An architecture diagram shows what a system contains and how its parts fit together. Choose an audience before choosing detail. A product overview might need a browser, application and database; a service design review also needs trust boundaries, queues and external dependencies.
Set the boundary first
List the components your team owns, the systems it calls and the people who use it. Put external dependencies outside the owned boundary. Group components by a meaningful distinction such as deployment location, responsibility or trust zone; a decorative box should not imply a security guarantee.
State whether an arrow means an HTTP request, an asynchronous event or a data dependency. Label important arrows so the reader does not have to infer communication behavior from proximity.
Separate an overview from a request trace
A single diagram becomes hard to read when every endpoint and storage table appears beside the system overview. Ask for a high-level view plus a focused detail view of one path. Use a sequence diagram when message order is the key question, or a data flow diagram when the material being transferred matters most.
In this example, the API hands work to a queue. Drawing a direct synchronous arrow from the browser to the worker would describe a different design.
Review architecture claims
Check every component and connection against your actual design. The agent does not discover your infrastructure or deploy the drawn system. Provide protocols, ownership and failure behavior explicitly when they matter. A labeled connection is a proposal until you verify it.
Compare layered and event-driven examples before deciding which view fits your review.
Make it about your work
Edit this starting prompt, then send it when you are ready.