Last updated April 21, 2026
Boards Guide
Boards are the canvas where your architecture lives. Every system diagram, context map, ADR, and knowledge base article starts as a board — and you can nest boards inside boards to model any level of detail.
Board types
When you create a board, you pick a type that tells ContextDX how to treat its contents:
| Type | Use for |
|---|---|
| Diagram | System dependencies, data flows, network topology |
| Context Map | Domain boundaries, service contexts, team ownership |
| Domain Model | Entity relationships, bounded contexts |
| Generated | Auto-generated diagrams from code or infrastructure |
Start with a Diagram or Context Map for your first architecture view. You can always change the type later.
Creating a board
- Navigate to your workspace and click New Board
- Choose Diagram or Context Map
- Give it a name (2–100 characters) and a slug (URL-friendly, lowercase with hyphens)
- Select the Dashboard layout with a single-diagram section template
- Optionally set a description, icon, and folder
- Click Create and start placing nodes on the canvas
Your first board checklist
- Pick a board type that matches your goal
- Choose a short, descriptive name (2–100 characters)
- Set a URL-friendly slug (lowercase, hyphens only)
- Select a layout — dashboard for visual, page for written content
- Add a description so teammates know the board's purpose
- Place at least one node or content block to get started
Layout settings
Every board has a layout — dashboard or page — that controls how content is arranged.
Layout presets
Dashboard layout
Best for diagrams and visual canvases. Supports width presets:
| Preset | Description |
|---|---|
| Full width | Edge-to-edge canvas |
| 2XL | Extra-wide container |
| XL | Wide container |
| LG | Standard container |
| Custom | Specify both width and height |
Page layout
Best for written content — ADRs, reports, knowledge base articles.
| Preset | Description |
|---|---|
| Narrow | Focused reading width |
| Standard | Comfortable article width |
| Wide | Expanded content area |
| Full width | Edge-to-edge |
| Custom | Specify width |
Section templates
Each layout also uses a section template to define the internal structure — single diagram, single content block, title + content, title + diagram, multi-column, etc.
Pick the template that matches what the board is for; you can change it later without losing content.
Adding nodes and edges
Once your board is created, you can populate it:
- Add nodes — Click the canvas to place a new node (system, service, database, etc.)
- Connect with edges — Drag from one node's handle to another to create a relationship
- Edit properties — Click any node or edge to set its name, slug, description, and tags
Nodes and edges can also be generated automatically by connecting sources and running a sync. See Connecting Sources.
Layers (nested boards)
Any node on a board can have a child layer — a full board nested inside it. This is how you model depth without cluttering a single view.
- Right-click a node and select Open as Layer to create a nested board
- Navigate between layers using the breadcrumb trail at the top
Rendering diagram...
Organizing with folders
Boards can be grouped into folders. Create folders from the workspace sidebar to keep things tidy — group by domain, team, or lifecycle stage.
Tags and featured boards
- Apply context tags to boards for filtering and discovery
- Mark boards as featured to highlight them on your org's public profile
- Opt in to listing to let ContextDX curate and surface your board
The Master Board is created automatically per workspace. Don't delete it — it's the root aggregation point for your workspace.