t/0) - Tooltip / annotation text.:cluster(String.t/0) - Cluster name for visual grouping.:shape(atom/0) - Shape override (e.g.:box,:cylinder).:fillcolor(String.t/0) - Background color override.:fontcolor(String.t/0) - Font color override.:style(String.t/0) - Style override (e.g."filled").:penwidth- Border thickness override.:image(String.t/0) - Image/icon path or URL override.
Examples
iex> system = Choreo.new() |> Choreo.add_storage(:s3)
iex> Choreo.nodes(system)[:s3].node_type
:storageDiagram
Adds a private subnet cluster boundary.
Options
:parent(String.t/0) - Parent cluster name for nesting.:label(String.t/0) - Display label for the cluster.:cluster_type(atom/0) - Semantic cluster type (e.g.:vpc,:subnet_public,:subnet_private).:style- Visual style (e.g. :filled, :rounded).:fillcolor(String.t/0) - Background color override.:color(String.t/0) - Border color override.
Adds a public subnet cluster boundary.
Options
:parent(String.t/0) - Parent cluster name for nesting.:label(String.t/0) - Display label for the cluster.:cluster_type(atom/0) - Semantic cluster type (e.g.:vpc,:subnet_public,:subnet_private).:style- Visual style (e.g. :filled, :rounded).:fillcolor(String.t/0) - Background color override.:color(String.t/0) - Border color override.
@spec add_user(t(), Yog.node_id(), keyword()) :: t()
Adds a user / external actor node to the system.
Options
:kind(atom/0) - Specific kind of node (e.g.:postgres,:redis).:label(String.t/0) - Display label (defaults to the node id).:description(String.t/0) - Tooltip / annotation text.:cluster(String.t/0) - Cluster name for visual grouping.:shape(atom/0) - Shape override (e.g.:box,:cylinder).:fillcolor(String.t/0) - Background color override.:fontcolor(String.t/0) - Font color override.:style(String.t/0) - Style override (e.g."filled").:penwidth- Border thickness override.:image(String.t/0) - Image/icon path or URL override.
Examples
iex> system = Choreo.new() |> Choreo.add_user(:client)
iex> Choreo.nodes(system)[:client].node_type
:userDiagram
Adds a VPC cluster network boundary.
Options
:parent(String.t/0) - Parent cluster name for nesting.:label(String.t/0) - Display label for the cluster.:cluster_type(atom/0) - Semantic cluster type (e.g.:vpc,:subnet_public,:subnet_private).:style- Visual style (e.g. :filled, :rounded).:fillcolor(String.t/0) - Background color override.:color(String.t/0) - Border color override.
Returns all cluster definitions in the system.
Examples
iex> system = Choreo.new() |> Choreo.add_cluster("vpc", label: "VPC")
iex> Choreo.clusters(system)
%{"cluster_vpc" => %{label: "VPC"}}
@spec connect(t(), Yog.node_id(), Yog.node_id(), keyword()) :: t()
Connects two nodes with a weighted edge.
Options
:cost- Numeric weight used by MST and algorithms. The default value is1.:label(String.t/0) - Display label for the edge.:protocol- Communication protocol.:type(atom/0) - Internal semantic type.:headport(String.t/0) - Graphviz headport override.:tailport(String.t/0) - Graphviz tailport override.:strict(boolean/0) - Whether to raise an error if the source or target node does not exist. The default value isfalse.
Examples
iex> system = Choreo.new() |> Choreo.add_service(:a) |> Choreo.add_service(:b) |> Choreo.connect(:a, :b, cost: 5)
iex> Choreo.edges(system)
[{:a, :b, 5}]Diagram
@spec edges(t()) :: [{Yog.node_id(), Yog.node_id(), number()}]
Returns all edges in the system as a list of {from, to, cost} tuples.
Examples
iex> system = Choreo.new() |> Choreo.add_service(:a) |> Choreo.add_service(:b) |> Choreo.connect(:a, :b)
iex> Choreo.edges(system)
[{:a, :b, 1}]
@spec edges_with_meta(t()) :: [{Yog.node_id(), Yog.node_id(), number(), map()}]
Returns all edges with their metadata as {from, to, cost, meta} tuples.
