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Component Diagram

A Component diagram illustrates the pieces of software, embedded controllers and such that make up a system, and their organization and dependencies.

A Component diagram has a higher level of abstraction than a Class diagram; usually a component is implemented by one or more Classes (or Objects) at runtime. They are building blocks, built up so that eventually a component can encompass a large portion of a system.

You generate Component diagram elements and connectors from the 'Component' pages of the Diagram Toolbox.

Example Diagram

This diagram demonstrates a number of components and their inter-relationships.

Assembly connectors connect the provided interfaces supplied by Product and Customer to the required interfaces specified by Order. A Dependency relationship maps a customer's associated account details to the required interface Payment, also specified by Order.

An example of a UML Component diagram in Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect.

Component Diagram Element Toolbox Icons

Icon

Description

See also

Package element

Packages are used to organize your project contents, but when added onto a diagram they can be use for structural or relational depictions.

Package
Packaging Component element

A Packaging Component is an element that appears very similar to a Component in a diagram but behaves as a Package in the Browser window.

Packaging Component
Component element

A Component is a modular part of a system, whose behavior is defined by its provided and required interfaces.

Component
Class element

A Class is a representation of a type of object that reflects the structure and behavior of such objects within the system.

Class
Interface element

An Interface is a specification of behavior (or contract) that implementers agree to meet.

Interface
Object element

An Object is a particular instance of a Class at run time.

Object
Port element

Ports define the interaction between a classifier and its environment.

Port
Exposed Interface element

The Expose Interface element is a graphical method of depicting the required or supplied interfaces of a Component, Class or Part, in a Component or Composite Structure diagram.

Expose Interface
Artifact element

An Artifact is any physical piece of information used or produced by a system.

Artifact
Document Artifact element

A Document Artifact is an artifact having a stereotype of «document».

Document Artifact

Component Diagram Connector Toolbox Icons

Icon

Description

See also

Assembly connector

An Assembly connector bridges a component's required interface (Component1) with the provided interface of another component (Component2), typically in a Component diagram.

Assembly
Delegate connector

A Delegate connector defines the internal assembly of a component's external Ports and Interfaces, on a Component diagram.

Delegate
Association connector

An Association implies that two model elements have a relationship, usually implemented as an instance variable in one or both Classes.

Association
Realization connector

A source object implements or Realizes its destination object. Realize connectors are used in a Use Case, Component or Requirements diagram to express traceability and completeness in the model.

Realization
Generalization connector

A Generalization is used to indicate inheritance.

Generalization