Refresh documentation for D2 v0.9.0

docs/releases/0.8.2.md

@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+#### Features 🚀
+
+- exports: gif exports work with `animate: true` keyword [#2663](https://github.com/d2lang/d2/pull/2663)
+
+#### Improvements 🧹
+
+- releases: strip native binaries, build and smoke-test all six archives in CI, produce reproducible archives with checksums, signed provenance, and SBOM attestations, and verify standalone downloads when GitHub provides a digest
+- plugins: make render post-processing optional and deprecate it for removal after one protocol compatibility cycle; legacy external `postprocess` commands remain supported during the transition
+- api: deprecate legacy layout-feature constants, raw-WASM ELK/object-order bridges, unused public wrappers, and test-only comparison, validation, and logging helpers; compatibility entry points remain callable for one release while in-repository callers use supported or internal replacements
+- maintenance: update the Go toolchain to 1.27.0 and refresh Go, d2.js, CI, release dependencies, and compression-sensitive snapshots
+- renders: update syntax highlighting and migrate archived font and PDF dependencies to maintained replacements
+- d2dagre: replace the embedded JavaScript runtime with native Go Dagro and update its D2-used layout surface from Dagre 0.8.5 to Dagre 3.1.1 behavior. This intentionally changes node ordering and coordinates, edge routes, self-loops, and compound sizing in some diagrams; regenerate and review stored SVG or board-JSON snapshots
+- d2sketch: update the native rough-go renderer from Rough.js 4.0.4 to 4.6.6 behavior. Seeded sketch strokes, fills, arrowheads, and SVG paths may change; regenerate and review stored sketch SVG snapshots
+- d2elk: replace the embedded ELK.js 0.8.2 runtime with native Go elk-go and update D2's ELK layout profile to ELK.js 0.12.0 behavior. This is a layout-behavior update, not an output-compatible runtime swap:
+  - existing ELK diagrams may receive different node coordinates and ordering, edge and label routes, and component packing; regenerate and review stored SVG or board-JSON snapshots
+  - children of nested compound graphs may be reordered because ELK 0.12 cannot safely apply D2's previous nested model-order profile
+  - non-default `--elk-algorithm` modes may also produce different geometry; the optional DisCo algorithm is removed because upstream no longer bundles it
+- d2latex: replace the embedded MathJax JavaScript runtime with the native Go mathjax-go port without changing rendered formulas
+- performance: native Go engine migrations substantially reduce median end-to-end D2-to-SVG conversion time in Apple M4 benchmarks:
+  - Dagre is 7–9× faster
+  - ELK is 40–53× faster
+  - LaTeX is 21.6× faster on a four-formula diagram
+- performance: remove superlinear compiler and layout bottlenecks in large globs, repeated imports, nested diagrams, compound Dagre graphs, bend-heavy ELK layouts, and style-only scenario/step boards [#2827](https://github.com/d2lang/d2/pull/2827). Median Apple M4 single-CPU synthetic stress benchmarks for these targeted cliffs, rather than corpus-wide conversion averages, improve by:
+  - leading glob applied to 1,000 fields: 1.59s to 12ms (~133× faster)
+  - 100 references into the same 100-field import file: 54ms to 12ms (~4.6× faster)
+  - 4,000 flat fields: 67ms to 7ms (~9.6× faster)
+  - 3,200 distinct edges: 200ms to 19ms (~10.6× faster)
+  - 32-node base with 8 style-only scenarios and 8 steps (17 boards total): 40ms to 7.3ms (~5.5× faster)
+  - 340-object nested D2 Dagre layout: 1.30s to 0.88s (~32% faster)
+  - Dagro depth-100 compound layout: 3.60s to 0.90s (~4× faster)
+  - 250-node, 1,000-edge ELK layout: 337ms to 238ms (~30% faster)
+- d2ascii:
+  - sql_table and uml class shapes are supported [#2623](https://github.com/d2lang/d2/pull/2623)
+  - newlines are handled [#2626](https://github.com/d2lang/d2/pull/2626)
+  - empty left columns are cropped [#2626](https://github.com/d2lang/d2/pull/2626)
+- exports:
+  - Chromium download through CLI for PNG exports is prompted [#2655](https://github.com/d2lang/d2/pull/2655)
+  - `animate-interval` is no longer required, defaults to 1000ms for gifs [#2663](https://github.com/d2lang/d2/pull/2663)
+- renders:
+  - remote images are fetched more reliably [#2659](https://github.com/d2lang/d2/pull/2659)
+
+#### Bugfixes ⛑️
+
+- d2dagre: keep same-direction parallel edges and self-loop routes finite when using Dagre 3.1.1 behavior
+- d2svg: reject padding that would produce invalid negative SVG dimensions
+- d2elk: route ancestor-to-descendant connections around intermediate containers
+- d2elk: prevent labels on multiple self-loops from overlapping in right-directed layouts, including the `ent2d2_right` regression case
+- d2svg: render one-stop gradients with finite SVG offsets
+- compiler: make suffix globs match only names with the requested suffix
+- compiler: reject non-finite opacity values with a source diagnostic
+- d2svg: preserve connection links on LaTeX, Markdown, and code labels
+- d2lib: preserve caller-supplied light and dark theme overrides over source configuration
+- compiler: index equivalent connections consistently when endpoint notation is reversed
+- exports: pptx follows standards more closely, addressing warnings from some Powerpoint software [#2645](https://github.com/d2lang/d2/pull/2645)
+- d2sequence: fix edge case of invalid sequence diagrams [#2660](https://github.com/d2lang/d2/pull/2660)
+- d2svg: Text may overflow legend bounds when monospace font is used [#2674](https://github.com/d2lang/d2/pull/2674)
+
+---
+
+For the latest d2.js changes, see separate [changelog](https://github.com/d2lang/d2/blob/master/d2js/js/CHANGELOG.md).

