There are dozens of blogging platforms you can choose from. On this page you’ll find reviews, comparisons, and tips for setting up some of the most popular blogging platforms. While some are aimed at technical blogs, most would work for any subject matter. Find even more technical content at Draft.dev and the Draft.dev Blog
Writing technical articles is a complex process consisting of different components. You have to research the topic, create demo applications, troubleshoot any issues, and then write the actual article.
For some articles, it’s also helpful to include an architectural diagram, which can help readers better understand system structure, data flow, or interactions between different systems or services.
In this article, we’ll define what an architecture diagram is, explore different tools you can use to create them, and provide a few tips to help you get started.
What Are Architecture Diagrams?
An architectural diagram is a visual tool that shows how different parts of a system or application work together. It acts like a blueprint, mapping out connections between components like databases, servers, APIs, and user interfaces.
For example, this article uses a diagram in the very beginning to visualize what’s going to be created:
While it would be possible to communicate the complexity of this architecture with words, the diagram communicates more clearly and efficiently.
A good architectural diagram effectively communicates the design and structure of a system and typically focuses on the following:
Clarity and simplicity: Use clear, straightforward symbols and labels to represent components. Additionally, make sure you use descriptive labels and annotations to clarify the function and purpose of each component.
Consistent layout: Arrange elements logically, with a consistent style and structure to make the diagram easy to follow.
Key components: Highlight all crucial elements, including their relationships and interactions.
These elements ensure that the diagram is both informative and accessible, helping readers easily visualize complex concepts.
Tools for Creating Architecture Diagrams
Now that you know more about the different components that make up a good architectural diagram, let’s take a look at some tools you can use to create one.
Google Drawings
Like most things in the Google ecosystem, Google Drawings is easy to get started with. While it may not offer advanced features, its straightforward interface allows you to create basic, effective diagrams.
Google Drawings works in every browser, but if you’re using a Chromium-based browser like Chrome or Edge, you can type drawing.new directly into the address bar to open a new drawing.
ExcaliDraw
Sometimes you want something a bit different that resembles a quick sketch. This is where you may want to try out ExcaliDraw. It lets you create illustrations that looks like what you’d draw on a whiteboard.
Whether you use Google Drawings or ExcaliDraw mainly comes down to preference.
Draw.io
Draw.io is a free and easy-to-use tool that offers a more extensive set of features than Google Drawings and is designed specifically for diagramming.
It integrates well with cloud storage services like Google Drive and Dropbox and supports real-time collaboration.
Inkscape
If you’re interested in making more complex diagrams, Inkscape offers precise control over vector graphics, enabling detailed and accurate illustrations. It supports a wide range of file formats and includes advanced features like layers, object grouping, and path manipulation.
It’s also free, open source, and available on Windows, Linux and Mac
Tips for Creating Diagrams
Now that you’re ready to create some visually appealing, well-structured architectural diagrams, the following tips can help you get started.
Practice Makes Perfect
As with most things, creating architectural diagrams takes practice. On the surface, it may seem like architectural diagram creation is a matter of knowing all the prerequisites, but in reality, it’s still something that takes skill. If you haven’t created diagrams before, don’t get frustrated when your first couple don’t look that great. Keep trying and you’ll be creating beautiful diagrams in no time.
Keep the following in mind if you’re just starting out:
Use consistent colors and fonts: Stick to a limited color palette and uniform fonts for a professional look. Also, make sure your color choices enhance readability. Have you selected high-contrasting colors for your background and font?
Keep it simple: Avoid clutter by focusing on key elements and removing unnecessary details.
Utilize white space: Give elements room to breathe to prevent the diagram from feeling crowded. Along with that, don’t try to cram everything into the diagram, the content that goes along with the diagram can help fill in the gaps.
Align elements (when possible): Ensure that shapes and lines are neatly aligned for a clean, organized appearance. Don’t forget to think about the position of elements and texts. Make sure that the text accompanying an element is close to it, and is not ambiguously placed.
