Diagrams rot because each one is a separate drawing that someone has to fix by hand. Keystone keeps one model underneath them all. Try renaming the database, then flip the switch.
In Keystone, renaming an object updates every diagram that shows it.
In Keystone, a box is a real object, and every diagram that shows it points at the same one. Rename it, change its owner or delete it, and every diagram, flow and comment follows.
Anyone who spots a mistake can flag it as an inaccuracy right on the object, so the map gets fixed instead of quietly ignored.
Most architecture tools can only draw your system. Keystone can run traffic through it. Give objects small rules, like a rate limit or a cache hit ratio, and watch where requests pile up.
Drag the load past 750 requests a second, then add a read replica. That's a design review you can do before anyone writes code.
Keystone sends traffic through your model and shows where it breaks.
Your architecture map lists every system, every database and every weak spot you have. Keystone runs on your own infrastructure, behind your own sign-in. Nothing goes to a vendor cloud.
And there are no plan walls: single sign-on, the API, webhooks, drafts and simulation ship in every install.
$ docker compose up -d ✔ postgres Healthy ✔ api Started migrations applied ✔ web Started :8080 $ curl -s localhost:3000/ready {"status":"ready"}
Every tool here is good at something. This is about which one fits a shared, living architecture model.
| Keystone | IcePanel | Structurizr | Lucidchart, draw.io, Miro | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shared model under the diagrams | Yes | Yes | Yes | No, shapes only |
| Visual editor, no code needed | Yes | Yes | No, you write a DSL | Yes |
| Step-by-step flows | Yes | Yes | Dynamic diagrams | No |
| Drafts for proposed changes | Yes | Yes | Via git branches | No |
| Traffic simulation | Yes | No | No | No |
| Run it on your own servers | Yes | No, cloud only | Yes | draw.io only |
| SSO in every install | SAML and OIDC | Paid plans | Depends on edition | Varies by tool and plan |
Based on each vendor's public docs as of September 2026. Something out of date? Tell us at support@keystone-app.io and we'll fix it.
Yes. Keystone ships with C4-style object types and diagrams, and lets you add your own object types when C4's four levels don't fit. New to C4? Read our plain-English guide.
Yes. Keystone runs on your own servers with Docker and Postgres. Your architecture data never leaves your network. More on self-hosting.
None. Every install gets every feature, including SAML and OIDC single sign-on, the API, webhooks and simulation.
No. Keystone is a visual editor in the browser. Engineers who want automation can use the REST API and YAML or JSON import.
You write small rules for objects or technologies, like rate limits or cache hit ratios, in a few lines of JavaScript. Then you send traffic through the model. Keystone shows where messages pile up or fail, with a step-by-step trace for each one.
Tell us about your team and what you'd map first. We'll send you everything you need to run it.