structurizrx diff

Compare two versions of a workspace as models — elements, relationships, views and decisions added, removed or changed — not as text.

structurizrx diff <file> [--from <rev>] [--to <rev>] [--against <file>] [--json] [--fail-on-change]

--against and --from/--to are mutually exclusive. Without --against, file must be tracked by git; otherwise diff fails and suggests --against.

Keyed by name, not id

Everything is matched by an element’s canonical path (ancestor names plus its own name) and a relationship’s two end paths — never by id. The DSL assigns ids in parse order, so the same element gets a different id in two revisions as soon as anything is declared earlier in the file. The consequence: a rename reads as a removal plus an addition, since from the model’s point of view that’s indistinguishable from a replacement. Likely pairs are scored (unchanged description, then parent, then technology) and only reported under “Likely renames” when one candidate wins outright — a container split into three suggests nothing rather than the wrong thing.

structurizrx diff shop-v1.dsl --against shop-v2.dsl

shop-v1.dsl -> shop-v2.dsl
elements +1 −1, relationships +1 −1, views =, decisions =

Elements:
  − Shop/API (container)
  + Shop/Gateway (container)

Relationships:
  − Shop/Web App -> Shop/API "calls"
  + Shop/Web App -> Shop/Gateway "calls"

Likely renames:
  Shop/API -> Shop/Gateway (renamed)

!included files

Multi-file workspaces are handled: a revision’s !includes are read from that same revision, so a comparison never splices one commit’s entry file with another’s parts (or today’s parts from disk).

CI use

Fail a check step when a workspace changed since the last commit:

structurizrx diff ws.dsl --fail-on-change

Or capture the JSON for a bot comment:

structurizrx diff ws.dsl --from origin/main --to HEAD --json > diff.json

With no changes:

structurizrx diff ws.dsl

no changes (HEAD -> working)