Use shapes: Standard shapes and symbols such as arrows and squares can help provide clarity.
Use visual hierarchy: Highlight important components with size, color, or placement to guide the viewer’s attention.
Maintain proportions: Keep element sizes proportional to their importance or relationship to avoid misleading representations.
Think about the Reader
Of all the tips in this article, this is probably the most important one: Don’t forget who you’re creating your diagram for. Is it a beginner? Make sure you’re content is as simple as possible. Does your reader have years of experience? Then using more complex terminology/visuals is probably okay.
It’s easy to get caught up in your diagram and forget critical information. Take a step back (maybe even a few hours or days away) and come back and review your content through the eyes of your reader. Sometimes a little break and a reminder of who your audience is, is all you need to take your diagram from good to great.
Conclusion
Making an architecture diagram isn’t the most difficult task, but it does require practice and some thoughtful planning. A poorly designed diagram can confuse readers instead of clarifying your points. To avoid this, always consider how your diagram aligns with the content your presenting. Thoughtful design can turn a good architectural diagram into a great one.
Need additional support for creating technical posts? At Draft.dev, we have 150+ articles for technical content creators—visit our blog here.
As the amount of data that companies create and use continues to grow, cybersecurity measures have to grow, too. Malicious attacks such as phishing, denial of service (DoS), and malware, cybersecurity risks can come from within an organization or from outside actors.
A good cybersecurity approach will help maintain your information systems’ confidentiality, integrity, and availability requirements, no matter where the threat comes from. But staying on top of the latest innovations in the space can definitely be a challenge.
This article offers a roundup of cybersecurity blogs with information on trends in cybersecurity, how-to guides, best practices, webinars, and insights from researchers. We’ve rated them according to their technical expertise, consistency in content, and their audience size in the tech community.
Following at least a few of these blogs should help you stay informed on the newest cybersecurity threats and keep your skills sharp.
1. The Hacker News
The Hacker News is one of the leading cybersecurity content platforms targeting IT professionals, researchers, hackers, and technologists. Founded in 2010 as a cybersecurity and hacking news platform, it has continued to educate people on how to use the internet safely.
The Hacker News has the latest information on data breaches, cyberattacks, vulnerabilities, malware, and InfoSec trends, with a readership of more than eight million people monthly.
Writing quality: 4
Consistency: 4
Longevity: 4
Technical depth: 5
Broad usefulness: 5
2. Security Affairs
Security Affairs is written and maintained by Pierluigi Paganini, an ethical hacker and a renowned researcher in cybersecurity. This blog offers extensive resources about cybercrime, cyberwarfare, data breaches, the deep web, hacking, and hacktivism.
The posts in Security Affairs cover all proficiency levels while offering comprehensive details and diagrammatic explanations to make even the most difficult topics more understandable.
Writing quality: 4
Consistency: 4
Longevity: 3
Technical depth: 5
Broad usefulness: 4
3. Heimdal Security
The Heimdal Security blog is among the best free security resources you can follow. The posts here advise on the latest threats and provide guidelines to help organizations and individuals observe cyber safety.
Heimdal Security presents the latest news about threat actors and industry developments, as well as technology news relevant to security, cyberattacks, and data breaches worldwide. It also offers courses and webinars on cybersecurity.
The site is user-friendly, and you can easily navigate content by selecting blogs from the glossary or by using the search bar.
Writing quality: 5
Consistency: 3
Longevity: 3
Technical depth: 5
Broad usefulness: 4
4. Cipher
Cipher is the cybersecurity division of Prosegur. Its blog features articles on information security, vulnerability analysis, cybersecurity trends, general security tips, and cyberattacks, written by information security experts.
It also offers how-to guides, best practices posts, and other educational content such as podcasts and videos. Its dedicated resources section helps organizations assess themselves against standards such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, and NIST to build maturity and compliance.
