Show HN: Box-n-Weave.js – 0-dependency text-to-diagramming lib (16kb gzipped) (opens in new tab)

I was frustrated with the complexity and size of existing diagram libraries, so I wrote a new one from scratch. Box-N-Weave.js generates box-and-arrow diagrams from text definitions, with a focus on maintainable technical documentation.

Key features:

  - Zero dependencies, tiny footprint (16.2kb gzipped vs 745kb for Mermaid.js)
  - Clean separation of diagram content, styling, and animations
  - Git-friendly text format that can live alongside your code
  - Streamlined syntax for common technical diagrams (architecture, flows, state machines, etc.)
  - Built-in animation support

The layout algorithm was written from scratch (not using dagre/elkjs/cytoscape) to keep it lightweight while flexible enough to add novel features.

Examples: https://box-n-weave-026ffb.gitlab.io/#examples

Repo: https://gitlab.com/andrewfulrich/box-n-weave

I'd love feedback on bugs, the API design, and use cases you'd want to see supported. The goal is to keep it focused on doing one thing well - making it dead simple to maintain box-and-arrow diagrams as code evolves.