What is a Component Type?
Important
Component Types require a Mapify license. If your Nodinite instance doesn't have the Mapify license, Component Types aren't shown. Contact your Nodinite sales representative to add it.
A Component Type is a named definition that pairs an icon and a category with a class of integration component. You assign a Component Type to a Repository Model entity — a System, Service, or Endpoint — and that icon appears everywhere the entity is visualised: C4 architecture diagrams, the Mapify landscape, and the Integration Landscape.
Component Types are the visual vocabulary of your integration landscape. Rather than displaying raw entity names and generic shapes in a diagram, Nodinite renders the icon you have chosen — whether that is an official Azure service icon, a Font Awesome glyph, the built-in Mermaid logo, or a custom image you have uploaded. To manage the registry itself, see the Component Types overview.
✅ Recognize Azure services at a glance with their official Microsoft icons
✅ Set the icon once on a Repository entity, and every C4 diagram that shows it updates
✅ Keep Font Awesome icons in exported Mermaid markup, the only icons a Mermaid export can carry
✅ Use the Mermaid logo out of the box, alongside Font Awesome and Azure
✅ Upload your own icons for anything the built-in icons don't cover
✅ Reuse the same icons inline in Articles, Snippets, Templates, and Document Profile Content Parts with Insert Icon (inline icons)
Understanding the Three Icon Sources
The icon picker provides three sources, listed in the left-hand panel of the Select Icon dialog. You can browse by category within each source or search across all three at once. Font Awesome and Azure ship out of the box, and so does the Mermaid logo (see The Built-in Mermaid Logo); Custom holds the images you upload yourself.
Example of the Select Icon dialog showing the three icon source groups — Font Awesome (3,350), Azure (705), and Custom — with Azure expanded to reveal its sub-categories.
Font Awesome (3,350 icons)
Font Awesome PRO is the primary icon library across the entire Nodinite Web Client. All 3,350 icons spanning categories such as Arrows, Buildings, Business, Coding, and more are available for Component Types.
Info
Font Awesome icons are the only icons preserved in Mermaid export. They are output using the
fa:notation (for example,fa:fa-server), which keeps your architecture diagrams consistent in tools that render standard Mermaid markup, including GitHub, Confluence, Azure DevOps, and Notion. Azure, custom, and Mermaid logo icons are dropped; see How Icons Render in C4 and Mermaid.
Azure Architecture Icons (705 icons)
Nodinite embeds the full Microsoft Azure architecture icon set. The icons are organised into sub-categories matching the Azure service families, including AI + Machine Learning, Analytics, App Services, Compute, Databases, DevOps, Integration, Networking, Security, and Storage.
Example of the Azure Databases sub-category in the icon picker, showing the coloured Azure SQL Server, Cosmos DB, and other database service icons.
Azure Icon Licensing
The Azure icons are bundled within Nodinite and served through the application. Per Microsoft's icon terms of use, the following rules apply whenever you use or publish diagrams that include Azure architecture icons:
Important
Any published or shared diagram that includes Azure architecture icons must carry the statement: "Used with permission from Microsoft."
- ✅ Permitted use: Architectural diagrams, training materials, and documentation that illustrate the specific function or relationship involving Azure products
- ❌ No modifications: Do not crop, rotate, flip, or distort the icons
- ❌ No misrepresentation: Do not use the icons to represent non-Microsoft products or your own services
- ❌ No disparagement: Use must not be defamatory to Microsoft or its products
Microsoft retains all rights to the Azure architecture icons.
Note
Do not download or redistribute the Azure icon files from Nodinite directly. If you need the icon pack outside of Nodinite, obtain it from the official Microsoft Azure architecture icons page. For the full licensing context, see 3rd Party Libraries & Licensing.
The Built-in Mermaid Logo
Besides Font Awesome and Azure, Nodinite ships the Mermaid logo out of the box. It's a single icon, the only Mermaid icon shipped, so you don't need to upload one for a Component Type that represents Mermaid diagrams or tooling. The same logo can be placed inline in Knowledge base content with Insert Icon; its {ndx} token is listed under the mermaid source in Inline Icons with .
Custom Icons
If you need an icon for a technology not covered by the built-in icons (Font Awesome, Azure, and the Mermaid logo) — a legacy on-premise system, a SaaS application, or an in-house platform — you can upload your own image.
Example of the Custom icon section with the "+ Upload icon and create a new type" option.
Select + Upload icon and create a new type in the Custom section of the icon picker. The uploaded image is stored in Nodinite and becomes available for selection alongside the built-in icon sources.
