How to generate a Google Cloud architecture diagram from a description

A sentence like "a serverless API on Google Cloud with Cloud Run, API Gateway, and Firestore" can become far more than a picture. With ArchGenie, that one description produces a clean Google Cloud architecture diagram and everything that normally comes after it: validated Terraform (or Pulumi), an A–F security grade with automated fixes, a per-resource cost estimate, observability as code, and documentation — ready to export to a pull request and deploy. This guide walks through that full path, starting with the diagram.

The diagram is the fastest way to see and refine the architecture, so we start there — but it is the entry point, not the destination. By the end you will have a complete, deployable Google Cloud solution built from the same description. You do not need a diagramming tool, a schema, or a Google Cloud project to begin.

What you'll need

An ArchGenie account (free to start, no credit card) and a rough idea of the system. No Google Cloud project or credentials are required to generate the diagram, the code, the security grade, or the cost estimate.

Step 1 — Describe the system in plain language

Name the moving parts and how they connect — the compute model, the data stores, the entry point, and anything about availability. For example:

• "A serverless API on Google Cloud with API Gateway, Cloud Run, and Firestore, a Pub/Sub topic for async work, and Cloud Monitoring for dashboards and alerts."
• "A three-tier web app on Google Cloud: an external HTTP(S) Load Balancer in front of Cloud Run, a Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL instance with a read replica, and a Cloud Storage bucket for static assets."

Be as terse or detailed as you like. Anything you leave out gets a sensible default you can correct in the next step. You can also start from a whiteboard photo, a screenshot, or a template instead of text.

Step 2 — Get the diagram, mapped to real Google Cloud services

ArchGenie maps each component to a specific Google Cloud managed service rather than a generic box. An "application server" resolves to Cloud Run, GKE, Cloud Functions, or Compute Engine depending on the workload; a "database" resolves to Cloud SQL, AlloyDB, Spanner, Firestore, or Memorystore; and networking, identity (IAM, Workload Identity), and observability (Cloud Monitoring, Cloud Logging) nodes are placed where they belong. The result is a Google Cloud diagram with real service names on every node — the shared source of truth for everything that follows.

Step 3 — Refine the diagram interactively

Every node is interactive. Click a service to remove it, swap it for a different managed equivalent, or add high availability such as multi-region, replicas, or failover — or jump straight to that resource's infrastructure code, security finding, or cost line item. Keep the conversation going: ask for a read replica, a VPC with private subnets, or Cloud CDN in front, and the diagram updates, re-deriving only the parts that depend on the change.

Step 4 — From the diagram to a complete Google Cloud solution

From this point the diagram works as the single source of truth: each deliverable below is generated from the same architecture rather than rebuilt in another tool.

Validated infrastructure code (Terraform or Pulumi)

Pick a format and ArchGenie generates the full infrastructure code for the architecture, organized into a sensible file and module structure rather than one giant file. Every file is validated and security-hardened before you see it, so you are not starting from a draft that fails on the first plan. Terraform and Pulumi (TypeScript or Python) are each first-class, so you can match your team's existing stack.

An A–F security grade with automated fixes

Every architecture is scored A–F, with per-resource findings that point to the exact resource and the exact issue — public access, missing encryption, over-broad IAM bindings, and the like. Most findings can be fixed directly from the security report, and the grade updates as you harden the design. You see the security posture before anything is deployed.

A per-resource cost estimate

ArchGenie estimates the monthly cost per resource across the architecture, with on-demand, committed-use, and spot comparisons and a savings calculator, so you can see what it will cost — and where to cut — before you commit. GPU and accelerator pricing is included for AI and ML workloads.

Observability as code

Alongside the infrastructure code, ArchGenie can generate observability as code — Cloud Monitoring dashboards, alerting policies, and notification channels wired to the resources in your architecture — plus Grafana dashboard JSON on demand. Monitoring ships with the system from day one.

Documentation

You also get a generated README — the architecture at a glance, how the Terraform files are laid out, and the steps to deploy to your Google Cloud project. It is produced from the same source as the code, so it describes the real system; regenerate after changes to keep it current.

Export to a pull request, then deploy

When the architecture is ready, export the diagram, Terraform, and README to a GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket pull request, or open a Jira issue with the diagram attached. From there, run terraform plan (or pulumi up) against your Google Cloud project as your normal review step, and deploy.

On the free plan you get the diagram, Terraform, the A–F security grade, the cost estimate, and documentation, plus a couple of Git and Jira exports each month. Pulumi, observability as code, unlimited exports, and line-level security navigation are on the paid plans.

Tips for a good description

• Name the compute model (serverless, containers, or VMs) so the diagram and code pick the right Google Cloud service.
• Say whether you want a regional or multi-region setup if high availability matters — it changes the diagram, the Terraform, and the cost.
• Mention data stores by type (relational, document, cache, object) if you are unsure — ArchGenie picks a fit and you can change it.
• Include the entry point (Cloud Load Balancing, API Gateway, or Cloud CDN) and any async pieces (Pub/Sub, Cloud Tasks, or Eventarc).

Example — a three-tier web app on Google Cloud

Take the three-tier web app from Step 1. From that one description, ArchGenie draws the diagram, then hands you: the Terraform for the VPC, external HTTP(S) Load Balancer, Cloud Run service, Cloud SQL instance and its read replica, and Cloud Storage bucket; an A–F security grade flagging, say, an over-broad IAM binding or a publicly accessible bucket, most fixable right from the report; a monthly cost estimate broken down per resource with committed-use options; Cloud Monitoring dashboards and alerting policies for the service; a README and a deployment guide; and a pull request you can open in your repo. What started as a sentence is now a reviewed, costed, documented, deployable stack.

Frequently asked questions

Does ArchGenie only make diagrams, or the infrastructure code too?

The diagram is the first output. From the same architecture you also get validated Terraform or Pulumi, an A–F security grade, a per-resource cost estimate, observability as code, and documentation — and you can export the whole thing to a pull request.

Can I trust the generated Terraform?

Every file is validated and security-hardened before you see it, and you get an A–F security grade with per-resource findings, most of them fixable right from the report. You still run your own review and a plan before deploying — ArchGenie gets you to a reviewed, hardened starting point far faster.

How do I get the result into my repo?

Export the diagram, Terraform, and README to a GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket pull request, then run terraform plan against your project as your normal review step before deploying.

Is it free to start?

Yes — the free plan includes the diagram, Terraform, the security grade, and the cost estimate, with no credit card required.

Does it work for AWS and Azure too?

Yes. Describe the system for AWS or Azure, or describe it once and compare the diagram, code, and cost across all three providers.