Quick start

From sign-up to your first diagram in Doska in a few minutes: sign in, paste diagram code, edit it on the board and invite a colleague.

This guide takes you from creating an account to a shared diagram that you and your colleagues can edit. It takes about five minutes. If you only want to try diagram code without an account, open one of the free editors instead.

#1. Sign in

1. Open getdoska.top and click Start free to continue with your Google account.
2. To sign up with email instead, open the sign-up page, fill in Your name, Company or team, Email and Password (at least 8 characters), and click Create account. The same page also has Continue with Google.

Doska creates an organization named after your company or team, with a project called Shared boards and a Welcome board inside it. You become the owner and can invite colleagues later.

#2. Choose how to start

Right after sign-up you see the What shall we start with? screen. Every option ends on a board with something on it:

Show me an example first opens the Welcome board. Later closes the screen; you can create boards from the home page or a project at any time.

This guide follows Paste code.

#3. Paste diagram code

1. Click Paste code.

2. Paste the code below, or click Use an example to get the same code:

   mermaidOpen in the free editor ↗Copy

   flowchart LR
     user([Customer]) --> web[Website]
     web --> api[API]
     api --> pay{{Payments}}
     api --> db[(Database)]

3. Doska checks the code as you type. When it shows Looks good: 5 shapes, click Create diagram.

A board called My first diagram opens, with the diagram on the canvas and the Diagrams from code panel on the right. If the code has an error, the line and the message appear under the editor and the button stays disabled.

#Describe it in words instead

If you would rather not write code, choose Describe in words:

1. Describe the system or process, for example "an online shop: website, payments, warehouse and delivery".
2. Click Ask ChatGPT or Ask Claude. A new tab opens with a ready-made request.
3. Copy the whole answer and paste it back into Doska. The diagram code is found in the answer automatically.
4. Click Create diagram.

#4. Change the code and apply it

The code panel is where you edit the diagram as text. Open or close it with the Code button in the top bar or ⌘/Ctrl+E.

1. Add a line at the end of the code:

   mermaidOpen in the free editor ↗Copy

   flowchart LR
     user([Customer]) --> web[Website]
     web --> api[API]
     api --> pay{{Payments}}
     api --> db[(Database)]
     api -->|order created| queue[[Order queue]]

2. Before you apply, the board shows a preview: new elements are outlined in green, changed ones in yellow, removed ones in red. The panel lists the changes.

3. Click Apply or press ⌘/Ctrl+Enter.

The new node and arrow appear next to their neighbours. Everything else stays where it was. To roll back, press ⌘/Ctrl+Z: one undo reverts both the board and the code.

#5. Move shapes on the board

The code defines which nodes and arrows exist. The canvas defines where they are.

• Drag a node to a new place. Its arrows re-route around other shapes. Positions, sizes and colors you set by hand are kept the next time you apply the code.
• Double-click a node and type a new label. The label changes in the code too.
• Connect two nodes: select a node, drag from one of the + handles on its sides and drop on another node. Doska adds the edge to the code.
• Delete a node with Delete or Backspace. Its line and its edges are removed from the code.

Rearranged too much? Click Re-layout in the code panel to lay out all nodes from scratch.

#6. Invite a colleague

1. Click Share in the top-right corner of the board.
2. Choose how to give access:
   • Add a person from your organization: type their name or email, pick Editor or Viewer, and click Add.
   • Invite someone new: under Invite link, pick a role, click Create, then Copy, and send the link. The link is valid for 7 days. Someone outside the organization joins as a guest and sees only this board.
   • Show the board to anyone: next to Only people with access, click Turn on. Anyone with the link can view the board without signing in, read-only, with live changes.
3. To give access to every board and document in the project, click Access to the whole project at the bottom of the dialog.

When your colleague opens the board, you see their cursor with their name, and their avatar appears in the top bar. Click the avatar to jump to where they are looking.

#Where to go next

• Boards: all canvas tools, comments, version history and export.
• Keyboard shortcuts: work faster with the keyboard.
• Diagrams as code: the full Mermaid, D2 and nwdiag syntax and sync rules.
• Sharing and permissions: roles, guests and public links.