Built-in vs Custom Component Types
Nodinite ships with a set of built-in Component Types for common Azure services and architectural patterns: API Gateway, Logic Apps, Azure SQL, Service Bus, and many more. You can also create your own custom types for any component not covered by the built-in set.
Example of the Action menu for a custom Component Type — both Edit and Delete are available.
Example of the Action menu for a built-in Component Type — only Edit is available; built-in types cannot be deleted.
| Property | Built-in Types | Custom Types |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-configured by Nodinite | ✅ Yes | ❌ No — you define them |
| Can be edited | ✅ Yes (with caution) | ✅ Yes |
| Can be deleted | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Shown as Built-in badge | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
Important
Editing a built-in Component Type is possible but not recommended. Built-in types are maintained by Nodinite and may be updated in future releases. If you believe a built-in type should be changed, rather than modifying it locally, contact our Support, read more on the Support page.
The Component Type Form
When you create a new type (+ New Type) or edit an existing one (Action → Edit), the form provides four fields.
Example of the edit form for a custom Component Type (ERP Lookup DB) with an Azure SQL Server icon assigned.
Example of the edit form for a built-in Component Type (Person) — the orange banner indicates it is a built-in type and warns against changing it.
Name
Required. The display name for the Component Type — for example: Azure SQL Server, ERP, or API Gateway. This name appears in the Component Types list and in entity assignment dropdowns.
Icon
The visual icon for this type. Click Choose Icon to open the icon picker and select from Font Awesome, Azure, or a custom uploaded image.
The icon picker supports search across all three sources at once. Searching for a keyword returns matching icons from Font Awesome and Azure together, each labelled with their source.
Example of a cross-source search for "database" — Font Awesome and Azure icons appear together, each labelled with its source (FA or Azure).
Category
A grouping label used exclusively for C4 diagram display. The category organises how Component Types are presented in C4 diagram views, and is separate from the Monitoring categories used elsewhere in Nodinite.
Example of the Category dropdown showing built-in categories — Architecture, Azure AI, Azure Analytics, Azure Compute, Azure Databases, Azure DevOps, Azure Integration, Azure Networking, Azure Security, and Azure Storage.
Pre-defined categories include Architecture (general patterns: Person, API Gateway, etc.) and the full set of Azure service families. You can type a new name to create your own category grouping.
Sort Order
Controls the display priority within the Component Types management list. Lower numbers appear first. Sort Order has no effect on how the type renders inside a diagram — it only affects the order in the list view.
Using Component Types on Repository Entities
Once a Component Type is defined, assign it to a Repository entity. The same icon picker is also available directly on entities such as Systems, so you can select an icon without navigating away from the entity list.
Example of the icon picker appearing in context when selecting an icon directly from the Systems list — the selected Azure SQL icon is reflected immediately on the system entry.
The assigned Component Type icon then appears in:
- C4 architecture diagrams — as the visual shape and icon for that node
- Mapify — as the icon on the node in the landscape view
- Component Types list — to identify the type at a glance
- C4 node Articles — through the
node.iconmacro (see inline icons in Knowledge base content)
Using Component Type Icons in Articles, Snippets, Templates, and Document Profiles
New 7.11
Component Type icons aren't limited to diagrams. The same icon set (Font Awesome, Azure architecture icons, the built-in Mermaid logo, and your custom uploads) can be placed inline in Knowledge base Articles content: an Azure icon next to the service a runbook step talks about, a brand icon next to a partner, or your own uploaded icon next to an in-house platform.
| Where | How the icon gets there |
|---|---|
| Articles, Snippets, and Templates | Insert Icon in the editor toolbar opens an icon picker and writes an {ndx} content token at the cursor; you can also type the token in Markdown |
| Document Profiles | Every Content Part of a profile-based Article or Template has the same toolbar, Insert Icon included (Writing a Profile-Based Article) |
| C4 diagram node Articles | The node.componenttype and node.icon C4 diagram node macros resolve to the bound node's Component Type name and icon, so a node's Article shows the same icon as the diagram |
- Licensing — inline icons require a Mapify license, the same license as Component Types. If your Nodinite instance doesn't have the Mapify license, the editor doesn't show Insert Icon.
- Custom icons — the editor's icon picker offers the same icons as the Component Type icon picker, so an icon you upload with + Upload icon and create a new type can also be placed inline. The token references it by id (
{ndx}/custom/<id>), and the editor's reference health banner warns when a custom-icon reference no longer resolves. Font Awesome, Azure, and Mermaid icons ship with Nodinite, so their references are never flagged. - Azure icons — the Azure Icon Licensing rules also apply when you share or publish Articles that show Azure icons.
