AWS Architecture Diagram

Instructions

Generate a draw.io (.drawio) XML file representing an AWS architecture diagram.

Layout

• Left-to-right flow for data/request path
• UI/Frontend on the LEFT (users access from left side)
• Data sources / external systems on the RIGHT
• Use horizontal lanes for parallel paths (top lane, bottom lane)
• Minimum 220px horizontal spacing between icons (to leave room for edge labels)
• Minimum 250px vertical spacing between lanes (so vertical edges don't crowd)
• Secondary/auxiliary services (monitoring, DLQ, error paths) go BELOW the main flow with 280px+ vertical gap

Canvas

• Large canvas: pageWidth="2400" pageHeight="1400" minimum
• Set dx="2800" dy="1600" for proper viewport
• Always include a title block as the first element after the background:

<mxCell value="&lt;b&gt;Diagram Title&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;Author | Date | Version" style="text;html=1;align=left;verticalAlign=top;whiteSpace=wrap;rounded=0;fontSize=14;spacing=8;" vertex="1" parent="1">
  <mxGeometry x="40" y="30" width="420" height="60" as="geometry" />
</mxCell>

Icon Style

• Icons are from draw.io's built-in mxgraph.aws4 stencil library — the official AWS Architecture Icons (https://aws.amazon.com/architecture/icons/, updated quarterly)
• Icon size: 78x78px for main services, 65x65px for secondary
• Use sketch=0;outlineConnect=0; on all icons
• Use strokeColor=#ffffff on all AWS service icons
• MUST include fillColor — without it, icons render as invisible/white in PNG export
• Font size: 12px for labels
• Always include: fontColor=#232F3E;verticalLabelPosition=bottom;verticalAlign=top;align=center;html=1;aspect=fixed;

fillColor by AWS service category:

3D / Isometric Diagrams — use a different icon library

If the user asks for a 3D, isometric, or "AWS 3D" diagram, do NOT fake it by placing flat aws4 icons on hand-built platform/pedestal shapes. draw.io has a real, separate built-in library for this: mxgraph.aws3d.*.

• Load references/aws-icons-3d.md before picking any icon — it has the verified shape table, style prefix, sizes, and the native isometricEdgeStyle edge templates.
• This library is a legacy pre-2019 icon set with much smaller coverage than aws4 (no API Gateway, ECS/EKS/Fargate, Step Functions, EventBridge, SNS, Aurora, CloudWatch, IAM, etc.). Check the gap table in that reference file before assuming an icon exists, and flag substitutions to the user rather than guessing a stencil name.
• For generic hardware (clients, on-prem servers, racks, switches) with no AWS-specific icon, see references/aws-icons-allied-telesis.md — a separate bundled isometric image library that fills that gap.
• These icons are already 3D on their own — arrange them in an ascending isometric staircase (diagonal offsets between nodes), don't add fake platforms underneath.
• Use edgeStyle=isometricEdgeStyle (with endArrow=block override for reliable arrowheads) instead of orthogonalEdgeStyle for connectors.

Edge Style — CRITICAL FOR CLEAN DIAGRAMS

Base edge style (all edges):

edgeStyle=orthogonalEdgeStyle;rounded=1;orthogonalLoop=1;jettySize=auto;html=1;strokeWidth=2;exitX=1;exitY=0.5;exitDx=0;exitDy=0;entryX=0;entryY=0.5;entryDx=0;entryDy=0;

Rules for edge labels:

• Keep labels SHORT (1-2 words max). Use icon labels for detail, not edge labels.
• On horizontal edges: position label ABOVE the line using verticalAlign=bottom; in the edge style
• On vertical edges: position label to the LEFT using align=right; in the edge style
• Always add labelBackgroundColor=#F5F5F5; so labels don't overlap lines
• For edges WITHOUT labels: omit the value attribute entirely (don't use value="")

Edge label positioning (prevents overlap with icons):

<mxCell value="Label" style="edgeStyle=orthogonalEdgeStyle;rounded=1;orthogonalLoop=1;jettySize=auto;html=1;strokeWidth=2;labelBackgroundColor=#F5F5F5;fontSize=11;" edge="1" source="a" target="b" parent="1">
  <mxGeometry relative="1" as="geometry" />
</mxCell>

For edges that go to services ABOVE or BELOW the main flow:

• Use explicit exit/entry points to control routing:
  • Exit bottom: exitX=0.5;exitY=1;exitDx=0;exitDy=0;
  • Enter top: entryX=0.5;entryY=0;entryDx=0;entryDy=0;
  • Exit top: exitX=0.5;exitY=0;exitDx=0;exitDy=0;
  • Enter bottom: entryX=0.5;entryY=1;entryDx=0;entryDy=0;
• This prevents draw.io from routing lines through other icons

