Preface

This is a book about Mermaid, which lets you represent diagrams using text and code, simplifying the maintenance of complex diagrams.

Having the diagram in code simplifies maintenance and enables support by version control systems. In some cases, it is even possible to get refactoring support for name changes. It also facilitates simple collaboration within a team, where it is easy to distribute reviews and updates between team members. This ultimately saves you time and effort.

You will learn about Mermaid and put your knowledge to work with this practical guide to using Mermaid for documentation. The book takes a hands-on approach to implementation and associated methodologies that will have you up and running and productive in no time. The book can also serve as a reference for looking up the syntax for a particular diagram when authoring diagrams.

The book contains complete step-by-step explanations of essential concepts, practical examples, and practice exercises. You will begin by learning about Mermaid and documentation, before moving on to the general handling of Mermaid and finishing off with detailed descriptions of how to create the various diagrams supported by Mermaid.

With this book, you are first made familiar with efficient documentation and why it is important. Then, this book introduces Mermaid and establishes where it fits into the picture. Finally, you will learn how to use Mermaid syntax for various diagrams, using different tools and editors or a custom documentation platform. At the end, you will have enough confidence and knowledge to use Mermaid in your day-to-day work.

By the end of this book, you will know about the many different tools used to create Mermaid diagrams, and you will also have gained detailed knowledge about the different types of Mermaid diagrams, their configuration, and how they can be used in your workflows.