docs/releases/0.9.0.md

@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+#### Features 🚀
+
+- TALA is now open source and bundled with D2, including the JavaScript/WASM package. Select it with `d2 --layout=tala`, `D2_LAYOUT=tala`, or `vars.d2-config.layout-engine: tala`. No separate plugin installation or license key is required.
+- tala: configure layout attempts with `--tala-seeds`, `D2_TALA_SEEDS`, or `vars.d2-config.data.tala-seeds`.
+- exports: render PNG, GIF, PDF, and PPTX with the built-in renderer
+
+#### Improvements 🧹
+
+- performance: reduce repeated work in Dagre ranking, text measurement, SVG preparation, and PNG encoding
+- performance: reduce repeated work in selective imports, dynamic grid layout, and PNG connection rendering
+- exports: reduce PNG memory usage and support images above the previous 67-megapixel limit
+- performance: SVG rendering is approximately 10× faster across the E2E corpus. Real-world diagrams compile, lay out, and render approximately 3× faster at the median.
+- renders: SVG exports are approximately 24% smaller across the E2E corpus and 18% smaller across real-world fixtures, with unchanged appearance.
+- renders: render Markdown labels as native SVG instead of HTML `foreignObject` content
+
+#### Bugfixes ⛑️
+
+- install: reject the obsolete `--tala` installer flag with migration guidance before installing, instead of incorrectly claiming that older D2 releases bundle TALA
+- sequence diagrams: keep synthetic lifeline endpoint IDs stable across architectures
+- exports: honor `D2_TIMEOUT` during PNG and GIF rendering
+- compiler: keep recursive globs out of class and variable definitions and report class reference cycles instead of overflowing the stack
+- renders: decode gzip, Brotli, and deflate remote images before embedding them
+
+---
+
+For the latest d2.js changes, see separate [changelog](https://github.com/d2lang/d2/blob/master/d2js/js/CHANGELOG.md).

docs/releases/intro.md

@@ -2,9 +2,9 @@
 
 :::info Latest
 
-Version: [0.7.1](/releases/0.7.1) (released August 19, 2025)
+Version: [0.9.0](/releases/0.9.0) (released September 7, 2026)
 
-Downloads: [Assets](https://github.com/d2lang/d2/releases/tag/v0.7.1)
+Downloads: [Assets](https://github.com/d2lang/d2/releases/tag/v0.9.0)
 
 :::
 

docs/tour/design.md

@@ -65,9 +65,11 @@ from stdin and writing to stdout. Images and fonts are by default embedded into
 diagram so that exported diagrams are standalone -- they'll look the same everywhere. D2
 supports a wide variety of formats like PPT and GIF. It allows imports, such that you can
 modularize your diagram into multiple files. There's a language API to programmatically
-edit and write D2. All of these are antithetical to a web library for browser rendering.
-D2 intends to ship and maintain a web library for that purpose, but it'll be trimmed down
-from the full feature set and secondary in priority.
+edit and write D2.
+
+D2 also runs in browsers and Node.js through
+[D2.js](https://github.com/d2lang/d2/tree/master/d2js/js#readme), a JavaScript library
+powered by WebAssembly.
 
 ## Singular use case: documenting software
 

docs/tour/dimensions.md

@@ -6,7 +6,8 @@ import Dimensions from '@site/static/d2/dimensions.d2';
 You can specify the `width` and `height` of most shapes.
 
 :::info
-These keywords cannot be set on containers, since containers resize to fit their children.
+These keywords can be set on containers when using TALA or ELK. TALA may increase the
+dimensions to fit the children.
 :::
 
 <CodeBlock className="language-d2">

docs/tour/elk.md

@@ -2,14 +2,48 @@
 
 **[🔗 Gallery](/examples/elk)**
 
-ELK is a mature, hierarchical layout, actively maintained by an academic research group at
+ELK is a mature layout engine, actively maintained by an academic research group at
 [Christian Albrechts University in
 Kiel](https://www.rtsys.informatik.uni-kiel.de/en/team).
 
