Workflow schematics
Simple workflow schematics help outline the main functionality and steps of a pipeline.
Most workflow schematics are made with vector image editors, such as the open-source tool Inkscape or commercial suite Adobe Illustrator. Useful tools for collaborative prototyping include Google Drawings and LucidChart.
All examples and components provided below can be opened in these editors. Various parts can be borrowed and/or modified. Components are also available on bioicons, which have direct import extensions for Inkscape and draw.io.
Examples
See below for examples of nf-core workflow schematics that can be re-used and modified for your own pipeline.
Check for any attributions to be included within any derivative images, as defined by the corresponding license.
Select the schematic image to see the original.
| Workflow Example | nf-core Pipeline | License/Publication | Suggested attribution |
|---|---|---|---|
 | nf-core/sarek | From Garcia et al. (2020, F1000 Research) under a CC-BY 4.0 license. | |
 | nf-core/eager | From Fellows Yates et al. (2021, PeerJ) under a CC-BY 4.0 license | CC-BY 4.0. Design originally by Zandra Fagernäs |
 | nf-core/eager | From Fellows Yates et al. (2021, PeerJ) under a MIT license | |
 | nf-core/dualrnaseq | By Regan Hayward under MIT license | |
 | nf-core/circrna | By Barry Digby under MIT license | |
 | nf-core/mag | By Sabrina Krakau under MIT license | CC-BY 4.0. Design originally by Zandra Fagernäs |
 | nf-core/bactmap | By Anthony Underwood under MIT license | |
 | nf-core/cutandrun | By Chris Cheshire under MIT license | |
 | nf-core/sarek | By Maxime U Garcia under MIT license | |
 | nf-core/rnaseq | By Sarah Guinchard under MIT license | |
 | nf-core/isoseq | By Sébastien Guizard under MIT license |
Components
Use draw.io
The web app draw.io helps you create, render and export different diagrams including metro-maps. For even more convenience, you can use the asset library nf-core xml item library. It contains all of the components from the components above. To import it to draw.io, select *File > Open library from > URL and paste:
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nf-core/website/refs/heads/main/sites/docs/src/assets/images/graphic_design_assets/workflow_schematics_components/generic/nf-core_components.xmlComponents can also be accessed via bioicons.