Project config

To define a project, create a likec4.config.json file in the folder.
All files in the folder (and subfolders) will be part of this project:

• Directoryexternals

  • amazon.c4
  • …
• Directoryservices

  • service1.c4
  • service2.c4
  • …
• specification.c4
• likec4.config.json

Configuration

The likec4.config.json file must have the name of the project.

{
  "$schema": "https://likec4.dev/schemas/config.json",
  "name": "project-name",  // required
  "title": "Project Title" // optional
}

The name must be unique if you use multiple projects.

Note

You can use these names for the config file:

• .likec4rc
• .likec4.config.json
• likec4.config.json

LikeC4 interprets any file as JSON5

You can also use these names:

• likec4.config.js
• likec4.config.mjs
• likec4.config.ts
• likec4.config.mts

See Programmatic config for more information.

Exclude files

By default, LikeC4 recursively scans in the project folder.
You can exclude files by adding an exclude array to the config file.

{
  "name": "project-name",
  "exclude": [
    "**/node_modules/**"
  ]
}

If no exclude pattern is provided, LikeC4 uses ["**/node_modules/**"] as default.
The exclude pattern is the same as the one used by picomatch.

Image Aliases

When using local images in your LikeC4 model, you can create aliases for the folder your images are in to make them more readable and the files more transportable.

Use the likec4.config.json to add an imageAliases field:

{
  "name": "project-name",
  "imageAliases": {
    "@": "./images",
    "@root": "../../some-more-images"
  }
}

You can then use the alias in your model:

example

// ./amazon.c4
model {
  serviceA = service {
    icon: @/service-a.png
  }

  serviceB = service {
    icon: @root/service-b.png
  }
}

// ./externals/externals.c4
model {
  serviceC = service {
    icon: @/service-c.png
  }
}

• Directorysome-more-images

  • service-b.png
  • …
• Directorydocs

  • Directoryproject

    • Directoryimages

      • service-a.png
      • service-c.png
      • …
    • Directoryexternals

      • externals.c4
    • likec4.config.json
    • amazon.c4
    • …

Note

In the example above the externals.c4 is a nested file, but the aliasing works based on the project root.

Naming Rules

When using image aliases, keep the following rules in mind:

• Aliases must start with @ and can include letters, numbers, and underscores.
• The alias must be unique within the project.
• The alias can point to a relative or absolute path.

Defaults

{
  "imageAliases": {
    "@": "./images",
  }
}

When no LikeC4 configuration file is found, or when no imageAliases field is found, LikeC4 uses the following defaults:

{
  "imageAliases": {
    "@": "./images",
  }
}

This is true even if you specify other aliases. Simply override the @ to change the default location.

{
  "imageAliases": {
    "@": "./my-images",
  }
}