Writing quality: 5
Consistency: 3
Longevity: 5
Technical depth: 4
Broad usefulness: 4
5. Infosec Resources
With over one million readers monthly, Infosec Resources should be among your go-to sources for anything cybersecurity. The blog from Infosec presents the latest content on phishing, attack vectors, risk mitigation, endpoint security, and cyber threats such as malware cases.
Dozens of posts are published monthly. Many are either step-by-step technical walk-throughs or competitive capture-the-flag exercises to help readers advance their cybersecurity skills. Readers can mitigate their business risks, keep their skills sharp, and achieve their career goals.
Writing quality: 4
Consistency: 4
Longevity: 3
Technical depth: 5
Broad usefulness: 4
6. CSO
CSO provides security decision-makers and users with the vital information they need to stay ahead of evolving threats and fight cyberattacks. Its blog articles, many of which are sponsored, focus on cyber risks, network defense, cyber fraud, software vulnerabilities, and data loss prevention.
Writing quality: 4
Consistency: 3
Longevity: 3
Technical depth: 4
Broad usefulness: 4
7. Dark Reading
Dark Reading is a news site dedicated to cybersecurity content. It offers breaking news articles and deeper news analysis to tech and security professionals on data breaches, new cyber threats, vulnerabilities, endpoint security, threat intelligence, and other topics. It also offers newsletters and live events.
From Dark Reading, you can learn the best defense approach against the latest attacks as well as key technologies and practices you can use to protect data.
Writing quality: 4
Consistency: 3
Longevity: 4
Technical depth: 4
Broad usefulness: 4
8. IT Security Guru
IT Security Guru is a community of contributors that offers a daily news digest of all the latest IT security stories. The site’s Insight section also offers a platform for the security industry’s most exciting and innovative voices.
The writing quality in IT Security Guru varies from post to post, with some articles appearing more like personal blog posts and some resembling informational references. They are, however, consistently well-structured and deliver on technical depth.
Writing quality: 4
Consistency: 3
Longevity: 4
Technical depth: 5
Broad usefulness: 4
9. Help Net Security
Help Net Security, founded in 1998, is another popular independent site focused on information security. Its topics range from security challenges to building your cybersecurity business.
This site is rich with content published daily, ranging from what’s new to industry trends, experts’ reviews, and analysis.
Writing quality: 4
Consistency: 3
Longevity: 4
Technical depth: 5
Broad usefulness: 4
10. CyberTalk
CyberTalk provides cybersecurity news and insights for business leaders. Relying on multiple contributors, the blog covers active threats, data privacy, data breaches, and other topics.
Readers have access to white papers organized by topic, such as blockchain, phishing, cloud security, and IoT security. There are also solution briefs detailing the best cybersecurity practices for your business.
Writing quality: 4
Consistency: 2
Longevity: 4
Technical depth: 4
Broad usefulness: 4
11. The CyberArk Blog
CyberArk is among the few security companies focusing entirely on preventing cyberattacks. With many of the world’s top businesses relying on their protection solutions and services, The CyberArk Blog commands lots of viewership.
The site is updated periodically with well-written, intelligent articles on topics such as the newest global security concerns, online habits, identity security, security trends, and reviews from security/hacker conferences.
Writing quality: 4
Consistency: 2
Longevity: 3
Technical depth: 5
Broad usefulness: 4
12. Zero Day
Zero Day, a security blog by ZDNET, is another go-to site for the latest hacks, InfoSec, and cybersecurity news. Zero Day stands out for its timely coverage of all security and technology news. If anything happens in the InfoSec world, it’s on Zero Day.
Writing quality: 3
Consistency: 2
Longevity: 3
Technical depth: 4
Broad usefulness: 4
13. Naked Security
Naked Security is an award-winning threat newsroom, providing readers with news on the latest internet threats, opinions, advice, and more research on computer security issues.
