AWS Architecture Diagram Creation with Draw.io

Overview

Create professional, pixel-perfect AWS architecture diagrams in draw.io's native XML format using the official AWS Architecture Icons (aws4 shape library). This skill enables generation of production-ready .drawio files that can be opened directly in diagrams.net.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• Creating AWS cloud architecture diagrams (VPC, subnets, services)
• Designing multi-tier application architectures on AWS
• Drawing serverless architecture diagrams (Lambda, API Gateway, DynamoDB)
• Visualizing network topologies with VPCs, subnets, and security groups
• Creating infrastructure diagrams for AWS Well-Architected reviews
• Documenting existing AWS infrastructure as visual diagrams
• Building deployment architecture diagrams with ECS, EKS, or EC2
• Designing data pipeline architectures (Kinesis, S3, Glue, Redshift)
• Creating disaster recovery and multi-region architecture diagrams

Instructions

Draw.io File Structure

Every .drawio file follows this XML structure:

<mxfile host="app.diagrams.net" agent="Claude" version="24.7.17">
  <diagram id="aws-arch-1" name="AWS Architecture">
    <mxGraphModel dx="1434" dy="759" grid="1" gridSize="10" guides="1"
      tooltips="1" connect="1" arrows="1" fold="1" page="1"
      pageScale="1" pageWidth="1169" pageHeight="827" math="0" shadow="0">
      <root>
        <mxCell id="0" />
        <mxCell id="1" parent="0" />
        <!-- AWS shapes and connectors here -->
      </root>
    </mxGraphModel>
  </diagram>
</mxfile>

Key rules:

• IDs "0" and "1" are reserved for root cells
• Use sequential integer IDs starting from "2"
• Use landscape orientation (pageWidth="1169" pageHeight="827") for architecture diagrams
• All coordinates must be positive and aligned to grid (multiples of 10)

AWS4 Group Containers

Groups are containers that visually organize AWS resources. They use container=1 and child shapes reference the group via parent="groupId".

AWS Cloud (top-level boundary):

<mxCell id="2" value="AWS Cloud" style="points=[[0,0],[0.25,0],[0.5,0],[0.75,0],[1,0],[1,0.25],[1,0.5],[1,0.75],[1,1],[0.75,1],[0.5,1],[0.25,1],[0,1],[0,0.75],[0,0.5],[0,0.25]];outlineConnect=0;gradientColor=none;html=1;whiteSpace=wrap;fontSize=12;fontStyle=0;shape=mxgraph.aws4.group;grIcon=mxgraph.aws4.group_aws_cloud_alt;strokeColor=#232F3E;fillColor=none;verticalAlign=top;align=left;spacingLeft=30;fontColor=#232F3E;dashed=0;labelBackgroundColor=none;container=1;pointerEvents=0;collapsible=0;recursiveResize=0;" vertex="1" parent="1">
  <mxGeometry x="100" y="40" width="1000" height="700" as="geometry" />
</mxCell>

Region:

<mxCell id="3" value="us-east-1" style="points=[[0,0],[0.25,0],[0.5,0],[0.75,0],[1,0],[1,0.25],[1,0.5],[1,0.75],[1,1],[0.75,1],[0.5,1],[0.25,1],[0,1],[0,0.75],[0,0.5],[0,0.25]];outlineConnect=0;gradientColor=none;html=1;whiteSpace=wrap;fontSize=12;fontStyle=0;shape=mxgraph.aws4.group;grIcon=mxgraph.aws4.group_region;strokeColor=#00A4A6;fillColor=none;verticalAlign=top;align=left;spacingLeft=30;fontColor=#147EBA;dashed=1;labelBackgroundColor=none;container=1;pointerEvents=0;collapsible=0;recursiveResize=0;" vertex="1" parent="2">
  <mxGeometry x="20" y="40" width="960" height="640" as="geometry" />
</mxCell>

VPC:

