Mermaid Deployment and Usage Guide

Prerequisites

• Node.js (version 16 or higher)
• npm (version 8 or higher)
• TypeScript (for development)
• Git (for cloning the repository)
• D3.js (required dependency for rendering)
• ELK.js (for layout algorithms)

Installation

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/mermaid-js/mermaid.git
cd mermaid

2. Install Dependencies

npm install

3. Build the Project

npm run build

4. Run Tests

npm test

Configuration

Environment Variables

Mermaid supports various configuration options through the MermaidConfig interface. Key configuration options include:

• theme: 'default' | 'base' | 'dark' | 'forest' | 'neutral' | 'null'
• themeCSS: Custom CSS for theming
• themeVariables: Custom theme variables
• securityLevel: Security configuration for diagram rendering

Configuration File

You can create a configuration file or pass options directly to the Mermaid initialization:

mermaid.initialize({
  theme: 'dark',
  securityLevel: 'strict',
  startOnLoad: true
});

Build & Run

Development Mode

npm run dev

Production Build

npm run build

Running Tests

npm test

Linting

npm run lint

Deployment

CDN Deployment

Mermaid is available on jsDelivr CDN:

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/mermaid/dist/mermaid.min.js"></script>

npm Package Deployment

npm publish

Docker Deployment

docker build -t mermaid .
docker run -p 8080:8080 mermaid

Static Site Deployment

For static sites, include the mermaid script and initialize it:

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/mermaid/dist/mermaid.min.js"></script>
<script>
  mermaid.initialize({ startOnLoad: true });
</script>

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Diagram Not Rendering

Issue: Diagrams fail to render in the browser. Solution: Ensure the mermaid script is loaded before the diagrams are parsed.

mermaid.initialize({
  startOnLoad: true
});

2. Security Errors

Issue: Content Security Policy (CSP) blocks diagram rendering. Solution: Add the following to your CSP header:

script-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline' https://cdn.jsdelivr.net;

3. Font Issues

Issue: Text in diagrams appears incorrectly. Solution: Configure font settings in the Mermaid config:

mermaid.initialize({
  fontFamily: 'Arial',
  fontSize: '14px'
});

4. Layout Problems

Issue: Diagrams are not properly aligned or spaced. Solution: Adjust layout configuration:

mermaid.initialize({
  flowchart: {
    htmlLabels: true,
    curve: 'basis'
  }
});

5. Performance Issues

Issue: Large diagrams cause performance problems. Solution: Enable diagram optimization:

mermaid.initialize({
  flowchart: {
    useMaxWidth: true,
    htmlLabels: true
  }
});

Getting Help

• Documentation: https://mermaid.js.org/
• Live Editor: https://mermaid.live/
• Discord Community: https://discord.gg/sKeNQX4Wtj
• GitHub Issues: https://github.com/mermaid-js/mermaid/issues

Performance Optimization

For production deployments, consider:

1. Minification: Use the minified version of mermaid
2. Lazy Loading: Load mermaid only when needed
3. Caching: Implement proper caching strategies
4. Bundle Optimization: Tree-shake unused diagram types

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/mermaid/dist/mermaid.min.js"></script>