.drawio.
What makes diagrams in Studio different is how they start. You rarely begin with a blank page. You generate a map from your host inventory, hand Copilot a terminal with LLDP output, or convert a Mermaid topology someone sketched into a report. The editor is fast once you’re in it, but the first 80% of the work is usually already done before you pick up the mouse.
A single diagram is a multi-page document. LAN on page one, WAN on page two, data center on page three — each page with its own grid, zoom, and layout. The editor theme follows Studio’s, with semantic colors per device type so routers, switches, firewalls, and endpoints read at a glance.
Diagram lifecycle
Most useful diagrams move through three stages:- Draft from evidence. Generate from hosts, LLDP/CDP output, a written topology, or a Mermaid sketch.
- Normalize by hand. Rename devices, group sites, align links, add missing labels, and remove noisy discovery edges.
- Keep with the work. Save it as an artifact, attach it to the relevant conversation or procedure, and update it when the investigation changes the known topology.
Ways to create a diagram
| Method | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Blank canvas | You want to draw from scratch. |
| From hosts | Generate a map from your inventory — Studio positions devices by folder and type. |
| From Copilot | Ask Copilot to build a map from described topology, an attached terminal, or LLDP/CDP output. |
| From Mermaid | Convert a Mermaid topology inside a markdown artifact into an editable Studio diagram. |
| Import | Open a .drawio file you already have. |
Editor basics
The canvas works the way you expect. Pan with middle-click or space-drag. Scroll to zoom. Shapes snap to the grid when you want them to, and ignore it when you don’t. Multi-select with a marquee or withShift-click, then align, distribute, or group.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Shape picker | Browse and drop shapes from the library. |
| Zoom and fit | Keyboard shortcuts or the toolbar. |
| Grid toggle | Show or hide alignment grid. |
| Select, move, group, lock | Standard editing operations. |
| Align and distribute | Tidy up positions quickly. |
| Undo / redo | Unlimited history while the tab is open. |
Making diagrams readable
- Put traffic flow in one primary direction: top-to-bottom for hierarchy, left-to-right for path diagrams.
- Label links with the thing operators troubleshoot: interface, circuit ID, VLAN, VRF, provider, or bandwidth.
- Use containers for sites, racks, VPCs, VRFs, or security zones.
- Keep management links visually distinct from data-plane links.
- Split a crowded diagram into pages rather than shrinking everything until labels disappear.
- Use color sparingly for meaning: critical path, degraded link, active/standby, or ownership.
Shape libraries
The shape picker groups shapes by library. The libraries cover the shapes network engineers actually reach for, including the full Cisco icon set and a cloud service architecture icon set for mixed on-prem and cloud diagrams.| Library | Includes |
|---|---|
| General | Basic shapes, arrows, containers. |
| Cisco routers | Router and WAN-oriented icons. |
| Cisco switches | Switch, Ethernet, and LAN icons. |
| Security | Firewall, IDS, IPS, VPN. |
| Wireless | Access points and wireless controllers. |
| Servers & storage | Servers, storage arrays, SAN, NAS. |
| Endpoints & WAN | Workstations, phones, modems, gateways, controllers. |
| Cloud services | Cloud architecture icon set for hybrid on-prem and cloud diagrams. |
Auto-layout
Two algorithms, each suited to a different kind of network. Hierarchical is the right pick for tree-like topologies — core down to distribution down to access — where you want a clean top-to-bottom flow. Organic is better for meshy networks, where nodes push against each other and settle into natural positions based on how they’re connected. Both run on the active page, so you can lay out one page without disturbing the others.Multi-page diagrams
A single diagram can hold multiple pages. LAN, WAN, DC, DR site — each is its own page with independent grid and zoom. Page tabs along the bottom of the editor let you switch between them. When you share or export, you pick whether to send the active page or the whole document.Import and export
.drawio XML is the round-trip format, so anything you make in Studio opens in any draw.io-compatible tool and vice versa. SVG gives you a clean vector for documents and slides. PNG is the practical choice for email and chat where a flat image is easier.
Theme integration
Diagrams adapt to light and dark themes automatically, and device types use semantic colors so the same router reads as a router regardless of the background. If you paste a diagram into a light-mode doc and a dark-mode deck, you won’t get mismatched exports.Copilot examples
Copilot is often the fastest way to a first draft. Start with the evidence you already have in another tab and let it do the layout.- “Create a WAN topology from these hosts and the LLDP output in the active terminal.”
- “Open a host map for the current inventory and connect the core switches to the firewall.”
- “Style the client devices blue and highlight critical links in amber.”
- “Convert the Mermaid diagram in this report into an editable Studio map.”
Diagrams and procedures
Diagrams are strongest when they sit next to a repeatable workflow. A procedure can tell an operator what to check; the diagram shows where the check fits in the topology. For failover, migration, or incident response procedures, link the diagram in the procedure body and tell Copilot which page represents the active path.Related
AI Copilot
Ask Copilot to build a diagram from hosts, terminal output, or a described topology.
Files and artifacts
Diagrams live alongside reports, tables, and other generated artifacts.