mermaid/docs/n00b-overview.md

# Overview for n00bs

As a sysadmin I frequently have to document things, including drawing stuff.

Using mermaid I can type this as a comment in a script:

```
graph TD
A[Client] --> B[Load Balancer]
B --> C[Server01]
B --> D[Server02]
```

And end up getting this in the documentation:

![Flowchart](./img/n00b-firstFlow.png)

Most of the stuff I need to visualize can be scripted like this, with a varitety of different symbols and chart types.

Comparing with Visio and similar applications, mermaid is a really fast and simple way to create good visualizations when writing documentation. This is especially apparent when a complex visualisation needs to be edited, which could take hours in a desktop application. With mermaid I can spend a fraction of that time automating the diagram generation and end up saving even more time. I love it!

Since the diagram source can be part of production scripts (and other pieces of code), less time needs be spent on documenting as a separate task.

However, a lot of the mermaid documentation is geared to professional developers and presumes a skill set which I do not have.

I needed a really simple and basic instruction, and here it is.