Getting Started with Architecto

Welcome! This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to start designing, analyzing, and documenting cloud architectures with Architecto.

What is Architecto?

Architecto is an AI-native platform that transforms your cloud architecture ideas into production-ready designs. Whether you're sketching out a new infrastructure or reviewing existing systems, Architecto streamlines the entire process—from initial concept through team review and professional documentation.

Key Capabilities

Instant Architecture Generation

• Natural Language Input — Describe your infrastructure needs in plain English
• Multi-Cloud Options — Receive architecture suggestions for AWS, GCP, Azure, Kubernetes, and hybrid environments
• Visual Canvas — Edit and refine diagrams with an intuitive drag-drop interface

Intelligent Analysis

• Cost Analysis — Understand financial implications at different scale points
• Scalability Testing — Identify bottlenecks before they become problems
• Security Review — Automated threat modeling and vulnerability assessment
• Performance Simulation — Latency and throughput prediction under load

Professional Documentation

• Auto-Generated Docs — Create RFCs, ADRs, and runbooks from your architecture
• Code Analysis — Parse existing Terraform or CloudFormation files into diagrams
• Rich Editor — HyperDocs for enhanced markdown with embedded visuals

Team Collaboration

• Secure Sharing — Token-based links with comment threads and feedback
• Branded Exports — PPT, PDF, PNG with custom theming
• Organization Management — Team member roles, invitations, and licensing

Your First Steps

1. Create an Account

Visit architecto.dev and sign up with email, OAuth, or passkey authentication.

2. Explore the Dashboard

Your dashboard provides quick access to:

• Recent Projects — Previously created architectures
• Pattern Library — 240+ industry-standard reference architectures
• Quick Actions — Buttons to start designing, importing code, or learning

3. Generate Your First Architecture

Choose one approach:

Option A: Use Architect AI

1. Click "Create Architecture" → "Describe with AI"
2. Enter a natural language description: "E-commerce platform serving 10k concurrent users, needs real-time inventory sync, payment processing, and multi-region failover"
3. Review generated options (typically 3-5 variants)
4. Select your preferred architecture
5. Customize in the canvas: adjust components, add security groups, tweak data flows

Option B: Use Pattern Library

1. Click "Create Architecture" → "Start from Pattern"
2. Browse categories: Microservices, Serverless, Multi-Tenant, Data Analytics, etc.
3. Select a pattern matching your use case
4. Adapt components to your specific requirements

Option C: Import from Code

1. Click "Create Architecture" → "Import from Terraform"
2. Connect your GitHub account (OAuth)
3. Select a repository
4. Choose a Terraform/CloudFormation file
5. Architecto generates a topology diagram and identifies optimization opportunities

4. Analyze Your Architecture

Once you've designed an architecture:

Run Cost Analysis

• Answers: "How much will this cost at 1k/10k/100k users?"
• Identifies: Cost escalation points and financial sustainability limits
• Suggests: Optimization strategies and cost-reduction options

Check Scalability

• Tests: How many concurrent users can each component handle?
• Identifies: Bottlenecks (usually database, cache, or load balancer)
• Suggests: Scaling patterns (read replicas, sharding, horizontal scaling)

Review Security

• Analyzes: STRIDE threats (Spoofing, Tampering, Repudiation, Information Disclosure, Denial of Service, Elevation of Privilege)
• Maps: Attack paths and vulnerable components
• Recommends: Mitigations (authentication, encryption, rate limiting, WAF, etc.)

5. Generate Documentation

Convert your architecture into professional documentation:

Create an RFC (Request for Comments)

• Auto-generated sections: Problem statement, solution overview, trade-offs, cost analysis, security considerations
• Embeds: Architecture diagram, cost charts, threat analysis
• Editable: Use HyperDocs to refine sections

Create an ADR (Architecture Decision Record)

• Captures: Why you chose this architecture over alternatives
• Links: To related decisions, trade-offs, and assumptions
• Status: In Progress, Proposed, Accepted, Deprecated, etc.

Create a Runbook

• Includes: Deployment steps, monitoring setup, incident response procedures
• Auto-populated: Component dependencies, endpoint information, alarm thresholds

6. Share with Your Team

1. Click "Share" and generate a token link
2. Send to team members (works in browser, no account required)
3. Reviewers can:
   • View the full topology
   • Add inline comments and feedback
   • See analysis results (cost, security, scalability)
   • Compare to previous versions
4. You receive notifications when comments are added

7. Export for Presentations

1. Click "Export" and choose format (PNG, SVG, PDF, PPT)
2. Select theme or create custom branding:
   • Colors, fonts, background style
   • Logo placement
   • Accent colors for different component types
3. Download ready-to-present materials

Core Concepts

Topology

The visual representation of your architecture—nodes connected by flows. Each node represents a cloud component (EC2, Lambda, RDS, etc.).

Node

A single component in your architecture. Architecto pre-loads icons for 200+ AWS, GCP, Azure, and generic services.

Flow

The connection between nodes showing data movement (synchronous API calls, async messaging, database queries, etc.).

Profile

A cloud provider configuration. Architecto has built-in profiles for AWS (with pricing data), GCP, Azure, Kubernetes, and Docker.

Analysis Module

A specialized tool evaluating one dimension of your architecture (cost, security, scalability, performance, compliance).

Theme

Visual customization applied during export: colors, fonts, icon styles, backgrounds, and layouts.

Common Workflows

Architecture Review Cycle

1. Designer creates initial architecture
2. Share with reviewers via token link
3. Reviewers add comments and suggestions
4. Designer refines topology and regenerates analysis
5. Version comparison shows what changed
6. Final approval documented in ADR

Migration Planning

1. Draw current on-premises or existing cloud setup
2. Design target multi-cloud architecture
3. Use "Architecture Diff" tool to plan migration steps
4. Run cost analysis comparing current vs. target
5. Generate migration runbook with phased approach

Incident Response

1. SRE quickly sketches incident topology showing failure points
2. Shares via link to war room team
3. Team adds annotations (suspected causes, affected services)
4. Post-incident: convert to runbook to prevent recurrence

Learning Paths

1. Start with beginner quizzes (Cloud Fundamentals, Compute, Storage)
2. Progress through flashcard suites (spaced repetition)
3. Apply learning by designing a real architecture
4. Get feedback through team review process

Next Steps

• Learn Core Concepts → Read Core Concepts
• Explore Features → See Features Guide
• Review Patterns → Browse Architecture Patterns
• Check Integrations → Explore Integrations

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