.farki File Format

The .farki format is Farkitect’s native interchange format — human-readable JSON for importing and exporting models.

Top-Level Structure

{
  "$format": "farki/1.1",
  "scope": "package",
  "metadata": { ... },
  "package": { ... }
}

Field	Required	Description
$format	Yes	Format version identifier. Current: "farki/1.1"
scope	Yes	"package" (single package tree) or "project" (complete project)
metadata	Yes	File metadata including creation timestamp and content summary
package	Package scope	The root package (when scope = “package”)
packages	Project scope	Array of root packages (when scope = “project”)

Metadata

"metadata": {
  "createdAt": "2026-03-15T00:00:00.000Z",
  "summary": [
    {
      "name": "M2 ArchiMate 3.2",
      "layer": "M2",
      "elementCount": 61
    }
  ]
}

Project-scope files may also include name, description, and sourceProject.

Package

{
  "name": "M1 Farquind Applications",
  "layer": "M1",
  "imports": ["M2 ArchiMate 3.2"],
  "elements": [ ... ],
  "diagrams": [ ... ],
  "catalogs": [ ... ]
}

Field	Required	Description
name	Yes	Package name
notes	No	Markdown description
layer	Yes	"M3", "M2", or "M1"
packageKind	M2 only	"standard" or "common"
isReadOnly	No	true to prevent modification
imports	No	Array of M2 package names this package uses
elements	No	Array of child elements
diagrams	No	Array of diagrams
catalogs	No	Array of catalogs

Elements

Class (Element Type or Instance)

{
  "name": "FQ Vessels",
  "type": "Class",
  "$id": "fq-vessels",
  "classifier": "M2 ArchiMate 3.2:Application Component",
  "notes": "Fleet telemetry and diagnostics platform.",
  "propertyValues": {
    "Lifecycle Status": "active"
  }
}

Package (Nested)

{
  "name": "Customer Systems",
  "type": "Package",
  "$id": "customer-systems",
  "elements": [ ... ]
}

Relationship

{
  "name": "FQ Orders serves Fleet Dashboard",
  "type": "Relationship",
  "source": "fq-orders",
  "target": "fleet-dashboard",
  "$id": "fq-orders-serves-fleet-dashboard",
  "classifier": "M2 ArchiMate 3.2:Serving"
}

Owned (Nested) Elements

{
  "name": "Entity",
  "type": "Class",
  "$id": "entity",
  "nestedElements": [
    {
      "name": "customerId",
      "type": "Class",
      "$id": "customer-id",
      "classifier": "M2 Logical Data Model:Attribute",
      "propertyValues": {
        "Data Type": "integer",
        "Is Primary Key": "true"
      }
    }
  ]
}

The $id Convention

Every element has a $id — a unique, human-readable identifier within the file.

Rule	Example
Unique within the file	No two elements share a $id
Kebab-case	fq-vessels, customer-segment
Used for cross-references	Relationships reference source/target by $id
Stable	Renaming in the UI doesn’t change $id

Classifier References

M1 elements reference their M2 type using Package Name:Type Name:

"classifier": "M2 Business Model Canvas:Customer Segment"

Property Values

Flat object mapping property names to values:

"propertyValues": {
  "Lifecycle Status": "active",
  "Start Date": "2025-06-15",
  "Is Required": "true"
}

Enumeration values use the machine value, not the display name.

Diagrams

{
  "name": "Application Overview",
  "notation": "M2 ArchiMate 3.2",
  "viewport": { "panX": 0, "panY": 0, "zoom": 1.0 },
  "nodes": [
    { "element": "fq-vessels", "x": 100, "y": 200, "width": 160, "height": 80 }
  ],
  "edges": [
    { "source": "fq-orders-node", "target": "fq-vessels-node", "relationship": "orders-serves-vessels" }
  ]
}

M2-Specific Fields

M2 element types include additional fields:

Field	Description
notation	Visual appearance (shape, colour, icon, compartments)
palette	Palette configuration (usually {})
properties	Array of Property definitions
constraints	Relationship constraints (validPairs)
packageRole	Sub-package role (elementTypes, relationshipTypes, etc.)