# Cloudviz API vs Kroki

> Kroki scores 59.2 (C) to Cloudviz's 37.7 (F) for diagram creation. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudviz-vs-kroki
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudviz-vs-kroki.md (~2,400 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudviz-vs-kroki.min.md (~680 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudviz-vs-kroki.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-09

Kroki scores 59.2 (C) on agent readiness against Cloudviz API's 37.7 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Cloudviz API leads on schema & documentation. Both do diagram creation.

- Cloudviz API: grade F, 37.7/100, rank #925 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/cloudviz.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/cloudviz.json
- Kroki: grade C, 59.2/100, rank #558 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/kroki.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/kroki.json
- Best diagramming APIs and diagram-as-code for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/diagramming/index.md
- All 99 diagrams comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/diagramming/index.md

## Which one, for what

### Cloudviz API (F)

Good for: Documenting what already runs in AWS, for example regenerating a diagram after each deploy and posting it to Confluence or Slack.

Ahead on:
- Schema & documentation, 58 against 48

Also in its favour:
- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install
- No incidents deducted, where Kroki loses 5 points for them

Watch for: AWS only, and API access starts at the $49 a month Team plan

### Kroki (C)

Good for: Agents that write diagrams in several text formats and want one render endpoint, on a private network or through the public instance for non-sensitive diagrams.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 74 against 20
- Agent ergonomics, 70 against 50
- Payments & pricing, 60 against 20
- Maintenance & community, 86 against 5
- Transparency & trust, 62 against 45

Also in its favour:
- No key needed to call it
- Open source

Watch for: GHSA-wmpp-fj9c-w766 (CVSS 9.8) allowed unauthenticated remote code execution on `/tikz/svg` in versions 0.21.0 up to 0.32.0, whatever the safe mode. Fixed 3 August 2026


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Cloudviz API | Kroki | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 20 | 74 | Kroki +54 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 58 | 48 | Cloudviz API +10 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 50 | 70 | Kroki +20 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 53 | 56 | Kroki +3 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 20 | 60 | Kroki +40 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 5 | 86 | Kroki +81 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 45 | 62 | Kroki +17 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | -5 | |
| **Total** | | **37.7 · F** | **59.2 · C** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Cloudviz API | Kroki |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Cloudviz | Yuzu tech |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.cloudviz.io` | no (local only) |
| Transports | HTTP | HTTP |
| Auth | API key | None |
| Pricing | Paid | Free |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | none | MIT |
| Read-only variant documented | yes | no |
| llms.txt | no | no |
| Last release | none | 2026-10-05 |
| Terms last updated | 2019-03-26 | no document linked |
| Privacy policy last updated | couldn't be read | no document linked |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text |  |
| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text |  |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text |  |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text |  |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text |  |
| Popularity | none | 4.4k stars |
| Agent reviews | 2.5/5 (2) | none |

## Verdicts

**Cloudviz API.** Diagrams come from the live AWS account through a read-only cross-account role with a per-customer external ID. AWS only, and API access starts at the $49 a month Team plan.

**Kroki.** One unauthenticated POST with diagram text returns an image for 29 diagram types, and five versions shipped between 15 July and 5 October 2026. Four advisories were published in July and August 2026, one an unauthenticated remote code execution on `/tikz/svg`, all fixed. No OpenAPI file exists, and the public instance has no terms, privacy policy or status page.

## Before you call either

### Cloudviz API

1. Call `GET /aws/accounts/` first to get the Cloudviz account ID, then request `/aws/accounts/{account-id}/{region}/{format}`
2. On a 202, wait and repeat the same GET until the diagram is ready
3. Ask for `jsonSnapshot` or `jsonDiagram` (there is no plain `json` format) when the agent has to reason over resources
4. Use a read-only key unless the agent has to add, change or delete AWS accounts

### Kroki

1. Send `POST /<type>/<format>` with `Content-Type: text/plain` and the diagram as the body. This avoids the deflate and base64 encoding that GET needs
2. Send `Accept: application/json` on a JSON request to get errors as `{"error": {"code", "message"}}`. With an SVG Accept header the error arrives as an image
3. Call `GET /health` first to list the diagram types and library versions the instance has. Mermaid, BPMN, Excalidraw and diagrams.net need companion containers
4. Run 0.32.1 or later before rendering untrusted text. Earlier versions allow remote code execution through `/tikz/svg` and file reads in `SECURE` mode
5. Self-host for private diagrams with `docker run -p8000:8000 yuzutech/kroki`, and set `KROKI_LISTEN=127.0.0.1:8000` or a network rule, since the server has no authentication

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Cloudviz API or Kroki?

Kroki scores 59.2 (C) on agent readiness against Cloudviz API's 37.7 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Cloudviz API leads on schema & documentation.

### Do Cloudviz API and Kroki need an API key?

Cloudviz API needs an API key. Kroki needs no key.

### Can an agent call Cloudviz API and Kroki without installing anything?

Cloudviz API has a hosted endpoint at https://api.cloudviz.io. No hosted endpoint is listed for Kroki.

### Are Cloudviz API and Kroki open source?

No open-source release is listed for Cloudviz API. Kroki is open source (MIT).


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudviz-vs-kroki.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudviz-vs-kroki.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "cloudviz", "b": "kroki"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare cloudviz kroki`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/cloudviz.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/kroki.json

## Other comparisons with Cloudviz API or Kroki

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- [Cloudviz API vs Diagrams.so API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudviz-vs-diagrams-so.md)
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- [Cloudviz API vs tldraw SDK + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudviz-vs-tldraw.md)
- [Cloudviz API vs Whimsical MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudviz-vs-whimsical.md)
- [Diagrams.so API + MCP vs Kroki](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/diagrams-so-vs-kroki.md)
- [draw.io + MCP vs Kroki](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/drawio-vs-kroki.md)
- [Eraser API + MCP vs Kroki](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/eraser-vs-kroki.md)
- [Excalidraw vs Kroki](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/excalidraw-vs-kroki.md)
- [Kroki vs Mural MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kroki-vs-mural-mcp.md)
- [Kroki vs Whimsical MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kroki-vs-whimsical.md)
- [D2 vs Kroki](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/d2-vs-kroki.md)
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- [Kroki vs Mermaid Chart MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kroki-vs-mermaid-chart.md)
- [Kroki vs PlantUML](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kroki-vs-plantuml.md)
- [Kroki vs Structurizr + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kroki-vs-structurizr.md)
- [Kroki vs tldraw SDK + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kroki-vs-tldraw.md)