Quick Start

This page gets you from zero to a running application with a project open in front of you. It should take about five minutes.

1. Sign Up and Open the Dashboard

Head to farkitect.com and create an account. Once you’re signed in, you’ll land on your Dashboard — your home base for managing projects.

Farkitect is currently in early access and free for everyone. See Pricing & Availability for details.

2. Open the Web App

From the Dashboard, click Web App. This launches the full modeling application directly in your browser — no download or installation required.

3. Find Your Way Around

The workspace has five main areas:

Area	Where	What it does
Explorer	Left panel	Browse your packages, elements, diagrams, and catalogs as a tree
Canvas	Centre	The diagram editing surface — drag, connect, and arrange elements here
Palette	Right panel	Shows the element and relationship types available for the current diagram
Properties	Right panel (tabbed)	Edit the selected element’s name, properties, and notes
Notes	Right panel (tabbed)	Edit longer descriptions for the selected element

You can drag panels to rearrange them, tab them together, or resize them. For a full tour, see The Workspace.

4. Create Your First Project

You have two paths to get started:

Option A: Start from a Farketplace asset (recommended)

The Farketplace has ready-made starter assets with metamodels and sample models already set up.

1. Click File > New Project…
2. Select the From Asset tab
3. Browse or search the available assets — try ArchiMate Starter or Logical Data Model for a good first experience
4. Click the asset to select it — the name and description will be pre-filled
5. Click Create Project

Your new project opens with the metamodel imported and ready to use. You’ll see the M2 metamodel package and any sample M1 content in the Explorer.

Option B: Start with an empty project

1. Click File > New Project…
2. Select the Empty Project tab
3. Enter a name for your project
4. Click Create Project

This gives you a blank project containing only the M3 MOF Core (the foundational system layer). You’ll need to either import a metamodel or create your own before you can start modeling.

5. Explore What’s in Your Project

Expand the packages in the Explorer to see what’s inside:

• M3 MOF Core — the foundational layer that defines what metamodels can contain. Read-only; you’ll never need to edit this.
• M2 packages (if you imported a starter) — the metamodel that defines your modeling language. These provide the element types, relationship types, and notation that appear in the Palette.
• M1 packages (if the starter included samples) — example model content built using the metamodel. This is where your own modeling work will go.

6. Open a Diagram

If your project includes sample content, you’ll see diagram entries in the Explorer (look for the diagram icon). Double-click one to open it on the Canvas.

If your project is empty, you can create a diagram by right-clicking an M1 package and selecting New Diagram.

What to Read Next

Now that you have Farkitect open with a project loaded:

1. Your First Diagram — A hands-on tutorial where you build a real diagram, add elements, and connect them with relationships
2. The Workspace — A detailed map of every panel, toolbar, and menu in the application
3. Farquind Yachts — Read the case study behind the examples used throughout the tutorials