Edge types:

• Solid black (strokeWidth=2): primary data flow
• Dashed black (strokeWidth=2;dashed=1;): optional/async path
• Dashed red (strokeWidth=2;dashed=1;strokeColor=#DD344C;): error path

Edge attachment (CRITICAL — fixes "green cross" problem):

• Every edge MUST have both source="<cell-id>" and target="<cell-id>" attributes referencing valid cell IDs
• NEVER create floating/unattached edges — all edges must be bound to shapes at both ends
• Always include exitX/exitY and entryX/entryY to define exact connection points on the shape perimeter
• In draw.io, properly attached edges show a "blue dot" anchor; unattached edges show a "green cross"
• If an edge connects to a child inside a container, reference the child's ID directly (not the container)
• Cross-container edges: When source and target are in different containers, set the edge's parent="1" (root layer) so draw.io can route it across boundaries

When NOT to label edges:

• If the flow is obvious from context (e.g., Lambda → DynamoDB doesn't need "Write")
• If the icon labels already explain the relationship
• Prefer fewer, more meaningful labels over labeling every edge

Visual Quality: straight arrows, no overlaps, professional layout

A diagram with correct icons but a messy layout still reads as unprofessional. Check every diagram against these rules before finishing — they're deliberately concrete/checkable, not vague "make it look nice" advice:

• Align nodes to a consistent axis so edges are single, straight segments. Keep the horizontal or vertical delta between adjacent nodes in a flow constant (same lane y-coordinate, same column spacing) so connecting edges render as one clean line instead of a dogleg.
• Align branch/secondary nodes on the exact same centerline as their parent. If a node branches off vertically (e.g. an auxiliary service below the main flow), its horizontal center must match its parent's horizontal center exactly — compute child.x = parent.center_x - child.width/2, don't eyeball it. A few pixels of misalignment turns a "straight down" edge into a visibly crooked diagonal.
• One bend maximum per edge, ideally zero. If a computed edge path would need more than one bend to avoid an obstacle, the layout is wrong — move the node, don't add more bends to route around the problem.
• No edge may cross through an unrelated icon's bounding box. Before finalizing coordinates, check each edge's path against every icon's (x, y, width, height) rectangle it isn't connected to. If it would cross one, move the node or add an explicit exit/entry point to route around it.
• No two edges may run on top of each other or visually merge. If two edges would travel the same corridor (e.g. two parallel flows between the same pair of lanes), offset them — different exit/entry points, or an explicit waypoint — so there's a visible gap between them.
• Minimize edge crossings overall. Order nodes in the direction the data actually flows so edges rarely need to cross each other. If a crossing is unavoidable (e.g. a feedback/response path), route it with a visible offset rather than letting it overlap another edge.
• Keep spacing consistent, not just "enough." Use the same minimum step size between every pair of adjacent nodes in a flow — a diagram where some gaps are 400px and others are 250px reads as sloppy even if nothing technically overlaps.
• Balance the composition on the canvas. Don't leave one half of the page dense and the other empty; size the canvas to the actual content plus a consistent margin.
• Self-check before finishing: after placing every coordinate, mentally trace each edge from source to target and verify (1) it doesn't cross any icon, (2) it doesn't overlap another edge, (3) it has at most one bend, (4) its endpoints are flush with the icons it connects. Fix the layout, not just the intent, if any check fails.

Two Icon Patterns — CRITICAL

Pattern 1: Service-level (resourceIcon frame)

• Style: sketch=0;outlineConnect=0;fontColor=#232F3E;fillColor=<CATEGORY_COLOR>;strokeColor=#ffffff;dashed=0;verticalLabelPosition=bottom;verticalAlign=top;align=center;html=1;fontSize=12;fontStyle=0;aspect=fixed;shape=mxgraph.aws4.resourceIcon;resIcon=mxgraph.aws4.<name>
• MUST use strokeColor=#ffffff — without it, the white glyph disappears
• MUST use fillColor=<color> — without it, icon renders as white/invisible square in PNG export
• Size: 78x78

Pattern 2: Resource-level (standalone shape)

• Style: sketch=0;outlineConnect=0;fontColor=#232F3E;fillColor=<CATEGORY_COLOR>;strokeColor=none;dashed=0;verticalLabelPosition=bottom;verticalAlign=top;align=center;html=1;fontSize=12;fontStyle=0;aspect=fixed;shape=mxgraph.aws4.<name>
• MUST use strokeColor=none — using #ffffff breaks these
• MUST use fillColor=<color> — same reason as above
• Size: 78x78 or 48x48

Confusing these patterns guarantees broken icons.