Open Source Diagram Drawing Tool

Diagrams and flowcharts aid designers or teams communicate relationships, present abstract ideas in brainstorming sessions, visualize concepts, or formalize a new project. The open-source community provides various diagramming tools to assistance you create basic workflow diagrams, complex network diagrams, system charts, ERD diagrams, UML diagrams, and much more.

Diagramming tools for Linux

This article reviews the best open-source flowcharts and diagramming software to create different diagrams, flowcharts, illustrations, maps, web graphics, and much more. If yous are working on photos, check our comprehensive guide on the best photo editors.

1. Dia

Dia is a free, open-source, and cross-platform drawing software. It features a simple interface and a wide variety of predefined objects and symbols. It works well with simple to complex diagrams, and you can create more than 30 different diagram types such as flowcharts, network layouts, database models.

Dia diagram editor

Important features

• It comes with a shape repository for custom objects and symbols to become y'all started on a diagram.
• Features a wide range of styling and formatting tools.
• User-friendly interface.
• It features diagramming tools similar to Microsoft Visio, such as special objects, layers, gridlines, etc.
• Dia is scriptable via Python, and developers can use it as a calculator-aided software engineering tool.
• Make code skeletons from drawings.
• Yous tin can use information technology via the command line.

Dia tin can get you started on diagrams chop-chop! Moreover, information technology launches ready-to-work with a multipage cartoon that can come in handy if y'all create big charts.

Install on Fedora 33 # dnf install dia

two. LibreOffice Draw

LibreOffice Draw

LibreOffice Depict is role of the LibreOffice suite and features an easy-to-utilise UX, peculiarly for users familiar with OpenOffice draw or LibreOffice Writer. You can produce powerful and intuitive flowcharts, system charts, brochures, posters, network diagrams, and many other types of graphics. Its Open up Document Format for Role Applications (ODF) and (.odg graphics extension) is also uniform with macOS and windows.

Important features

• It features a gallery of shapes, drawings.
• Import from a wide range of file formats similar PDF and consign to GIF, JPEG, PNG, SVG, WMF, and more.
• It features predefined flowchart shapes, styles, & formatting tools to make posters and brochures.
• It supports macro execution with Java.
• Users tin can benefit from the extensive assist facility from the help menu and all-encompassing online resource.

Follow these instructions on to Install LibreOffice on Fedora.

three. OpenOffice Draw

OpenOffice depict is part of the OpenOffice suite projection as a tool for drawing business processes and diagrams. If y'all are familiar with LibreOffice describe, then you will find it an easy-to-use tool. It supports different diagram types such as flowcharts, arrangement charts, network diagrams, and then on.

Important features

•  Information technology supports diverse styles and formatting.
• It features a 3D controller to create shapes chop-chop.
• Import from several file formats like PDF and export to GIF, JPEG, PNG, BMP, SVG, WMF, and more.
• Supports cosmos of flash (.swf) versions of your work.

OpenOffice and LibreOffice Draw are like tools that provide good flowchart capability with all-encompassing resources and easy-to-apply interfaces. The performance is as well pretty adept, and other standard LibreOffice writing tools, such as spell cheque, are also a plus.

4. Inkscape

Inkscape is more than simply a flowchart or diagramming tool. You can use vector graphics software to create various graphics such as flowcharts, icons, illustrations, maps, diagrams, and web graphics.

Inkscape

Important features

• You lot can import and export to various file formats such as SVG, AI, EPS, PS, PDF, and PNG.
• Utilizes SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) every bit its native format.
• Information technology features object creation and manipulation, fills, and strokes.
• Highly customizable with add together-ons to extend functionality.
• Supports auto shapes, design layers, and a 3D boxes tool.
• Functions equally a sketch tool with sketch and trace.
• Multi-lingual.

If you like to work with vector graphics, then Inkscape is a tool worth giving a try. Its simple interface and toolbar items go far straightforward to create basic shapes similar rectangles and squares, for starters.

Install as a snap # snap install calligra --candidate        

Fun Fact: Vector graphics file extensions include: .SVG, .PDF, .AI. Raster graphics file extensions include: .BMP, .TIF, .JPG, .GIF.

5.  Calligra Flow

Calligra Menstruum

Calligra Menstruum is an easy-to-use tool that is included in the Calligra Office Suite project. Flow is the component of Calligra Part that allows flowcharts. Users can likewise work on 2nd drawings, illustrations, create diagrams, network diagrams, organization charts, etc.

Important features

• Highly integrated with other Calligra applications in the Calligra Office Suite project.
• Extensive styling, formatting tools, and stencil boxes.
• Supports Vector Cartoon.
• Visual Database App Creator.
• It features a presentation maker, document Creator, a calculation, and a Spreadsheet tool.
• Customizable dockers.

Calligra Menstruum is a tool geared towards flowcharts and could make a skillful choice, preferably for KDE users.

