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ZenUML is an alternative syntax for creating sequence diagrams in Mermaid. It shows how processes operate with one another and in what order, using a different approach than the standard Mermaid sequence diagram syntax.
ZenUML uses experimental lazy loading and async rendering features which may change in future versions.

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Basic sequence diagram

This example shows a simple conversation between Alice and John:

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Participants

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Implicit declaration

Participants are automatically created when first used in the diagram:

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Explicit declaration

You can control the order of participants by declaring them explicitly:

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Annotators

Use annotators to display participants as specific symbols:
ZenUML supports various annotator types including:
  • @Actor - Human actor
  • @Database - Database system
  • @Boundary - System boundary
  • @Control - Control element
  • @Entity - Entity
  • @Queue - Message queue

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Aliases

Create shorter identifiers with descriptive labels:

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Messages

ZenUML supports four types of messages:

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Sync messages

Synchronous (blocking) method calls:

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Async messages

Asynchronous (non-blocking) messages:

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Creation messages

Create new objects using the new keyword:

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Reply messages

There are three ways to express replies:

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Early return example

The @return annotator is useful for returning to one level up:

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Nesting

Sync and creation messages support nesting with curly braces:

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Comments

Add comments using // syntax. Comments are rendered above messages and support Markdown:

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Loops

Create loops using while, for, forEach, or loop:

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Loop syntax

while(condition) {
    ...statements...
}

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Alternative paths

Express conditional logic with if/else:

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Alt syntax

if(condition1) {
    ...statements...
} else if(condition2) {
    ...statements...
} else {
    ...statements...
}

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Optional fragments

Render optional fragments with opt:

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Parallel execution

Show actions happening in parallel:

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Parallel syntax

par {
  statement1
  statement2
  statement3
}

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Try/catch/finally

Model exception handling and breaks in sequence flow:

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Exception syntax

try {
  ...statements...
} catch {
  ...statements...
} finally {
  ...statements...
}

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Complete example

Here’s a comprehensive example showing various ZenUML features:

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Integration with web pages

To use ZenUML diagrams in a web page:
<script type="module">
  import mermaid from 'https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/mermaid@10/dist/mermaid.esm.min.mjs';
  import zenuml from 'https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@mermaid-js/[email protected]/dist/mermaid-zenuml.esm.min.mjs';
  await mermaid.registerExternalDiagrams([zenuml]);
</script>
ZenUML syntax is often more concise than traditional sequence diagram syntax, especially for nested interactions and complex control flow.
While ZenUML and standard Mermaid sequence diagrams produce similar visual results, they use different syntax. Choose the one that best fits your workflow.

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