Atlas¶
Atlas is an extensible software catalog for tracking software, its owners, and its relationships. Catalog records can include systems, components, resources, APIs, teams, documentation, and relationships. Selected plugins add architecture diagrams, database schemas, repository ingestion, and flows.
Use Atlas to maintain a shared catalog, operate a repeatable distribution, or add organization-specific behavior through typed plugin contracts.
What Atlas supports¶
An Atlas installation is a distribution: Core and the plugins an operator selects in a versioned manifest. The composer validates the selection and produces locked backend and frontend artifacts before the application starts. The running server and browser do not download plugins.
| Part | Supported role |
|---|---|
| Core | Owns catalog identity, lifecycle, authorization, audit, and the shared entity-page structure. |
| Selected plugins | Add entity kinds, feature data, API routes, scheduled work, navigation, diagrams, editors, and other views through explicit contracts. |
| Running distribution | Serves a web catalog and backend APIs, runs ingestion work, and stores catalog state in PostgreSQL. |
| Deployment | Supports source-mounted development and immutable production-like Docker Compose topologies. |
The checked-in default distribution selects Standard Catalog, APIs, C4, Database Schema, Ingestion, and Flows. See System shape for the runtime boundaries and Features and Integrations for the behavior supplied by those plugins.
Current deployment boundary
Atlas currently documents Docker Compose for development and production-like operation. The documentation does not claim production support for Kubernetes, horizontal scaling, or runtime plugin installation.
Choose your path¶
Use the catalog¶
Browse software ownership and relationships, inspect entity documentation and feature data, or maintain catalog records.
Start with Run Atlas and inspect the demo catalog. If you already have access to an Atlas instance, begin with Using Atlas.
Operate Atlas¶
Configure an installation, choose its plugins, run migrations, verify health, and diagnose the supported deployment topologies.
Start by choosing a supported deployment topology, then follow Operating Atlas.
Build a plugin¶
Extend a distribution with backend or frontend behavior while keeping plugin ownership and dependencies explicit.
Start with Build your first plugin, then use Plugin Development to find the relevant extension contracts.
Learn or contribute¶
- Overview describes Atlas's product and architecture boundaries for evaluators.
- Concepts and Architecture defines the catalog, identity, lifecycle, authorization, and composition models shared by every journey.
- Reference is the entry point for exact manifests, configuration, plugin contracts, and HTTP APIs.
- Project covers repository and contribution material.