 ## Reference
 
 [https://www.eclipse.org/elk/reference.html](https://www.eclipse.org/elk/reference.html)
 
+## Algorithms
+
+ELK has several layout algorithms. D2 uses `layered` by default. To choose another one,
+pass `--elk-algorithm` along with `--layout=elk`.
+
+The main choices for connected diagrams are:
+
+| Algorithm | Description |
+| --- | --- |
+| `layered` | The default. Arranges shapes in layers, with orthogonal connections. |
+| `force` | Spreads shapes out using simulated attraction and repulsion. |
+| `stress` | Places shapes closer together when there are shorter paths between them. |
+| `mrtree` | Arranges a tree in levels. |
+| `radial` | Arranges a tree in circles around its root. |
+
+For example:
+
+```shell
+d2 --layout=elk --elk-algorithm=force input.d2 force.svg
+d2 --layout=elk --elk-algorithm=stress input.d2 stress.svg
+d2 --layout=elk --elk-algorithm=radial tree.d2 radial.svg
+```
+
+`radial` expects a tree. For example, `tree.d2` could contain:
+
+```d2
+a -> b
+a -> c
+c -> d
+```
+
+The pros and cons below describe the default `layered` algorithm. Other algorithms have
+different routing and feature support.
+
 ## Pros
 
 - Clean, orthogonal routes.

docs/tour/exports.md

@@ -22,14 +22,12 @@ file will be the input name as an SVG file.
 
 For example, `d2 in.d2` will produce a file named `in.svg`.
 
-The resulting SVG has CSS injected into it. This, along with the use of HTML
-`<foreignObject>`s used to make Markdown work, means that the SVG is meant to be viewed in
-a web context. For example, opening it up in your browser, embedding it onto a webpage. It
-may not look right without a web context, like in Inkscape or Adobe Illustrator.
+The resulting SVG has CSS injected into it. You can open it in your browser or embed it
+onto a webpage. Different SVG viewers may handle CSS and fonts differently.
 
 On the CLI, if you pass in `-`
 - for the input, it reads D2 from stdin
-- for the output, it writes SVG to stdout
+- for the output, it writes SVG to stdout by default
 
 :::info Technical details on SVG exports This information might be useful if you're
 planning on doing post-processing on the SVG exports.
@@ -49,21 +47,8 @@ conflicts when multiple diagrams are on the same page.
 d2 in.d2 out.png
 ```
 
-PNG exports work by [Playwright](https://github.com/microsoft/playwright) spinning up a
-headless browser, putting the SVG onto it, and taking a screenshot. The first invocation
-of Playwright will download its dependencies, if they don't already exist on the machine.
-
-:::info
-If you get a message like `err: failed to launch Chromium`, you can try installing
-Playwright dependencies outside of D2 on your machine. For example:
-
-```
-npm install -g @playwright
-npx playwright install --with-deps chromium
-```
-
-See [#744](https://github.com/d2lang/d2/issues/744#issuecomment-1446641870) for more.
-:::
+PNG exports have no external dependencies. D2 renders them directly, unlike Mermaid,
+which uses a headless browser like Chromium to render diagrams and take screenshots.
 
 ## PDF
 
@@ -72,8 +57,7 @@ d2 in.d2 out.pdf
 ```
 
 PDF exports are the result of taking PNG exports and placing them on PDF pages, along with
-headers and fonts. As such, dependencies needed for PNG exports are also needed for PDF
-exports.
+headers and fonts.
 
 PDF is _more_ interactive than PNG, but _less_ interactive than SVG.
 
@@ -159,11 +143,19 @@ d2 --ascii-mode standard in.d2 out.txt
 
 ## Stdout
 
-D2 accepts `-` in place of the input and/or output arguments. SVG is used as the format
-for Stdout output.
+D2 accepts `-` in place of the input and/or output arguments. SVG is the default format
+for stdout.
 
 For example, this writes a D2 script of `x -> y` and outputs it to a file `example.svg`.
 
 ```shell
 echo "x -> y" | d2 - - > example.svg
 ```
+
+To use a different format, pass `--stdout-format`:
+
+```shell
+echo "x -> y" | d2 --stdout-format=png - - > example.png
+```
+
+Supported formats are `svg`, `png`, `pdf`, `pptx`, `gif`, and `ascii` (`txt` also works).

docs/tour/faq.md

@@ -42,8 +42,14 @@ No, D2 can run entirely server-side.
 ### Can D2 run on a browser?
 
