Flow Canvas: Free Online Flowchart & Flow Diagram Maker
Create flowcharts and flow diagrams online by clicking to add nodes and dragging to connect. Auto-styling for database, API, user. Templates, export, share. No syntax—visual flowchart maker in the browser.
📊 Draw Flowcharts & Flow Diagrams in Seconds—No Syntax, No Install
Flow Canvas is a free online flowchart maker and flow diagram tool. Click anywhere on the canvas to add nodes, drag from node to node to draw connections, and build process flows, system architecture diagrams, and decision trees in minutes. Keywords like "database," "API," and "user" get automatic shapes and colors. No diagram syntax to learn—pure visual editing. Use templates to start fast, then pan, zoom, export, or share via link. All editing runs in your browser; your diagram is never sent to a server.
What is Flow Canvas?
Flow Canvas is a browser-based visual flow diagram tool. You work on an infinite canvas: click to add nodes, drag between nodes to create connections, and type text into each node. The tool detects keywords (e.g. database, API, user, start, end) and applies shapes and colors automatically—cylinders for data stores, rounded rectangles for processes, diamonds for decisions, circles for start/end. You can override shapes manually, add text annotations, change the background, and use built-in templates (Simple Flow, Decision Tree, System Architecture, User Journey, State Machine, and more). Export your diagram as an image or share a link so others can open and edit the same canvas.
💡 Quick Tip
Start from a template (e.g. "Simple Flow" or "System Architecture") to get nodes and connections already placed—then edit labels and add more nodes. Drag from a node’s edge to another node to connect them.
Why Use a Visual Flow Diagram Tool?
Flow diagrams help you sketch architecture, processes, and user flows without writing code or learning a syntax:
🏗️Architecture & Process Flows
- •Sketch system architecture: services, APIs, databases, users
- •Document API request flows, auth flows, or data pipelines
- •Build process flowcharts and decision trees for logic or specs
⚡No Syntax, No Heavy App
- •No Mermaid or diagram-as-code—just click and drag
- •Faster than opening a desktop diagram app; works in any browser
- •Share via link or export for standups, docs, or presentations
Using Flow Canvas (Step by Step)
Our Flow Canvas tool is built for speed:
1Add Nodes
Click anywhere on the canvas to create a node. Type text (e.g. "Start," "Database," "API Gateway"). The tool auto-applies shapes for keywords: "database" → cylinder, "user" → circle, process words → rounded. Use the shape selector to override (rectangle, rounded, cylinder, circle, diamond).
2Connect Nodes
Drag from the edge of one node to another to draw a connection (arrow). Click a connection to select and delete it. Build linear flows, branches, or loops by connecting nodes in order.
3Pan, Zoom, Save & Share
Pan by dragging the canvas (or Space + drag). Zoom with the controls or scroll. Use "Fit to content" to frame all nodes. Change the background color if needed. Save to history or Share to get a link. Export to download the diagram as an image.
Features at a Glance
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Click to add nodes | Click anywhere on the canvas; type text; optional double-click for text annotations |
| Drag to connect | Drag from node edge to another node to create arrows |
| Auto-styling | Keywords (database, API, user, start, end) get cylinder, rounded, circle, or diamond shapes and colors |
| Node shapes | Rectangle, rounded, cylinder, circle, diamond—change via shape selector |
| Templates | Simple Flow, Decision Tree, Loop, Parallel Flow, User Journey, System Architecture, Mind Map, State Machine, and more |
| Pan & zoom | Infinite canvas; fit to content; background color picker |
| Export & share | Export as image; share via link; save to history |
| 100% client-side | Diagram data stays in your browser; no server upload for editing |
Flow Diagram Examples You Can Build
With Flow Canvas you can create:
- API request flow — Client → API Gateway → Auth → Database. Use "Database" for a cylinder; connect in order.
- Decision tree — Start → Decision? (diamond) → Yes/No branches → End. Use the Decision Tree template and customize.
- System architecture — Users, frontend, services, queues, databases. Use the System Architecture template as a base.
- User journey — Steps a user takes through an app. Use the User Journey template.
- State machine — States and transitions. Use the State Machine template.
Best Practices
Get clear, shareable diagrams:
🎯Use Consistent Keywords for Auto-Styling
Words like "database," "API," "user," "start," "end" trigger automatic shapes. Use them in node labels when you want the tool to style nodes for you; otherwise pick the shape manually from the selector.
📐Start from a Template
Templates give you a ready-made structure (nodes + connections). Edit the labels and add or remove nodes instead of building from a blank canvas every time.
Common Pitfalls
⚠️Connections Need Drag from Edge
To connect two nodes, drag from the edge of the first node (where the connection handle appears) to the second node. Dragging from the center or from empty canvas won’t create a connection.
❌Not a Replacement for Mermaid or UML Tools
Flow Canvas is for quick visual sketches and flowcharts. For diagram-as-code (e.g. in Markdown), version-controlled diagrams, or strict UML, use Mermaid or a dedicated UML tool.
Pro Tips
Combine with other tools:
🔗Flow Canvas vs Mermaid
Use Flow Canvas when you want to click and drag with no syntax. Use Mermaid when you want text-based diagrams that live in Markdown and version control. Both are free and run in the browser.
✅ Create Flow Diagrams in Your Browser
Use our free Flow Canvas to build flowcharts, process flows, and architecture diagrams by clicking and dragging. No syntax, no install—templates, auto-styling, export, and share. All in the browser.
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