# About FractalForm

FractalForm turns text into animated system diagrams you can step through and share. The language is purposefully small. A few lines is enough to explain how a system behaves.

Here's what a basic API call looks like:

```
component client "Browser" <shape:browser>
component api "API" <shape:server>
component db "PostgreSQL" <shape:database>

client -> api : GET /users
api -> db : SELECT * FROM users
db -> api : 42 rows
api -> client : 200 OK
```

Paste that into the [editor](/) and you get a diagram:

![Basic API call diagram](/fractalform-basic-diagram.gif)

Your documentation becomes the script. The editor turns it into something you can watch: arrows become animated particles, state updates appear inside nodes, overlays narrate what's happening and why. Write the text, hit Run, step through it. The [Reference](/reference) page covers the full syntax.

The output is a shareable URL. Useful for explaining complex systems, onboarding docs, and teaching. You can also [use AI to author diagrams](/authoring) from a single prompt.

## Try it

Start building in the [Editor](/). Pick one of the built-in examples or start typing.