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Synapify

The Solution Architect's Toolbench

Synapify is a professional desktop application for designing distributed, reactive, cloud-native systems using the RIDDL specification language. Whether you're a domain expert sketching out business processes or a software architect defining precise system boundaries, Synapify provides the visual and textual tools you need to create, validate, and simulate your designs.

Early Access

Synapify is currently in active development. Core features are functional, with additional capabilities being added regularly. Check back for updates on availability.

Why Synapify?

Traditional system design tools force a choice: either draw diagrams that can't be validated, or write specifications that domain experts can't read. Synapify bridges this gap by providing:

  • Visual modeling that domain experts can understand and contribute to
  • Formal specification that can be validated, simulated, and used for code generation
  • Bidirectional synchronization so visual and textual views always match
  • AI assistance to accelerate modeling and catch issues early

The result is a specification that serves as the single source of truth—from initial design through implementation and beyond.

Who Is Synapify For?

Synapify supports the full spectrum of RIDDL users:

Domain Experts

Subject matter experts who understand the business domain deeply. Use Synapify's visual editor to:

  • Review and validate domain models created by others
  • Contribute domain knowledge through intuitive diagrams
  • Understand system structure without learning syntax
  • Verify that models accurately represent business processes

Authors

Those who create and maintain RIDDL models. Use Synapify to:

  • Build models visually with drag-and-drop components
  • Refine details in the synchronized text editor
  • Validate models in real-time as you work
  • Organize large models across multiple files

Implementors

Developers who transform models into working software. Use Synapify to:

  • Understand the system design before implementation
  • Generate documentation and starter code
  • Run simulations to validate behavioral assumptions
  • Track model changes that affect implementation

Developers

Those who extend the RIDDL ecosystem itself. Use Synapify to:

  • Test language features with immediate visual feedback
  • Explore how models parse and validate
  • Debug issues in the RIDDL toolchain

Core Capabilities

Visual Editor

The primary workspace for designing your system. The visual editor displays your RIDDL model as interactive blocks that represent domains, contexts, entities, and other definitions. You can:

  • Navigate the model hierarchy by expanding and collapsing containers
  • Select definitions to view their details and edit properties
  • Arrange components to create clear, readable diagrams
  • Drag and drop new definitions from the palette

Some visual editing features are still in development.

Text Editor

A full-featured RIDDL source editor powered by Monaco (the same editor engine as VS Code). The text editor provides:

  • Syntax highlighting for all RIDDL language elements
  • Real-time validation with inline error and warning indicators
  • Code folding for managing large files
  • Search and replace across your model files

The text editor appears below the visual editor and stays synchronized—changes in one view immediately appear in the other.

Project Management

Synapify organizes your work into projects, each containing:

  • A main RIDDL entry point file
  • Supporting files for large models (via include)
  • Project metadata and settings
  • Git integration for version control

Model Validation

As you work, Synapify continuously validates your model using the RIDDL compiler. Validation catches:

  • Syntax errors in your RIDDL definitions
  • Undefined references to types or entities
  • Structural issues like invalid containment
  • Missing required elements

Errors and warnings appear in both the visual and text editors, with clear messages explaining what needs to be fixed.

Integrated Services

Synapify connects to external services to extend its capabilities beyond design and validation.

Model Simulation

Coming Soon

Simulation integration is under development.

Connect to riddlsim to validate your model's behavior before writing any code:

  • Define scenarios that describe expected system behavior
  • Run simulations against your model to verify handlers respond correctly
  • Test state transitions to confirm entities move through expected states
  • Explore edge cases to find issues before they become bugs

Simulation scenarios can be saved alongside your model and run repeatedly as the model evolves.

Code Generation

Coming Soon

Code generation integration is under development.

Connect to riddl-gen to transform your validated models into implementation artifacts:

  • Documentation in AsciiDoc and Hugo formats
  • Akka/Scala code for reactive microservices
  • Quarkus/Java code (planned)
  • Additional targets as the ecosystem grows

Generated code provides a starting point that preserves your model's structure and behavior, reducing the gap between design and implementation.

AI Assistance

Synapify integrates with AI assistants through the RIDDL MCP Server to provide intelligent modeling support:

  • Validate models with detailed, actionable feedback
  • Generate suggestions for what to add next based on patterns
  • Convert descriptions from natural language into RIDDL structures
  • Explain errors with fix recommendations

Configure your preferred AI assistant (Claude, Gemini, Copilot, etc.) with the MCP server to enable these capabilities.

Getting Started

Installation

Synapify is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Download the installer for your platform:

Coming Soon

Installers will be available when Synapify reaches public release.

System Requirements

  • macOS: 11.0 (Big Sur) or later
  • Windows: Windows 10 or later
  • Linux: Ubuntu 20.04, Fedora 34, or equivalent
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM minimum, 8 GB recommended
  • Disk: 500 MB for installation
  • Network: Required for simulation and code generation services

Your First Project

  1. Launch Synapify and choose "New Project" from the welcome screen
  2. Name your project and select a location on your filesystem
  3. Start modeling by adding a domain from the palette
  4. Add contexts within your domain to represent bounded business areas
  5. Define entities to model the stateful objects in each context
  6. Validate your model using the built-in compiler integration
  7. Save your work—Synapify auto-generates the proper file structure

See the User Interface Guide for detailed information on working with Synapify's editors and panels.

Subscription Tiers

Pricing Coming Soon

Subscription details will be announced closer to public release.

Individual

For independent consultants and solo practitioners:

  • Full visual and text editing
  • Local project storage
  • Simulation and code generation access
  • Standard support

Team

For small teams working together:

  • Everything in Individual
  • Shared project repositories
  • Author attribution and tracking
  • Collaborative editing features
  • Priority support

Enterprise

For organizations with advanced needs:

  • Everything in Team
  • Custom integration options
  • On-premises deployment available
  • Dedicated support
  • Volume licensing

Platform Architecture

Synapify is built with modern technologies chosen for reliability and cross-platform consistency:

  • Electron provides the desktop application framework
  • Scala.js enables type-safe application logic
  • Monaco Editor powers the text editing experience
  • Laminar delivers reactive, functional UI components

The application runs entirely on your machine, with network access only needed for simulation, code generation, and AI assistance services.

Stay Updated

Synapify is under active development. For updates and announcements: