- 7 minutes to read

What is a Component Type?

Component Types require the Mapify feature flag. This feature is only available with a special Mapify license. Contact your Nodinite sales representative to enable 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 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, or a custom image you have uploaded.

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.

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.

Font Awesome icons are preserved in Mermaid export — where the C4 Mermaid syntax supports it, icons are output using the fa: notation (for example, fa:fa-server). This keeps your architecture diagrams consistent in any tool that renders standard Mermaid markup, including GitHub, Confluence, Azure DevOps, and Notion.

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.

Custom Icons

If you need an icon for a technology not covered by Font Awesome or the Azure set — 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, contact Nodinite support rather than modifying it locally.

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).

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

How Icons Render in C4 and Mermaid

Nodinite renders architecture diagrams using Mermaid C4 syntax. The icon source determines how it behaves in exported markup:

Icon Source	In Nodinite	In Mermaid Export
Font Awesome	Full colour icon	Output as `fa:fa-icon-name` — renders in any Mermaid-capable tool
Azure	Full official coloured SVG	Fallback shape — Mermaid does not natively support arbitrary SVGs
Custom uploaded	Your uploaded image	Fallback shape in plain Mermaid export

Example of Component Type icons rendered inside a Nodinite C4 / Mermaid diagram.

Note
For the best icon fidelity when exporting diagrams to Confluence, GitHub, Azure DevOps, or other Mermaid-rendering tools, prefer Font Awesome Component Types. Azure icons render at their best when viewed within Nodinite itself.

Next Step

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

Systems — assign Component Types to systems
Services — assign Component Types to services
Repository Model — all repository entities

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