switz

switz / box-of-rain

Public

Auto-layouted ASCII/svg diagrams generated from simple configuration. Supports json, yaml, and mermaid inputs. Outputs to ASCII or SVG.

saewitz.com ascii diagram json mermaid yaml
76
2
100% credibility
Found Feb 17, 2026 at 23 stars 3x -- GitGems finds repos before they trend. Get early access to the next one.
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AI Analysis
TypeScript
AI Summary

A library and command-line tool for generating ASCII or SVG box-and-arrow diagrams from structured data descriptions or Mermaid syntax.

How It Works

1
🔍 Discover Box of Rain

You stumble upon this handy tool while looking for ways to draw simple diagrams of systems or processes using text boxes and arrows.

2
🚀 Try the Sample

You start by running the built-in example to instantly see a pretty diagram of boxes connected by arrows appear on your screen.

3
✨ Create Your Diagram

You describe your idea using easy lists of boxes, text inside them, and arrows linking related parts, like sketching on paper but in words.

4
🎨 Add Style and Connections

You choose box shapes, add shadows or titles, and draw arrows with labels to show how things connect and flow.

5
🖼️ Generate the Picture

With one quick command, it arranges everything neatly and shows your diagram as readable text art or a crisp image.

✅ Share Your Visual

Your team loves the clear, professional-looking diagram that makes complex ideas easy to understand at a glance.

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Star Growth

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AI-Generated Review

What is box-of-rain?

Box-of-rain is a TypeScript tool for generating auto-layouted ASCII or SVG diagrams from simple JSON, YAML, or Mermaid configurations. Feed it a recursive tree of boxes with connections, borders, shadows, and labels—like a cloud platform linking frontend to API and database—and it outputs polished diagrams without manual positioning. Named after the Grateful Dead classic by Robert Hunter, it handles nested boxes and Mermaid flowcharts or sequences via CLI (`npx box-of-rain diagram.json --svg`) or programmatic API.

Why is it gaining traction?

It stands out with dead-simple inputs that auto-layout everything, including smart arrow routing (L-shapes, U-turns) and Mermaid parsing for flowcharts with subgraphs or sequence diagrams. No more tweaking x/y coords or fighting tools like Graphviz; get readable ASCII for docs or SVGs for sites, with styles like rounded/dashed borders and shadows. Devs dig the tiny bundle size and zero-hosting needs.

Who should use this?

Backend engineers diagramming microservices in READMEs, docs writers converting Mermaid sketches to ASCII for terminals, or ops folks mocking infrastructure flows from YAML configs. Ideal for Grateful Dead fans (box of rain lyrics meaning aside) needing quick box-of-rain chords-style visuals without design tools.

Verdict

Grab it for lightweight, config-driven diagrams—CLI and API work out of the box—but treat as experimental with 16 stars, 1.0% credibility, and AI-generated code (tests pass, docs solid). Fine for prototypes; watch for maintenance.

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