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Dependency Graph

DiCaf can render the bindings of a container as a dependency graph in several formats. This is useful for auditing dependency relationships, spotting unexpected couplings, and generating architecture diagrams.

Rendering formats​

Five renderers are available. All accept the container instance or .entries() result and return a string.

Text​

A plain-text tree suitable for logging or terminal output.

import { graphToText } from '@caffeine-projects/dicaf'

const container = new DiCaf()
await container.init()

console.log(graphToText(container))

Markdown​

A Markdown table for embedding in documentation or GitHub issues.

import { graphToMarkdown } from '@caffeine-projects/dicaf'

console.log(graphToMarkdown(container))

Mermaid​

A Mermaid diagram for rendering in Markdown previews, Notion, or GitHub README files.

import { graphToMermaid } from '@caffeine-projects/dicaf'

console.log(graphToMermaid(container))

GraphViz DOT​

A DOT language file for rendering with GraphViz tools (dot, neato, etc.).

import { graphToDot } from '@caffeine-projects/dicaf'

console.log(graphToDot(container))

JSON​

A machine-readable JSON representation of the graph for custom tooling.

import { graphToJson } from '@caffeine-projects/dicaf'

const json = graphToJson(container)

Validating the graph​

Call assertResolvable() before rendering to ensure every dependency can be resolved. It throws if a required key is missing or a cycle is unresolvable.

container.assertResolvable()
console.log(graphToText(container))

Generating a graph at startup​

A common pattern is to write the graph file as part of the application's startup check:

import { writeFileSync } from 'node:fs'
import { graphToMermaid } from '@caffeine-projects/dicaf'

const container = new DiCaf()
await container.init()
container.assertResolvable()

if (process.env.GENERATE_GRAPH) {
  writeFileSync('dependency-graph.md', graphToMermaid(container))
}