As a reader, you can subscribe to daily email updates to receive newsletters from Naked Security. The newsletters feature headlines from the last twenty-four hours, so you can choose which stories interest you immediately. Naked Security also offers curated podcasts with the same technical depth as their newsletters.
Writing quality: 4
Consistency: 3
Longevity: 3
Technical depth: 4
Broad usefulness: 3
14. Information Security Buzz
Information Security Buzz is an independent news site that provides security experts’ comments, analysis, and thoughts on the latest InfoSec news and issues.
The site’s expert community is available to answer questions, and you can also register as an expert to contribute your own comments or thought leadership.
Writing quality: 3
Consistency: 2
Longevity: 3
Technical depth: 4
Broad usefulness: 3
15. Security Weekly
Security Weekly is a combination of posts and podcasts about various aspects of cybersecurity, including encryption, ransomware, hacking, data integrity, and other topics. The site also offers webcasts and training sessions.
Security Weekly is part of the CyberRisk Alliance (CRA), which was formed to help cybersecurity professionals better protect their companies.
Writing quality: 3
Consistency: 2
Longevity: 3
Technical depth: 4
Broad usefulness: 3
16. Krebs on Security
Krebs on Security is one of the most famous blogs in cyberspace. Brian Krebs is a well-known investigative journalist and the author of Spam Nation. Krebs continuously follows the latest security trends to write on topical security and cybercrime issues such as ransomware, skimmers, software patches, and passcodes.
The blog has been around for over fifteen years and has made a mark as a reliable source of content. Expect five to seven new posts every month.
Writing quality: 4
Consistency: 2
Longevity: 3
Technical depth: 4
Broad usefulness: 3
17. Schneier on Security
Schneier on Security is the blog of Bruce Schneier, a security expert and the author of several books, including We Have Root. Schneier is a fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University and a board member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). He’s been writing about security issues since he launched his newsletter in 1998, and later his blog in 2004.
His content is in-depth with a good amount of technical expertise, and it’s updated regularly so there’s always something new for readers. Moreover, new content is published predictably and is sorted well to keep readers active.
Writing quality: 4
Consistency: 3
Longevity: 3
Technical depth: 4
Broad usefulness: 3
18. Cyber Defense Magazine
Cyber Defense Magazine is a passionate information security blog focusing on topics like zero-trust network access, securing third-party software, cryptocurrency breaches, and ransomware.
The InfoSec magazine’s goal is to help readers solve security problems. Its articles are a mix of technical findings, explanations, tutorials, and opinions.
Writing quality: 4
Consistency: 2
Longevity: 3
Technical depth: 3
Broad usefulness: 3
19. CNET
CNET is a wide-ranging tech publication that focuses in part on security issues. CNET’s consumer technology experts share their views about credit card fraud, data breaches, vulnerabilities, cyberwarfare, social media privacy, and other topics.
CNET’s posts have a more casual tone and aren’t generally too technical. It’s a good site to follow if you are more interested in consumer-related security topics.
Writing quality: 3
Consistency: 2
Longevity: 3
Technical depth: 3
Broad usefulness: 3
20. Architect Security
Architect Security is run by April C. Wright, an ethical hacker, trainer, and author of Fixing an Insecure Software Lifecycle. Her goal is to teach people to be more proactive about security by preventing attacks before they can occur.
Content in this blog touches on API security, social engineering attacks, risk management, and other issues. The posts are simple to follow, and technical content is presented well with external links for clarity.
Writing quality: 4
Consistency: 2
Longevity: 3
Technical depth: 3
Broad usefulness: 3
Conclusion
To keep up with the happenings in cyberspace, you must closely follow the latest trends, reviews, insights, and news from top cybersecurity blog sites and experts.
The curated list above should give you a good start. These blogs can help you learn how to detect, avoid, mitigate, and prevent cyber threats or cyberattacks. Use these and others to grow your knowledge and advance your technology career.