<mxCell id="4" value="VPC (10.0.0.0/16)" style="points=[[0,0],[0.25,0],[0.5,0],[0.75,0],[1,0],[1,0.25],[1,0.5],[1,0.75],[1,1],[0.75,1],[0.5,1],[0.25,1],[0,1],[0,0.75],[0,0.5],[0,0.25]];outlineConnect=0;gradientColor=none;html=1;whiteSpace=wrap;fontSize=12;fontStyle=0;shape=mxgraph.aws4.group;grIcon=mxgraph.aws4.group_vpc;strokeColor=#8C4FFF;fillColor=none;verticalAlign=top;align=left;spacingLeft=30;fontColor=#AAB7B8;dashed=0;labelBackgroundColor=none;container=1;pointerEvents=0;collapsible=0;recursiveResize=0;" vertex="1" parent="3">
  <mxGeometry x="20" y="40" width="920" height="580" as="geometry" />
</mxCell>

Public Subnet:

style="points=[[...same points...]];outlineConnect=0;gradientColor=none;html=1;whiteSpace=wrap;fontSize=12;fontStyle=0;shape=mxgraph.aws4.group;grIcon=mxgraph.aws4.group_security_group;strokeColor=#7AA116;fillColor=#E9F3D2;verticalAlign=top;align=left;spacingLeft=30;fontColor=#248814;dashed=0;labelBackgroundColor=none;container=1;pointerEvents=0;collapsible=0;recursiveResize=0;"

Private Subnet:

style="points=[[...same points...]];outlineConnect=0;gradientColor=none;html=1;whiteSpace=wrap;fontSize=12;fontStyle=0;shape=mxgraph.aws4.group;grIcon=mxgraph.aws4.group_security_group;strokeColor=#00A4A6;fillColor=#E6F6F7;verticalAlign=top;align=left;spacingLeft=30;fontColor=#147EBA;dashed=0;labelBackgroundColor=none;container=1;pointerEvents=0;collapsible=0;recursiveResize=0;"

AWS4 Service Icons

Service icons use the shape=mxgraph.aws4.resourceIcon pattern with resIcon for the specific service, or dedicated shape names.

CRITICAL: strokeColor=#ffffff is required for all resourceIcon shapes. This makes the icon glyph render as white on the colored background. Using strokeColor=none causes the icon to render as black.

Standard service icon pattern:

<mxCell id="10" value="Amazon S3" style="sketch=0;points=[[0,0,0],[0.25,0,0],[0.5,0,0],[0.75,0,0],[1,0,0],[0,1,0],[0.25,1,0],[0.5,1,0],[0.75,1,0],[1,1,0],[0,0.25,0],[0,0.5,0],[0,0.75,0],[1,0.25,0],[1,0.5,0],[1,0.75,0]];outlineConnect=0;fontColor=#232F3E;gradientColor=#60A337;gradientDirection=north;fillColor=#277116;strokeColor=#ffffff;dashed=0;verticalLabelPosition=bottom;verticalAlign=top;align=center;html=1;fontSize=12;fontStyle=0;aspect=fixed;shape=mxgraph.aws4.resourceIcon;resIcon=mxgraph.aws4.s3;" vertex="1" parent="1">
  <mxGeometry x="100" y="100" width="60" height="60" as="geometry" />
</mxCell>

Note: Dedicated shapes like lambda_function, applicationLoadBalancer, users do NOT use resourceIcon and should keep strokeColor=none.

AWS Service Color Codes

Each AWS service category uses official colors with gradients for resourceIcon shapes. All resourceIcon shapes must use strokeColor=#ffffff and gradientDirection=north.

