AWS architecture diagrams, animated
Describe your AWS architecture in plain text. Get an animated, professional-grade diagram showing real data flow in seconds. No drag-and-drop required.
AWS services
+ WebM export
config needed
How it works
Three steps. No learning curve.
Write your architecture
Describe your AWS services and connections
in simple text syntax
API Gateway -> Lambda -> DynamoDB
Watch the data flow
See animated messages flowing between
your AWS services in real time
API ~~→ λ ~~→ DB
Export and share
Export as animated WebP or GIF for docs,
WebM video for presentations, or a still PNG
→ diagram.webm (1.2 MB)
Seventeen AWS services, auto-detected
Just type the service name. Chartado recognizes it and renders the correct icon. That covers the serverless set and the networking one, so a VPC network diagram of gateways, load balancers, EC2 instances and RDS draws from the same plain text.
Common AWS architecture patterns
Type these patterns and watch the animated data flow
REST API Backend
The most common serverless pattern. Request flows through API Gateway to Lambda and persists in DynamoDB.
API Gateway -> Lambda -> DynamoDB
Pub/Sub Fan-Out
SNS topic distributes events to multiple Lambda handlers simultaneously. Classic decoupled architecture.
SNS -> {Lambda A, Lambda B, SQS}
Event Processing Pipeline
EventBridge routes events to parallel processing chains with different downstream targets.
EventBridge -> {(SQS -> Lambda -> DynamoDB), S3}
Request-Response
Full round-trip flow. See the request go in and the response come back, animated sequentially.
API Gateway -> Lambda -> DynamoDB
API Gateway <- Lambda <- DynamoDB
Network Topology
A VPC network diagram: traffic enters through an internet gateway, spreads across instances behind a load balancer, and lands in the database.
Internet Gateway -> ALB -> {EC2 Web, EC2 Worker} -> RDS
Running AI workloads on AWS? The same editor draws the agent side too. See how to diagram a RAG pipeline or an MCP architecture.
Built for how you actually work
Not another drag-and-drop canvas
Technical documentation
Text-based diagrams live in Git next to your CDK stacks. They evolve with the code and diff in pull requests.
Conference talks
Export animated diagrams as WebM video. Embed in your slides to show how data actually flows through your system.
Architecture reviews
Animation makes reviews engaging. Walk through the request path, spot bottlenecks, identify missing error handling.
Stakeholder demos
Non-technical stakeholders understand animated flow better than static boxes and arrows. Show them the system in motion.
Chartado vs. other AWS diagram tools
The only tool that animates data flow from text
| Feature | Chartado | Lucidchart | draw.io | Cloudcraft | Diagrams (Python) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animated data flow | Yes | No | Basic | No | No |
| Text/code input | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| Video export (WebM) | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| AWS icons | Auto | Manual | Manual | Auto | Auto |
| Version control friendly | Yes | No | XML | No | Yes |
| No code required | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Python |
Every example here works
Each diagram on this page and in the documentation is run against the real parser before the page ships, and checked for the services and layout it claims. Diagram tools whose examples do not work are common; this one does not ship a snippet that has not been executed.
Read the language referenceFrequently asked questions
About AWS architecture diagrams with Chartado
What AWS services does Chartado support?
Chartado has icons for seventeen AWS services: Lambda, SQS, SNS, DynamoDB, S3, RDS, EC2, API Gateway, Kinesis, EventBridge, Step Functions, SES, VPC, Load Balancer, CloudFront, Security Group and Network Gateway. Services are detected automatically from their names in your text input, with no manual icon selection.
How is Chartado different from Lucidchart or draw.io?
Chartado generates diagrams from simple text input like "API Gateway -> Lambda -> DynamoDB". There is no drag-and-drop. Diagrams are animated to show actual data flow between services, and you can export to WebM video for presentations. Text-based input means your diagrams are version-controllable in Git.
Can I export AWS architecture diagrams as video?
Yes. Chartado exports animated AWS architecture diagrams as WebM video files, perfect for embedding in presentations, documentation sites, and stakeholder demos. Animated WebP export, animated GIF export and a one-click still-frame PNG export are also available for documentation.
What is a diagram-as-code tool?
A diagram-as-code tool lets you define architecture using text or code syntax instead of drag-and-drop interfaces. You write relationships like "API Gateway -> Lambda -> DynamoDB" and the tool generates a visual diagram. This approach enables version control, code reviews, and automation of your architecture documentation.
Can I use Chartado for architecture presentations?
Absolutely. Animated diagrams make architecture reviews and conference talks engaging. Export as WebM video to embed in slides, or use the live animated diagram during screen-sharing. Animation shows stakeholders how data actually flows through your system -- far more effective than static boxes and arrows.
Is Chartado free to use?
Chartado offers a free tier that lets you create and animate AWS architecture diagrams in your browser. No account is required to start. Animated WebM, animated WebP, animated GIF and still-frame PNG export are included on the free plan too. The paid plan raises how many diagrams you can save to the cloud, from three to a hundred.
Start creating AWS architecture diagrams
Type your architecture. See the data flow. Export it as a PNG or a video. No signup required.
Try it free ↑