The acronym for Unified Modeling Language is UML. Software solutions, application structures, system behavior, and business processes can all be modeled using this powerful language. To model these actions, you can use one of the 14 types of UML diagrams.
You can use our tools to create UML diagrams online or view examples of UML diagrams in our diagramming community.
List of UML Diagram Types
So what are the different UML diagram types? There are two main categories: structure diagrams and behavioral diagrams. Click on the links to learn more about a specific diagram type.
- Structure Diagrams
- Class Diagram
- Component Diagram
- Deployment Diagram
- Object Diagram
- Package Diagram
- Profile Diagram
- Composite Structure Diagram
- Behavioral Diagrams
- Use Case Diagram
- Activity Diagram
- State Machine Diagram
- Sequence Diagram
- Communication Diagram
- Interaction Overview Diagram
- Timing Diagram
Class Diagram
Any object-oriented solution’s primary building piece is a class diagram. It displays the classes that make up a system, along with their characteristics, functions, and relationships with one another.
A class in most modeling programs consists of three components. Operations or methods are at the bottom, attributes are in the middle, and the name is at the top. Classes are joined together to construct class diagrams in large systems with numerous related classes. Various arrow kinds indicate distinct relationships between classes.
A picture of a class diagram can be found below. Use our class diagram templates to get started right away, or click the link below for further examples.
Component Diagram
The structural relationships between a software system’s components are shown in a component diagram. When working with intricate systems that have numerous components, these are primarily utilized. Interfaces allow components to talk to one another. Connectors are used to bind the interfaces together. This picture displays a component diagram.
Deployment Diagram
The hardware and software in your system are displayed in a deployment diagram. If your software solution is being used on several machines, each with its own configuration, deployment diagrams can be helpful. A sample deployment diagram is shown below.
Object diagram
Class diagrams and object diagrams, sometimes known as instance diagrams, are extremely similar. They employ real-world examples to illustrate the relationships between things, just like class diagrams do.
They depict how a system will appear at a specific moment in time. They are used to demonstrate intricate interactions between items because the objects contain data.
Package Diagram
A package diagram illustrates the dependencies among several packages in a system, as the name implies. For additional information about the components and dependencies present in package diagrams, see this wiki article.
Profile Diagram
UML 2 introduced a new sort of diagram called a profile diagram. There are extremely few specifications that employ this type of diagram. Check out our diagram community for additional profile diagram designs.
Diagram of the Composite Structure
The internal organization of a class is displayed via composite structure diagrams. a few typical diagrams of composite structures.
Use Case Diagram
Use case diagrams, the most popular of the behavioral UML diagram types, to provide a visual summary of the players in a system, the many functions they require, and the ways in which these functions interact.
It’s an excellent place to start any project discussion since it makes it simple to identify the key players and the system’s primary functions. Our tool allows you to generate use case diagrams, and our use case templates allow you to get started right away.
Activity Diagram
Workflows are graphically represented by activity diagrams. Any component of a system’s operational or business workflow can be described using them. State machine diagrams are occasionally substituted with examples of activity diagrams. To learn more about symbols, read this wiki article. You can also consult this simple activity diagram instruction. With the help of an online activity diagram tool, creating an activity diagram is simple.
State Machine Diagram
Activity diagrams and state machine diagrams are comparable, albeit they differ slightly in terminology and application. They might also be referred to as state chart diagrams or state diagrams. When describing the behavior of objects that behave differently depending on their current state, these are quite helpful. The fundamental states and actions are depicted in the State machine diagram below.
Sequence Diagram
In UML, sequence diagrams display the order in which interactions between objects take place. It is crucial to remember that they display the interactions for a specific situation. Interactions are displayed as arrows, and the processes are depicted vertically. The goal of sequence diagrams and their fundamentals are explained in this article. For additional information on sequence diagrams, see this comprehensive sequence diagram tutorial.
Communication Diagram
They were referred to as collaboration diagrams in UML 1. Sequence diagrams and communication diagrams are comparable, but communication diagrams concentrate on messages sent between objects. A sequence diagram and other items can be used to depict the same information.
Interaction Overview Diagram
Activity diagrams and interaction summary diagrams are extremely similar. Interaction overview diagrams display a series of interaction diagrams, whereas activity diagrams display a series of operations.
They consist of a number of interaction diagrams and the sequence in which they occur. Any one of the seven different types of interaction diagrams can be a node in an interaction overview diagram, as previously stated.
Timing Diagram
Sequence diagrams and timing diagrams are extremely similar. They depict how things behaved at a specific period of time. The diagram is simple if there is just one object. However, when multiple items are involved, a timing diagram is utilized to illustrate how they interact across time.
All of the UML diagram kinds have been mentioned above. There are numerous diagram types available in UML, and occasionally two diagrams can use different notations to illustrate the same concept.