Connector Styles for AWS Diagrams

Standard data flow:

edgeStyle=orthogonalEdgeStyle;rounded=0;orthogonalLoop=1;jettySize=auto;html=1;endArrow=open;endFill=0;strokeColor=#545B64;strokeWidth=2;

Secure/encrypted connection:

edgeStyle=orthogonalEdgeStyle;rounded=0;orthogonalLoop=1;jettySize=auto;html=1;endArrow=classic;endFill=1;strokeColor=#DD344C;strokeWidth=2;dashed=1;dashPattern=5 5;

Async/event-driven flow:

edgeStyle=orthogonalEdgeStyle;rounded=0;orthogonalLoop=1;jettySize=auto;html=1;endArrow=open;endFill=0;strokeColor=#E7157B;strokeWidth=2;dashed=1;

Layout Best Practices for AWS Diagrams

1. Hierarchy: External users → Internet → AWS Cloud → Region → VPC → Subnets → Services
2. Left-to-right flow: User traffic enters from the left, data flows right
3. Top-to-bottom tiers: Public tier on top, private tier in middle, data tier at bottom
4. Standard sizes: Service icons 60x60, group containers follow nesting
5. Spacing: 30-40px between service icons, 20px padding inside containers
6. Grid alignment: All coordinates in multiples of 10
7. Labels: Place below icons (verticalLabelPosition=bottom;verticalAlign=top;)

Opening Diagrams with AWS Libraries

Always include this instruction when generating a .drawio file:

Open in draw.io with AWS libraries enabled:
https://app.diagrams.net/?libs=aws4

Examples

Example 1: Generate a Three-Tier Architecture Diagram

User Request: "Create an AWS architecture diagram for a three-tier web application with VPC, public subnets for ALB, private subnets for EC2, and RDS in data subnets across two AZs."

Generated Output (three-tier-architecture.drawio):

