{"data":{"slug":"d2","name":"D2","tagline":"MPL-2.0 diagram-as-code; TALA bundled for auto-layout","category":"devops","categoryName":"DevOps","url":"https://d2lang.com","github":"https://github.com/d2lang/d2","pricing":"open-source","hook":"D2 is text-to-diagram when you want version-controlled architecture drawings, not drag-and-drop Excalidraw.","whatsGood":"MPL-2.0. Declarative syntax that reads like YAML-shaped prose. TALA auto-layout engine is bundled for clean positioning. Outputs to SVG, PNG, PDF. Themes and styles. Sequence diagrams, flowcharts, and entity relationships in one grammar. CLI-first, embeddable, and Git-friendly diffs.","theCatch":"MPL-2.0 is not MIT — modifications to D2 itself must be disclosed. Vs Mermaid (Markdown-native diagrams) and Excalidraw (hand-drawn freeform): D2 is the text DSL for *structured* diagrams, not a whiteboard and not inline in Markdown by default. TALA-standalone is commercially licensed; pitch D2 with bundled TALA, not TALA alone.","verdict":"MPL-2.0 diagram DSL. Free forever; use when architecture diagrams belong in Git alongside code.","addedAt":"2026-09-09","featured":false,"domain":"DevOps","subSpecialty":"Diagrams","subcategory":"Diagrams","tags":["cli","self-host","copyleft","active"],"capabilities":["diagram","svg","cli"],"surfaces":["CLI","Self-host"],"ecosystem":["Go","Multi-platform"],"licenseModel":"MPL-2.0","githubStars":25647,"starsPerWeek":119,"access":"free","archived":false,"repo":{"createdAt":"2022-09-05","pushedAt":"2026-10-11","license":"MPL-2.0","archived":false,"checkedAt":"2026-10-19"}},"related":[{"slug":"github-actions","name":"GitHub Actions","tagline":"CI/CD that lives where your code does"},{"slug":"docker","name":"Docker","tagline":"Container runtime that changed deployment"},{"slug":"kubernetes","name":"Kubernetes","tagline":"Container orchestration at scale"},{"slug":"pulumi","name":"Pulumi","tagline":"Infrastructure as code in real languages"},{"slug":"fly-io","name":"Fly.io","tagline":"Deploy apps to VMs close to your users"}],"links":{"self":"/api/gems/d2","html":"/gems/d2","markdown":"/gems/d2.md","category":"/api/gems?category=devops","categoryPage":"/stacks/devops"}}