Install as a snap  # snap install calligra --candidate

6.  Graphviz

Graph Visualization Software (Graphviz) is an open-source and programmable graph drawing software. Y'all can utilize this tool to create network diagrams, database connections, bioinformatics, and like diagrams.

Graphviz

Important features

• Information technology features a drove of programs for graph visualization specified in DOT language scripts.
• It features web and interactive graphical interfaces to display output.
• Supports a wide range of formats such as images and SVG for web pages, Postscript, or PDF for inclusion in other documents.
• Supports a wide range of colors, fonts, tabular node layouts, line styles, hyperlinks, and custom shapes.

Graphviz is a tool for users with projects to convert text to graphical representations, and you can get started from the official Graphviz documentation.

Install on Fedora 33 # dnf install Graphviz

vii.  Umbrello

Umbrello

Umbrello UML Modeller is a free and open-source Unified Modelling Language (UML) diagram tool based on KDE. Designers can use it to create diagrams of software such a class diagram, sequence diagram, collaboration diagram, use instance diagram, activity diagram, state diagram, component diagram, and entity relationship diagrams (ERDs)

Important features

• Users can generate lawmaking from UML diagrams in a multifariousness of programming languages.
• Cross-platform.
• Create a wide variety of diagrams like form diagrams, sequence diagrams, component diagrams, and entity-relationship diagrams (ERDs), and much more.

Install as a snap # snap install umbrello

8.  yEd Graph Editor

yED Graph Editor

yEd Graph Editor is a powerful cross-platform desktop awarding for creating diagrams. It supports various diagram types, and you tin manually create diagrams or external import information for manipulation or analysis. Information technology supports diagrams such as illustrated types, mind maps, organization charts, swimlane diagrams, ERDs.

Of import Features

• Intuitive user interface.
• Import external data from an excel spreadsheet (.xls) or XML.
• Export bitmap and vector graphics such as PNG, JPG, SVG, PDF, and SWF.
• Drag and drop feature to make diagrams quickly.
• Wide range of automatic layout algorithms to adapt large data sets effectively.
• It supports the automatic arrangement of diagram elements.
• Accessible via yED alive editor in a web browser.

9.   Diagrams.net

app.diagram.net

Diagrams.cyberspace is a gratis, open-source diagramming projection that is primarily web-based. It features many powerful tools to create dissimilar diagrams such as flowcharts, Eastward-R diagrams, and many more. Information technology also supports drag and drop that can come up in handy if you have to create charts apace. Information technology

Important features

• Works with tools such equally Office 365 apps and Google workplace.
• It features a variety of styling, formatting tools, and predefined shapes.
• Drag and driblet feature to brand diagrams speedily.
• Features diverse predefined templates, including software, network, business organisation objects, and Kubernetes-specific shapes for cloud infrastructure.
• Output files tin be saved as uncomplicated text files, making backups and sharing incredibly straightforward.
• Supports directly uploads and integration to deject storage.

If you lot find the project interesting, try the offline desktop version to enhance performance and privacy. Diagrams.net open-source project (formerly draw.io) is available with the Apache two.0 license.

10.  PlantUML

PlantUML

PlantUML is an exciting open up-source tool for creating UML diagrams using a textual description language. It features an intuitive syntax used for modeling and can also exist used with Emacs org-style to develop technical documentation. Thus, it is a skillful choice if y'all seek to create professional-looking diagrams and technical designs.

Important features

• Create a wide range of diagrams such every bit class diagram, sequence diagram, collaboration diagram, deployment diagram, use instance diagram, state diagram, action diagram, component diagram, ER diagrams, etc.
• Create non-UML diagrams such as collaboration, sequence, use case, SDL, Gantt, and much more.
• Supports a variety of consign formats such as PNG, SVG, or LaTex.

Install on Fedora 33 dnf install plantuml

11.  Pencil

Pencil is an easy-to-utilise open-source GUI awarding for prototyping. It features built-in shapes, flowchart elements, desktop & spider web UI shapes, Android & iOS GUI shapes that make it a good choice for creating mockups and designing prototypes for desktop or mobile platforms.

Pencil Android mockups

Important features

• It features a diagram drawing tool.
• It supports exporting to dissimilar formats, including ODT documents, SVG, and PDF.
• Integration with OpenClipart.org gives access to additional Cliparts.
• Cross-platform.
• Available equally a Firefox extension.

Install as a snap # snap install pencil-snap-demo

Conclusion

Whether you lot create flowcharts, UML, designing cloud infrastructure, web or application mockups, or network diagrams, images are a cracking style to share or communicate your ideas and vision to your squad. The tools listed here will give yous a dandy fashion to kickoff designing diagrams and architecture that tell a story or communicate ideas effectively.

In my experience, Dia can offer a reliable feel for creating simple to intermediate diagrams, just my best experience in creating charts comes from Diagrams.net or yEd Graph editor. Both these tools provide an extensive list of extensions and congenital-in examples that can give you lot a quick way to get started on complex designs or diagrams with relative ease.

inouecrocke.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.fosslinux.com/48366/best-diagramming-tools-linux.htm

Share this post