<mxfile host="app.diagrams.net" agent="Claude" version="24.7.17">
  <diagram id="three-tier-1" name="Three-Tier Web App">
    <mxGraphModel dx="1434" dy="759" grid="1" gridSize="10" guides="1" tooltips="1" connect="1" arrows="1" fold="1" page="1" pageScale="1" pageWidth="1169" pageHeight="827" math="0" shadow="0">
      <root>
        <mxCell id="0" />
        <mxCell id="1" parent="0" />
        <mxCell id="2" value="Users" style="sketch=0;outlineConnect=0;fontColor=#232F3E;fillColor=#232F3E;strokeColor=none;dashed=0;verticalLabelPosition=bottom;verticalAlign=top;align=center;html=1;fontSize=12;fontStyle=0;aspect=fixed;shape=mxgraph.aws4.users;" vertex="1" parent="1">
          <mxGeometry x="40" y="340" width="60" height="60" as="geometry" />
        </mxCell>
        <mxCell id="3" value="AWS Cloud" style="points=[[0,0],[0.25,0],[0.5,0],[0.75,0],[1,0],[1,0.25],[1,0.5],[1,0.75],[1,1],[0.75,1],[0.5,1],[0.25,1],[0,1],[0,0.75],[0,0.5],[0,0.25]];outlineConnect=0;gradientColor=none;html=1;whiteSpace=wrap;fontSize=12;fontStyle=0;shape=mxgraph.aws4.group;grIcon=mxgraph.aws4.group_aws_cloud_alt;strokeColor=#232F3E;fillColor=none;verticalAlign=top;align=left;spacingLeft=30;fontColor=#232F3E;dashed=0;labelBackgroundColor=none;container=1;pointerEvents=0;collapsible=0;recursiveResize=0;" vertex="1" parent="1">
          <mxGeometry x="160" y="40" width="960" height="720" as="geometry" />
        </mxCell>
        <mxCell id="4" value="us-east-1" style="points=[[0,0],[0.25,0],[0.5,0],[0.75,0],[1,0],[1,0.25],[1,0.5],[1,0.75],[1,1],[0.75,1],[0.5,1],[0.25,1],[0,1],[0,0.75],[0,0.5],[0,0.25]];outlineConnect=0;gradientColor=none;html=1;whiteSpace=wrap;fontSize=12;fontStyle=0;shape=mxgraph.aws4.group;grIcon=mxgraph.aws4.group_region;strokeColor=#00A4A6;fillColor=none;verticalAlign=top;align=left;spacingLeft=30;fontColor=#147EBA;dashed=1;labelBackgroundColor=none;container=1;pointerEvents=0;collapsible=0;recursiveResize=0;" vertex="1" parent="3">
          <mxGeometry x="20" y="40" width="920" height="660" as="geometry" />
        </mxCell>
        <mxCell id="5" value="VPC (10.0.0.0/16)" style="points=[[0,0],[0.25,0],[0.5,0],[0.75,0],[1,0],[1,0.25],[1,0.5],[1,0.75],[1,1],[0.75,1],[0.5,1],[0.25,1],[0,1],[0,0.75],[0,0.5],[0,0.25]];outlineConnect=0;gradientColor=none;html=1;whiteSpace=wrap;fontSize=12;fontStyle=0;shape=mxgraph.aws4.group;grIcon=mxgraph.aws4.group_vpc;strokeColor=#8C4FFF;fillColor=none;verticalAlign=top;align=left;spacingLeft=30;fontColor=#AAB7B8;dashed=0;labelBackgroundColor=none;container=1;pointerEvents=0;collapsible=0;recursiveResize=0;" vertex="1" parent="4">
          <mxGeometry x="20" y="40" width="880" height="600" as="geometry" />
        </mxCell>
        <mxCell id="6" value="Public Subnet (10.0.1.0/24)" style="points=[[0,0],[0.25,0],[0.5,0],[0.75,0],[1,0],[1,0.25],[1,0.5],[1,0.75],[1,1],[0.75,1],[0.5,1],[0.25,1],[0,1],[0,0.75],[0,0.5],[0,0.25]];outlineConnect=0;gradientColor=none;html=1;whiteSpace=wrap;fontSize=11;fontStyle=0;shape=mxgraph.aws4.group;grIcon=mxgraph.aws4.group_security_group;strokeColor=#7AA116;fillColor=#E9F3D2;verticalAlign=top;align=left;spacingLeft=30;fontColor=#248814;dashed=0;labelBackgroundColor=none;container=1;pointerEvents=0;collapsible=0;recursiveResize=0;" vertex="1" parent="5">
          <mxGeometry x="20" y="40" width="400" height="160" as="geometry" />
        </mxCell>
        <mxCell id="7" value="Private Subnet (10.0.3.0/24)" style="points=[[0,0],[0.25,0],[0.5,0],[0.75,0],[1,0],[1,0.25],[1,0.5],[1,0.75],[1,1],[0.75,1],[0.5,1],[0.25,1],[0,1],[0,0.75],[0,0.5],[0,0.25]];outlineConnect=0;gradientColor=none;html=1;whiteSpace=wrap;fontSize=11;fontStyle=0;shape=mxgraph.aws4.group;grIcon=mxgraph.aws4.group_security_group;strokeColor=#00A4A6;fillColor=#E6F6F7;verticalAlign=top;align=left;spacingLeft=30;fontColor=#147EBA;dashed=0;labelBackgroundColor=none;container=1;pointerEvents=0;collapsible=0;recursiveResize=0;" vertex="1" parent="5">
