Stratum
Put the detail behind the shape it belongs to
A stratum is the layer behind a diagram shape. Click the box and the stratum opens over the canvas: the runbook, the config, the owner. Every shape can carry one.
Free plan and up
Attaching detail to a shape, then opening it again from the canvas as a reader would.
Why Stratum
Layered detail behind every shape.
The canvas stays readable
The canvas carries the system: boxes, lanes, connectors. Everything a reader might ask about one of them is in its stratum.
Click through to the depth
Click a shape and its stratum opens over the diagram: rich markdown, tables, code blocks, attachments, links. The canvas is still behind it.
Layers all the way down
A stratum can hold a diagram. The payments box opens onto a canvas of the services inside it, and those shapes have strata too.
Features
More about Stratum
Answers where the question is
Who owns this? Why is it like this? The answer opens on the shape that raised it.
Links between strata
A stratum can link to another shape, another blueprint, or a diagram embedded in its own text.
Tabs on a shape
One stratum, several tabs: an overview, the Terraform, the runbook. All on the same shape.
Where operational data lands
Continuum Link attaches its connectors as tabs on a stratum: the on-call name, the open incidents, the uptime, each a timestamped snapshot.
Examples
Diagrams worth clicking into
Published boards where the detail sits behind the shapes.
Rivulet webhook relay
Rivulet's architecture, delivery state machine and database schema, with installation instructions, operating notes and a short walkthrough.
AWS regional failover
Quayside's two-region AWS design and twelve-step failover procedure, with recovery targets, failback instructions and quarterly test results.
Enterprise Azure environment
An Azure hub-and-spoke design connected to an on-premises network through ExpressRoute. Includes identity services, application workloads, addressing and firewall policy.
Works with
Stratum is one part of Blueprintr
Vellum
Where you bind a stratum to a shape. Draw.io, Excalidraw and Mermaid shapes bind too.
Blueprints
The document a stratum belongs to. Publishing the blueprint publishes every stratum in it.
Continuum
Continuum Cloud fills a stratum with a resource's configuration, and Continuum Link adds timestamped snapshots from your tools as extra tabs.
FAQ
Questions about Stratum
What is a stratum?
The layer behind a diagram shape. Clicking the shape opens it over the canvas, and the diagram stays visible behind it.
What can I put in one?
Rich markdown, tables, code blocks, file attachments, links, and a diagram of its own.
Can one shape hold more than one thing?
Yes. A stratum can have several tabs, so one shape can carry an overview, the Terraform and the runbook side by side.
Can a stratum contain another diagram?
Yes. The payments box can open onto a canvas of the services inside it, and those shapes can carry strata of their own.
Does it work outside Vellum?
Yes. Shapes in Vellum, draw.io, Excalidraw and Mermaid can all carry a stratum.
What does it cost?
Strata are on the free plan.