Adding components/architecture overview

[berndruecker]

I think, we should have a high-level architecture of product components graphically here: https://github.com/camunda-cloud/camunda-cloud-documentation/blob/master/docs/components/overview.md - probably related to https://docs.camunda.io/docs/components/zeebe/technical-concepts/architecture/ but also showing Operate, Tasklist and how it all connects/communicates.

Anecdote where I could make use of such a picture: https://forum.camunda.io/t/camunda-cloud-api/2602

[berndruecker]

@akeller If you give me some hint on how we envision building such pictures (tooling, style guide), I am happy to do a first stab at it.

[akeller]

Above is the graphic marketing provided when I asked for something to incorporate into docs. It doesn't contain Identity or Console and has more text than I would like to display in an image. I'd like to turn something like this (or a real architecture diagram) into a clickable diagram that links to the component documentation.

This is a larger UI project I'm looking to get on @pepopowitz's radar, but @berndruecker are you still interested in assisting here? I think there has been some back and forth on whether it matters if Identity is included in such a graphic. WDYT?

[berndruecker]

Definitely interesting in the topic and I don't like the above graphic for a developer audience - I find it quite hard to process. I would envision it to be closer to or like https://docs.camunda.io/docs/components/best-practices/operations/reporting-about-processes/#history-architecture.

Other possible input from https://camunda.com/blog/2022/04/camunda-platform-8-for-camunda-platform-7-users-what-you-need-to-know/

Let me know if I can be of any help. And yes - I think identity should be included in there - it is an important piece to understand (if you look at it from a deployment perspective for example).

[akeller]

@berndruecker would you be willing to build a graphic for the SaaS architecture? We can style it in the new branding later.

[berndruecker]

Generally yes - but most probably not going to happen this or next week

[berndruecker]

OK - quicker than expected. Also needed (or wanted to have) it for a customer workshop - @akeller WDYT about this slide?

I also created an extended version showing Cloud Console, Operater & Helm Charts which I guess will be handy to explain some things:

[akeller]

I really like this @berndruecker!

[berndruecker]

Let me know if you need the PPTX sources

[pepopowitz]

I don't think I'll be looking at this for a bit, but when I do, yes -- the source graphics would be useful! Not sure where is best to put them, but wherever you decide, it'd be helpful.

[berndruecker]

ComponentsAndArchitecture.pptx

[akeller]

[berndruecker]

@akeller I send out the link to the issue and the image draft quite often - any chance we get that into the docs properly?

[akeller]

@berndruecker I can look into adding this sometime this week. Do you have an updated version with Connectors?

[akeller]

@falko FYI

Here is the small update for the typo.

[falko]

@akeller I placed it here now and adjusted the SaaS box: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1mYveLIWKE00oxFwRylM809rPKGw9a5IOdVvkFmttFEo

[Sijoma]

I am interested how much implementation details we want to mention in these diagrams? E.g. is there even a need to display "Kubernetes Operator / Helm Charts" on this diagram?

If so: I suggest to remove Helm Charts from Camunda SaaS and create a Camunda Self-Managed Section on that diagram too. There the Helm Charts fit.

[berndruecker]

The story we tell is also that we use the same setup internally as self-managed (just that the Kubernetes Operator is not yet available self-managed). Is that wrong? We generally like providing as much implementation details as we can - unless there is a really good reason against it (e.g. security concerns). Is there?

[Sijoma]

Thanks for sharing @berndruecker. There are certainly no security concerns. I would say we have some required optimizations for our SaaS that differ from self-managed. But those are also negligible and the overall picture does not change.