Get in touch

Fill out this form and our team will respond as soon as we can, alternatively email us at mail@icepanel.io

Get in touch

Fill out this form and our team will respond as soon as we can, alternatively email us at mail@icepanel.io

Back to all blogs

7 modelling languages for software architecture

Comparing 7 popular languages for designing and modelling software systems

modellingsoftware architecture
28 Feb 2023
Blog hero image

🚀 Let’s kick-off

Due to the complex nature of software, there has always been a need to graphically visualize and communicate software architectures with others. Modelling and diagramming these systems and their abstractions allows us to analyze and improve the designs, resulting in higher-quality implementations when building them.

In this article, we’ll compare 7 popular visual modelling languages.

1️⃣ Unified Modeling Language (UML)

The Unified Modeling Language was created by a group of software engineers and researchers in the 1990s and is now maintained by the Object Management Group (OMG). UML is a graphical language that provides a standard set of symbols and notations for modelling software systems. UML 2.5 includes 14 different diagram types to model various parts of the software development life cycle.

👍 Advantages

👎 Disadvantages

UML!

2️⃣ C4 Model

The C4 Model is a lightweight structured approach for visualizing software architecture for specific audiences. It was created in 2011 by a software architect and author named Simon Brown. The C4 model is essentially just two things, a hierarchical set of common abstractions and four standard diagram types. The C4 model is notation-independent, meaning there are no standard shapes, colours or styles prescribed.

👍 Advantages

👎 Disadvantages

C4 model!

3️⃣ ArchiMate

ArchiMate is an open and independent modelling language for enterprise architecture. It was developed in 2011 by The Open Group, an industry consortium that develops and maintains several open standards. It provides three layers of abstraction (business, application and technology), standard modelling elements (including business actors, business processes and application components) and relationships between them.

👍 Advantages

👎 Disadvantages

ArchiMate!

4️⃣ The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF)

The Open Group Architecture Framework or TOGAF is an enterprise architecture framework split into 4 key domains: business, application, data and technology. It was first created in 1995 by The Open Group, which is also responsible for maintaining ArchiMate. TOGAF provides a comprehensive and systematic approach and includes a step-by-step process for the development and implementation of enterprise architecture.

👍 Advantages

👎 Disadvantages

TOGAF!

5️⃣ Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN)

BPMN is a graphical modelling language that provides standard notation for business processes, activities, events, gateways, flows and artifacts. It’s a powerful tool for analyzing and improving business flows. BPMN was first created in 2004 by a group of organizations and invidiously and has since been maintained by the Object Management Group (OMG).

👍 Advantages

👎 Disadvantages

BPMN!

6️⃣ Systems Modeling Language (SysML)

SysML is an open-source modelling language that extends UML and was designed to analyze complex systems. It was first created in 2001 and was later adopted by the Object Management Group (OMG). Systems engineers use SysML to communicate and analyze a wide range of systems, for example: software, hardware, information, process and personnel.

👍 Advantages

👎 Disadvantages

SysML!

7️⃣ 4+1 View Model

The 4+1 is a view model for describing large systems using multiple concurrent views, each from the perspective of a different stakeholder. It was first proposed in 1995 by Canadian software engineer, Philippe Kruchten. The 5 views it defines are the logical view, process view, development view and scenarios.

👍 Advantages

👎 Disadvantages

4+1 view model!

🏁 To wrap up

I’m sure there are other visual modelling languages that we didn’t get time to cover in this article. Let us know in the comments if you have any other favourites, and what you did or didn’t like when using it.

Stay chill 🧊

Victor

Get in touch

Fill out this form and our team will respond as soon as we can, alternatively email us at mail@icepanel.io

We use cookies to improve your experience
Accepting lets us personalize content and understand how our site is used. By clicking “Accept all”, you agree to our use of cookies as described in our Privacy Policy.