Questions
Including the ones where the answer is no. Knowing what a tool will not do is usually more useful than another list of what it will.
Accounts and storage
- Do I need an account?
- No. DiagramDock has no accounts, no sign-in and no server holding them. Open the editor and start drawing.
- Where are diagrams stored?
- In your browser, using IndexedDB. Preferences like grid settings use LocalStorage. Nothing else.
- Are my diagrams uploaded anywhere?
- No. There is no endpoint to upload to. The editor is a static site and every operation runs on your device.
- What happens if I clear browser data?
- Your diagrams are removed, permanently. DiagramDock has no copy to restore from. Export anything you would miss.
- Can I move diagrams to another computer?
- Yes, by exporting. A single diagram exports as a .diagramdock file; the whole workspace exports as a ZIP you can restore elsewhere.
- How do backups work?
- Export Workspace produces a ZIP containing every diagram plus a manifest. Restoring validates the whole archive first — if any part is unreadable, nothing is restored rather than half of it.
- Are images uploaded?
- No. Images are read with FileReader, compressed and stored as blobs in the same local database as your diagrams.
Using it
- Can DiagramDock work offline?
- Yes, once the app has been loaded and cached. The editor does not need a network connection to open, edit or export a diagram.
- Can I create mind maps?
- Yes, with keyboard-driven branching: Tab adds a child, Enter adds a sibling, Shift+Tab promotes. Four layouts are available.
- Can I create UML diagrams?
- Class, use case, component and sequence diagrams. Not the full UML specification — the parts people actually draw.
- Can I create ER diagrams?
- Yes, by hand or by pasting CREATE TABLE statements. Cardinality is derived from key shape rather than guessed.
- Can I import a database?
- You can paste a schema as text. DiagramDock cannot connect to a database — that would require a server, and it does not have one. No SQL is ever executed.
- Can I print diagrams?
- Export to PDF and print that. PDF output is vector, so it stays sharp at any size.
- Are there templates?
- Yes, 60 of them, each a working diagram with real content rather than an empty outline.
Exporting
- Can I export SVG?
- Yes, and it is true vector: real shapes and text elements drawn from the diagram model, so it opens as editable art in tools like Inkscape or Illustrator rather than as an embedded screenshot.
- Can I export PDF?
- Yes, also vector. Text stays selectable.
- Can I import diagrams?
- Yes — DiagramDock project files, Mermaid flowcharts, and CSV for org charts. Every import is validated before anything is loaded, and imported files can never execute code.
- Does DiagramDock support Mermaid?
- Export covers flowcharts, sequence, class, ER and mind maps. Import covers a documented subset of flowchart syntax. Some styling and positioning cannot be represented in Mermaid, and the export dialog says so before you commit.
What it does not do
- Is there collaboration?
- No. Real-time collaboration needs a server to relay changes between people, and DiagramDock does not have one. If you need co-editing, a hosted tool is genuinely the better choice.
- Can multiple people edit at once?
- No, for the same reason. You can send someone an exported project file and they can open it in their own browser.
- Does DiagramDock have AI?
- No. There is no AI diagram generation and no model running anywhere in the product.
- Does DiagramDock require an API?
- No. There are no API keys, no external services and no network calls during editing or export.
Legal and cost
- Is DiagramDock free?
- Yes. There is no paid tier and no checkout.
- Can I use diagrams commercially?
- Yes. Diagrams you create are yours, including ones started from a template.
Something not answered here? Get in touch.