 Yes, with WebAssembly. D2 runs on [https://play.d2lang.com](https://play.d2lang.com) this
-way.We are working on including the build with the releases, as well as provide
-instructions and examples so you can include it in your browser projects.
+way. To include D2 in your own browser projects, install D2.js:
+
+```shell
+npm install @d2lang/d2
+```
+
+See the [D2.js docs](https://github.com/d2lang/d2/tree/master/d2js/js#readme) for
+instructions and examples.
 
 ### Can I use D2 online?
 

docs/tour/fonts.md

@@ -33,10 +33,10 @@ italic will remain as Source Sans Pro Italic.
 
 If you'd like to customize the mono fonts:
 
-- `--font-regular`
-- `--font-italic`
-- `--font-bold`
-- `--font-semibold`
+- `--font-mono`
+- `--font-mono-italic`
+- `--font-mono-bold`
+- `--font-mono-semibold`
 
 ## Sketch font
 

docs/tour/future.md

@@ -127,9 +127,10 @@ aim to be at least as good as an existing, battle-tested text-based styling lang
 
 ### Plan
 
-1. Build language features to make customization easier. Things like glob targeting (e.g.
-x.*.style.fill: red to make every child of a container red) and classes (define styles
-once, reuse as classes). Its catalog of shape and connection types needs to expand.
+1. Continue building language features to make customization easier. D2 supports
+[glob targeting](/tour/globs) (e.g. `x.*.style.fill: red` to make every child of a container
+red) and [classes](/tour/classes) (define styles once, reuse as classes). Its catalog of
+shape and connection types needs to expand.
 1. Continue investing in themes. Theming is how engineers make beautiful diagrams without
 designing. D2 needs to extend what themes can latch onto. Not just colors, but fonts,
 background styles (dotted, grids, colors), every aspect of the diagram. They should be
@@ -176,10 +177,9 @@ unplanned usage.
 1. Complete editor integrations. Currently, syntax highlighting is supported. But a
    feature-complete integration for VSCode for example would allow rendering to its
    built-in browser, autoformat, call out to LSP functions to refactor, and more.
-1. Build out imports/exports. Currently, D2 can take in D2 files and export to SVGs. It
-   should have a transpiler to import other popular text-to-diagram languages, and output
-   to other popular image types. It should take in CSVs of schemas to make ERDs. It should
-   be able to render to ASCII art.
+1. Build out imports/exports. D2 exports to [SVG, PNG, PDF, PPTX, GIF, and ASCII](/tour/exports).
+   It should have a transpiler to import other popular text-to-diagram languages. It
+   should take in CSVs of schemas to make ERDs.
 1. Build a configurable linter.
 
 ## Your feedback
@@ -199,8 +199,7 @@ GUI diagram-makers will always be necessary.
 [2] MermaidJS seems to have implemented support for containers as well, but it's not
 widely released and their live editor still won't allow it.
 
-[3] For now, this is closed-source. It's free to download and evaluate. To learn more,
-visit [https://terrastruct.com/tala](https://terrastruct.com/tala).
+[3] [TALA](/tour/tala) is open-source and bundled with D2 as of v0.9.0.
 
 [4] If you still miss the hand-drawn aesthetic, D2 has just the thing:
 https://github.com/d2lang/d2/pull/492

docs/tour/grid-diagrams.md

@@ -164,10 +164,8 @@ Connections for grids themselves work normally as you'd expect.
 
 ### Connections between grid cells
 
-Connections between shapes inside a grid work a bit differently. Because a grid structure
-imposes positioning outside what the layout engine controls, the layout engine is also
-unable to make routes. Therefore, these connections are center-center straight segments,
-i.e., no path-finding.
+With Dagre and ELK, connections between shapes inside a grid are center-center straight
+segments, i.e., no path-finding. With TALA, these connections use TALA's routing engine.
 
 <div className="embedSVG" dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{__html: require('@site/static/img/generated/grid-connections.svg2')}}></div>
 
@@ -179,8 +177,7 @@ i.e., no path-finding.
 
 ## Nesting
 
-Currently you can nest grid diagrams within grid diagrams. Nesting other types is coming
-soon.
+You can nest grid diagrams, sequence diagrams, and regular diagrams within grids.
 
 <CodeBlock className="language-d2">
     {GridNestedGrid}

docs/tour/layouts.md

@@ -44,8 +44,8 @@ These are mentioned in other parts of the doc and aggregated here:
 
 - `near` set to another object. `near` can be set to constants for all layout engines, but
   only TALA can use it to set to objects.
-- `width` and `height` on containers. TALA will add this soon, but currently it is only in
-  ELK. Note that these keywords work on non-containers in all layout engines.
+- `width` and `height` on containers are supported by TALA and ELK. These keywords work on
+  non-containers in all layout engines.
 - `top` and `left` to lock positions only work in TALA.
 - Connections from ancestors to descendants (e.g. a container to its child) do not work in
   Dagre.