Architectural diagrams are essential for software design and collaboration. At Spotify, we have a complex network of interlinked systems, making it necessary to visualize connections simply. We use a standardized software metadata model, the Spotify System Model, to communicate architecture. Our software is modeled using APIs, Components, and Resources. We track our software components in a catalog and have introduced abstractions such as Systems and Domains to understand the broader software ecosystem. We solve the software visualization challenge by using whiteboards and creating a common language for communicating software architecture.