          <mxGeometry x="20" y="230" width="400" height="160" as="geometry" />
        </mxCell>
        <mxCell id="8" value="Data Subnet (10.0.5.0/24)" style="points=[[0,0],[0.25,0],[0.5,0],[0.75,0],[1,0],[1,0.25],[1,0.5],[1,0.75],[1,1],[0.75,1],[0.5,1],[0.25,1],[0,1],[0,0.75],[0,0.5],[0,0.25]];outlineConnect=0;gradientColor=none;html=1;whiteSpace=wrap;fontSize=11;fontStyle=0;shape=mxgraph.aws4.group;grIcon=mxgraph.aws4.group_security_group;strokeColor=#00A4A6;fillColor=#E6F6F7;verticalAlign=top;align=left;spacingLeft=30;fontColor=#147EBA;dashed=0;labelBackgroundColor=none;container=1;pointerEvents=0;collapsible=0;recursiveResize=0;" vertex="1" parent="5">
          <mxGeometry x="20" y="420" width="400" height="160" as="geometry" />
        </mxCell>
        <mxCell id="12" value="Application&lt;br&gt;Load Balancer" style="sketch=0;points=[[0,0,0],[0.25,0,0],[0.5,0,0],[0.75,0,0],[1,0,0],[0,1,0],[0.25,1,0],[0.5,1,0],[0.75,1,0],[1,1,0],[0,0.25,0],[0,0.5,0],[0,0.75,0],[1,0.25,0],[1,0.5,0],[1,0.75,0]];outlineConnect=0;fontColor=#232F3E;fillColor=#8C4FFF;strokeColor=none;dashed=0;verticalLabelPosition=bottom;verticalAlign=top;align=center;html=1;fontSize=11;fontStyle=0;aspect=fixed;shape=mxgraph.aws4.applicationLoadBalancer;" vertex="1" parent="6">
          <mxGeometry x="170" y="50" width="60" height="60" as="geometry" />
        </mxCell>
        <mxCell id="13" value="EC2 Instance" style="sketch=0;points=[[0,0,0],[0.25,0,0],[0.5,0,0],[0.75,0,0],[1,0,0],[0,1,0],[0.25,1,0],[0.5,1,0],[0.75,1,0],[1,1,0],[0,0.25,0],[0,0.5,0],[0,0.75,0],[1,0.25,0],[1,0.5,0],[1,0.75,0]];outlineConnect=0;fontColor=#232F3E;gradientColor=#F78E04;gradientDirection=north;fillColor=#D05C17;strokeColor=#ffffff;dashed=0;verticalLabelPosition=bottom;verticalAlign=top;align=center;html=1;fontSize=11;fontStyle=0;aspect=fixed;shape=mxgraph.aws4.resourceIcon;resIcon=mxgraph.aws4.ec2;" vertex="1" parent="7">
          <mxGeometry x="170" y="50" width="60" height="60" as="geometry" />
        </mxCell>
        <mxCell id="15" value="RDS Primary" style="sketch=0;points=[[0,0,0],[0.25,0,0],[0.5,0,0],[0.75,0,0],[1,0,0],[0,1,0],[0.25,1,0],[0.5,1,0],[0.75,1,0],[1,1,0],[0,0.25,0],[0,0.5,0],[0,0.75,0],[1,0.25,0],[1,0.5,0],[1,0.75,0]];outlineConnect=0;fontColor=#232F3E;gradientColor=#4D72F3;gradientDirection=north;fillColor=#3334B9;strokeColor=#ffffff;dashed=0;verticalLabelPosition=bottom;verticalAlign=top;align=center;html=1;fontSize=11;fontStyle=0;aspect=fixed;shape=mxgraph.aws4.resourceIcon;resIcon=mxgraph.aws4.rds;" vertex="1" parent="8">
          <mxGeometry x="170" y="50" width="60" height="60" as="geometry" />
        </mxCell>
        <mxCell id="20" style="edgeStyle=orthogonalEdgeStyle;rounded=0;orthogonalLoop=1;jettySize=auto;html=1;endArrow=open;endFill=0;strokeColor=#545B64;strokeWidth=2;" edge="1" parent="1" source="2" target="12">
          <mxGeometry relative="1" as="geometry" />
        </mxCell>
        <mxCell id="21" value="HTTPS" style="edgeStyle=orthogonalEdgeStyle;rounded=0;orthogonalLoop=1;jettySize=auto;html=1;endArrow=open;endFill=0;strokeColor=#545B64;strokeWidth=2;fontSize=11;labelBackgroundColor=#FFFFFF;" edge="1" parent="1" source="12" target="13">
          <mxGeometry relative="1" as="geometry" />
        </mxCell>
        <mxCell id="23" value="TCP 5432" style="edgeStyle=orthogonalEdgeStyle;rounded=0;orthogonalLoop=1;jettySize=auto;html=1;endArrow=open;endFill=0;strokeColor=#545B64;strokeWidth=2;fontSize=11;labelBackgroundColor=#FFFFFF;" edge="1" parent="1" source="13" target="15">
          <mxGeometry relative="1" as="geometry" />
        </mxCell>
      </root>
    </mxGraphModel>
  </diagram>
</mxfile>

