What You'll Build
In this tutorial, you'll create a Netlify-style multi-cloud architecture diagram that showcases:
- Users layer with device icons
- CDN/Edge layer with load balancing
- Three cloud regions (AWS, Azure, GCP)
- Compute, database, and storage services
- Cross-cloud data replication
Architecture Layers
| Layer | Components | Color |
|---|---|---|
| Users | Person, Phone, Laptop, Server icons | Gray (#f1f5f9) |
| CDN Edge | CloudFront, Azure CDN, GCP CDN | Green (#ecfdf5) |
| AWS Region | Lambda, DynamoDB, S3 | Orange (#fff7ed) |
| Azure Region | Functions, Cosmos DB, Blob Storage | Blue (#eff6ff) |
| GCP Region | Cloud Run, Cloud SQL, GCS | Yellow (#fefce8) |
| Sync Layer | Cross-cloud replication | Purple (#f3e8ff) |
Step 1: Create the Title Section
1
Add Title and Subtitle
Start with a professional title centered at the top:
{
"type": "text",
"id": "title",
"x": 20, "y": 10, "w": 760, "h": 30,
"text": "Netlify-Style Multi-Cloud Architecture",
"fontSize": 22,
"fontWeight": "bold",
"align": "center",
"options": { "stroke": "#1e293b" }
}
Step 2: Create the Users Layer
2
Add User Icons with Background
Create a container with device icons representing different user types:
// Background container { "type": "rectangle", "id": "users-bg", "x": 280, "y": 60, "w": 240, "h": 45, "borderRadius": 8, "options": { "fill": "#f1f5f9", "stroke": "#94a3b8", "fillStyle": "solid" } }, // Icons using iconCategory and iconName { "type": "icon", "id": "user1", "x": 310, "y": 68, "w": 28, "h": 28, "iconCategory": "people", "iconName": "person" }
Step 3: Build the CDN Layer
3
Create Edge CDN Container with Provider Cards
Add a green container spanning the width with three CDN provider cards:
// Main CDN container { "type": "rectangle", "id": "cdn-bg", "x": 50, "y": 135, "w": 700, "h": 80, "borderRadius": 10, "options": { "fill": "#ecfdf5", "stroke": "#10b981", "strokeWidth": 2 } }, // AWS CloudFront card with image element { "type": "image", "id": "cf-icon", "x": 125, "y": 168, "w": 32, "h": 32, "src": "aws_icons/.../Arch_Amazon-CloudFront_64.svg" }
💡 Using Cloud Provider Icons
Privacy Sketch includes official AWS, Azure, and GCP icon sets. Use the
image element type with
the src property pointing to the icon path.
Step 4: Create Cloud Region Containers
4
Build Three Cloud Region Boxes
Each region has a distinct color and contains compute, database, and storage services:
AWS Orange theme (#f97316)
Azure Blue theme (#3b82f6)
GCP Yellow theme (#eab308)
// AWS Region container { "type": "rectangle", "id": "aws-region", "x": 50, "y": 250, "w": 220, "h": 200, "borderRadius": 10, "options": { "fill": "#fff7ed", "stroke": "#f97316", "strokeWidth": 2 } } // Repeat pattern for Azure (#eff6ff/#3b82f6) and GCP (#fefce8/#eab308)
Step 5: Add Service Cards Inside Regions
5
Create Service Cards with Icons
Each region contains three service cards (compute, database, storage):
// Service card pattern: rectangle + image + text { "type": "rectangle", "id": "aws-compute", "x": 75, "y": 285, "w": 75, "h": 55, "borderRadius": 6, "options": { "fill": "#ffffff", "stroke": "#fb923c" } }, { "type": "image", "id": "aws-lambda", "x": 95, "y": 292, "w": 32, "h": 32, "src": "aws_icons/.../Arch_AWS-Lambda_64.svg" }, { "type": "text", "id": "aws-compute-t", "x": 75, "y": 325, "w": 75, "h": 10, "text": "Lambda", "fontSize": 9, "align": "center" }
Step 6: Add Data Replication Layer
6
Create Cross-Cloud Sync Layer
Add a purple bar at the bottom to show data replication:
{
"type": "rectangle",
"id": "sync-bg",
"x": 50, "y": 465, "w": 700, "h": 35,
"borderRadius": 8,
"options": { "fill": "#f3e8ff", "stroke": "#a855f7", "strokeWidth": 2 }
},
{
"type": "text",
"id": "sync-t",
"x": 60, "y": 475, "w": 680, "h": 14,
"text": "⟷ Cross-Cloud Data Replication \u0026 Sync Layer ⟷",
"align": "center",
"fontWeight": "bold"
}
Key Design Principles
- Color coding — Each cloud provider has a distinct color scheme
- Consistent sizing — Region boxes and service cards use uniform dimensions
- Layered layout — Users → CDN → Regions → Sync (top to bottom)
- Official icons — Use
imageelement with provider icon paths - Arrows — Connect layers with vertical arrows showing data flow
🎨 Pro Tip
Use
borderRadius consistently (e.g., 10 for containers, 6 for cards) for a polished look.
☁️ Build Your Cloud Architecture
Create professional multi-cloud diagrams for your documentation.
Open Privacy Sketch