PlantUML in a nutshell

is a component that allows to quickly write :

The following non-UML diagrams are also supported:

Diagrams are defined using a simple and intuitive language. ( see PlantUML Language Reference Guide ).

New users can read the quick start page . There is also a F.A.Q. page . PlantUML can be used within many other tools

Images can be generated in PNG, in SVG or in LaTeX format. It is also possible to generate ASCII art diagrams (only for sequence diagrams).

Example:

(You can edit the text if you want,

the diagram will be dynamically updated!) describes the following diagram : Bob->Alice : hello

This example is working thanks to the online demo server.