Opening Instructions:

Open in draw.io with AWS libraries enabled:
https://app.diagrams.net/?libs=aws4

---

Example 2: Serverless API Architecture

User Request: "Create a serverless architecture diagram with API Gateway, Lambda functions, DynamoDB, and S3 for a REST API."

Generated Output: XML file con API Gateway (violet #E7157B), Lambda functions (orange #ED7100), DynamoDB (pink #C925D1), S3 (green #3F8624). See references/aws-architecture-templates.md for the complete template.

---

Reference Files

See the references/ directory for:

• aws-shape-reference.md - Complete AWS4 shape catalog with styles for 50+ AWS services
• aws-architecture-templates.md - Ready-to-use architecture templates (3-tier, serverless, data pipeline)

Constraints and Warnings

Critical Constraints

1. XML must be well-formed: Invalid XML will fail to open in draw.io. Always:

   • Close all tags properly (<mxCell ... /> or <mxCell>...</mxCell>)
   • Escape special characters in attributes: & → &, < → <, > → >, " → "
   • Use proper XML entities for labels (e.g., <br> for line breaks)

2. ID uniqueness is mandatory:

   • IDs "0" and "1" are reserved for root cells
   • All other IDs must be unique integers starting from "2"
   • Duplicate IDs will cause the diagram to fail loading

3. Coordinate system constraints:

   • All coordinates must be positive integers (x ≥ 0, y ≥ 0)
   • Use multiples of 10 for grid alignment (e.g., x="100" not x="105")
   • Negative coordinates will place elements outside the visible canvas

4. AWS4 library only:

   • This skill only supports official AWS4 shapes (mxgraph.aws4.*)
   • Legacy AWS shapes (mxgraph.aws3.*) are not supported
   • Generic shapes should use fillColor=#232F3E (AWS gray)

5. Parent references must be valid:

   • The parent attribute must reference an existing cell ID
   • Groups with container=1 must be referenced correctly by child elements
   • Invalid parent references will cause elements to disappear or render incorrectly

Limitations

• No dynamic layouts: Generated XML has fixed positions; manual adjustment in draw.io may be needed for complex diagrams
• Single page only: Multi-page diagrams require multiple <diagram> elements (advanced feature)
• No custom styling beyond AWS colors: Deviating from official AWS colors reduces diagram professionalism
• No auto-routing: Connection paths are fixed; rearranging elements requires manual edge adjustment

Security Considerations

• No sensitive data in diagrams: Avoid including real IP addresses, ARNs, or resource IDs in labels
• Review before sharing: XML files contain plain text that may expose internal architecture details
• Validate downloaded templates: When using references/aws-architecture-templates.md, review the XML before deploying to production documentation

Best Practices

1. Always use official AWS4 shapes - Use mxgraph.aws4.* shapes for professional look
2. Follow AWS color codes - Use official AWS service category colors
3. Use proper nesting - AWS Cloud → Region → VPC → Subnet → Services
4. Label everything - Service names, CIDR blocks, ports, protocols
5. Show data flow direction - Use labeled arrows with protocols (HTTPS, gRPC)
6. Include external actors - Users, corporate data centers, third-party services
7. Keep diagrams focused - Max 15-20 service icons per diagram
8. Use multi-page - Separate overview, network, and detail diagrams into pages
9. Add annotations - Use text labels for important notes (e.g., "Multi-AZ", "Auto Scaling")
10. Validate XML - Ensure all IDs are unique, all source/target references exist