The token syntax, every source, and the sizes are documented once, in Inline Icons with on the Macros Reference.
How Icons Render in C4 and Mermaid
Inside Nodinite — in the C4 Designer canvas and in Mapify — every Component Type icon renders as you chose it. A C4 diagram can also leave Nodinite as Mermaid markup: the Mermaid (.md) format in Export and Sharing, and the Mermaid View. Any Mermaid export follows the rules of the Mermaid language: it references icons by their Font Awesome name and doesn't carry images. Azure architecture icons, custom uploads, and the built-in Mermaid logo are images, so only Font Awesome icons survive that journey. The icon source therefore decides what a Mermaid export keeps:
| Icon Source | In the C4 Designer and Mapify | In Mermaid export and the Mermaid View |
|---|---|---|
| Font Awesome | Full colour icon | ✅ Kept — output as fa:fa-icon-name |
| Azure architecture icons | Full official coloured image | ❌ Dropped — the shape renders without its icon |
| Custom uploaded | Your uploaded image | ❌ Dropped — the shape renders without its icon |
| Built-in Mermaid logo | The Mermaid logo image | ❌ Dropped — the shape renders without its icon |
Example of Font Awesome icons in the Select Icon dialog: the icon source whose icons survive a Mermaid export.
Tip
Exporting to Mermaid? Choose a Font Awesome icon. If a diagram will be exported to Mermaid and shared outside Nodinite (GitHub, Azure DevOps, Confluence, Notion), give its Component Types Font Awesome icons. Keep Azure architecture icons and custom icons for diagrams that people view inside Nodinite, in the C4 Designer and Mapify. Azure icons have their own colours and follow a standard of their own, which is why they look best there.
How the Icon Priority Chain Works
Every C4 diagram shape selects its icon by following a priority chain. When a shape is bound to a Repository entity that already has a Component Type assigned, the entity's Component Type always wins — you do not need to configure the icon separately inside each diagram.
| Priority | Icon source | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| 1 — Highest | Entity Component Type | The node is bound to a System, Service, or Integration (checked in that order) that has a Component Type assigned; or the boundary is bound to a Domain that has a Component Type |
| 2 | Shape Component Type | The shape itself has a Component Type assigned directly, and the bound entity has none |
| 3 — Fallback | Toolbox default icon | No Component Type is reachable from any source — the shape renders its built-in default |
Set it once, see it everywhere
This is the key benefit of assigning Component Types to Repository entities rather than to individual diagram shapes. Set the Component Type on an Azure API Management System and every C4 diagram that contains a node bound to that System automatically displays the correct icon — in both view mode and the designer.
If you later reassign a different Component Type to that System, every diagram updates immediately. There is nothing to open or change in the diagrams themselves.
The toolbox default icon as fallback
When no Component Type is reachable through the priority chain, the shape renders its toolbox default icon — the same icon shown for that shape type in the left-panel toolbox sidebar.
| Shape | Default toolbox icon |
|---|---|
| Person / User | |
| Software System | |
| Container (generic) | |
| Container Database | |
| Container Queue | |
| Component | |
| Deployment Node | |
| Boundary |
This means a freshly placed shape — with no bindings and no Component Type assigned — always has a recognisable icon immediately.
Inspector panel: both icons are visible together
When you click a shape to open its inspector, both icons are visible at once:
| Icon | Location in inspector | Shown when |
|---|---|---|
| Toolbox icon (shape type) | Inspector header | Always — identifies the C4 element kind regardless of CT |
| Component Type icon | "Type" row in the inspector body | When a Component Type is linked via the entity or set directly on the shape |
The toolbox icon in the header never changes when a Component Type is assigned. It permanently identifies what kind of shape you are looking at. The Component Type icon communicates what it represents in your specific architecture.
Next Steps
- Component Types Overview — manage the Component Type registry
- C4 Diagrams — use Component Types in architecture diagrams
- Mapify — the visual landscape where Component Type icons appear
- 3rd Party Libraries & Licensing — full Azure icon licensing terms
Related Topics
- Systems — assign Component Types to systems
- Services — assign Component Types to services
- Export and Sharing — the C4 diagram export formats, Mermaid included
- Macros Reference — the
{ndx}inline icon token and the C4 node macros - Knowledge base Articles — Articles, Snippets, Templates, and Document Profiles
- Repository Model — all repository entities