Examples
iex> system = Choreo.new() |> Choreo.add_service(:a) |> Choreo.add_service(:b) |> Choreo.connect(:a, :b, protocol: :http)
iex> [{:a, :b, 1, meta}] = Choreo.edges_with_meta(system)
iex> meta.protocol
:http
Embeds another diagram inside a cluster of the current system.
Options
:prefix- Prefix to prevent ID collisions. The default value is"sub_".
Examples
iex> system = Choreo.new() |> Choreo.add_cluster("vpc")
iex> flow = Choreo.Dataflow.new() |> Choreo.Dataflow.add_source(:in)
iex> system = Choreo.embed(system, flow, "vpc", prefix: "flow_")
iex> Map.has_key?(Choreo.nodes(system), :flow_in)
true
Creates a new empty system diagram.
Options
:directed(boolean/0) - Whether the underlying graph is directed. The default value istrue.
Examples
iex> system = Choreo.new()
iex> map_size(system.edge_meta)
0
iex> map_size(system.clusters)
0
iex> system = Choreo.new(directed: false)
iex> system.graph.kind
:undirected
@spec nodes(t()) :: %{required(Yog.node_id()) => map()}
Returns all nodes in the system as a map of id => data.
Examples
iex> system = Choreo.new() |> Choreo.add_service(:api)
iex> Map.keys(Choreo.nodes(system))
[:api]
@spec theme( atom(), keyword() ) :: Choreo.Theme.t()
Returns a theme for Choreo infrastructure diagrams.
Examples
iex> theme = Choreo.theme(:default, graph_rankdir: :lr)
iex> theme.graph_rankdir
:lr
Renders the system diagram to DOT format.
Options
:theme-:default,:dark,:minimal,:warm,:forest, or:ocean- Any option accepted by
Yog.Render.DOT.to_dot/2
Examples
iex> system = Choreo.new() |> Choreo.add_service(:api)
iex> dot = Choreo.to_dot(system)
iex> String.contains?(dot, "digraph")
true
iex> String.contains?(dot, "api")
true
@spec to_graph(t()) :: Yog.Multi.Graph.t()
Returns the raw Yog.Multi.Graph struct underpinning the system.
Useful when you want to drop down to the raw Yog Multi API.
Examples
iex> system = Choreo.new()
iex> Choreo.to_graph(system) == system.graph
true
Renders the system diagram to Mermaid.js flowchart syntax.
Options
:theme-:default,:dark,:minimal,:warm,:forest, or:ocean:direction-:td,:lr,:bt, or:rl- Any option accepted by
Yog.Multi.Mermaid.to_mermaid/2
Examples
iex> system = Choreo.new() |> Choreo.add_service(:api)
iex> mermaid = Choreo.to_mermaid(system)
iex> String.contains?(mermaid, "graph TD")
true
iex> String.contains?(mermaid, "api")
true
@spec to_simple_graph( t(), keyword() ) :: Yog.Graph.t()
Collapses parallel edges into a simple Yog.Graph for algorithm analysis.
Options
:combine- function to combine weights of parallel edges (default:&min/2)
Examples
iex> system = Choreo.new() |> Choreo.add_service(:a) |> Choreo.add_service(:b)
...> |> Choreo.connect(:a, :b, cost: 10) |> Choreo.connect(:a, :b, cost: 5)
iex> simple = Choreo.to_simple_graph(system)
iex> Yog.all_edges(simple)
[{:a, :b, 5}]
@spec trace(t(), Yog.node_id(), Yog.node_id(), keyword()) :: t()
Declares a semantic trace (cross-diagram link) between two nodes in a composed system.
Trace links are kept separate from the visual layout by default and are only shown
when :show_traces is set to true.
Options
:type(atom/0) - Semantic trace type (e.g. :executes, :stores, :implements). The default value is:executes.
Examples
iex> system = Choreo.new() |> Choreo.add_service(:api) |> Choreo.add_database(:db)
iex> system = Choreo.trace(system, :api, :db, type: :stores)
iex> [{:api, :db, 1, meta}] = Choreo.edges_with_meta(system)
iex> meta.edge_type
:trace