# Archify Quality Profiles: Standard vs Showcase Explained > Understand Archify quality profiles: standard vs showcase. Learn how these profiles control diagram composition checks, distinguishing warnings from hard errors for better code quality. - Repository: [tt-a1i/archify](https://github.com/tt-a1i/archify) - Tags: deep-dive - Published: 2026-08-07 --- **Archify provides two quality profiles—`standard` (default) and `showcase`—that control how strictly composition checks are applied to diagrams, with `standard` treating composition issues as warnings and `showcase` treating them as hard errors.** Archify is an open-source diagram rendering tool from `tt-a1i/archify` that validates architectural diagrams for both safety and visual composition. The **quality profile** system lets developers choose between rapid iteration and publication-ready polish. Understanding these profiles helps you decide when to permit visual imperfections versus when to enforce strict standards. --- ## What Are Quality Profiles in Archify? Quality profiles determine how the renderer interprets **composition issues**—visual imperfections like edge crossings through nodes, collinear overlaps, or routes running along container borders. While **safety errors** (edges through nodes, non-finite paths) always fail regardless of profile, the handling of composition checks differs significantly. The two profiles are defined in [`archify/schemas/architecture.schema.json`](https://github.com/tt-a1i/archify/blob/main/archify/schemas/architecture.schema.json) at line 21, which declares the allowed enum values: `["standard","showcase"]`. --- ## The Standard Profile: Engineering-Focused Permissiveness The **standard profile** is the default mode optimized for day-to-day development workflows. ### What It Validates - **Safety errors** (edges through nodes, non-finite paths): **hard fail** - **Composition issues** (proper crossings, unrelated overlaps, container-border runs): **warning only** ### Exit Behavior The CLI returns exit code `0` even when warnings are present. The composition receipt contains the warnings for inspection, but artifact generation proceeds. ### When to Use Standard Use `standard` for: - Dense, real-world engineering diagrams - Backwards-compatible rendering pipelines - Rapid iteration where visual perfection is not required ```bash # Render using default standard profile archify render architecture diagram.json out.html # Explicitly specify standard (equivalent to above) archify render architecture diagram.json out.html --quality standard ``` --- ## The Showcase Profile: Publication-Ready Strictness The **showcase profile** is an opt-in mode for polished, public-facing artifacts like gallery examples and README screenshots. ### What It Validates - **Safety errors**: still **hard fail** (unchanged from standard) - **Composition issues**: now **hard errors** for: - Proper interior X crossings - Unrelated collinear overlaps - Routes running collinearly along container borders ### Exit Behavior The CLI returns a **non-zero exit code** when any composition error is found. The receipt reports the errors, and the artifact is **rejected** for showcase generation. ### When to Use Showcase Use `showcase` for: - Public gallery artifacts - README and documentation screenshots - Any output shown to end-users where visual quality reflects project standards ```bash # Render with showcase profile—fails fast on composition errors archify render architecture diagram.json out.html --quality showcase ``` --- ## Profile Comparison at a Glance | Aspect | Standard | Showcase | |--------|----------|----------| | **Default?** | Yes | No (opt-in) | | **Safety errors** | Hard fail | Hard fail | | **Proper X crossings** | Warning | **Error** | | **Unrelated overlaps** | Warning | **Error** | | **Container-border runs** | Warning | **Error** | | **CLI exit code** | `0` (with warnings) | Non-zero | | **Artifact output** | Generated | **Rejected** on error | The behavioral difference is verified in `archify/test/render-output-checks.test.mjs` at lines 246-250, where test suites confirm that a proper crossing is recorded as a warning under `standard` but as an error under `showcase`. --- ## Validating and Inspecting Active Profiles To check which profile is active for a given validation run: ```bash # Validate and see profile in JSON output archify validate architecture diagram.json --json ``` The output includes `"composition.profile": "standard"` or `"composition.profile": "showcase"`. The design rationale for these profiles is documented in [`docs/research-visual-evolution-round-44.md`](https://github.com/tt-a1i/archify/blob/main/docs/research-visual-evolution-round-44.md) (lines 48-53), which explains the "Composition Receipt" concept and the intentional trade-off between engineering velocity and visual polish. --- ## Summary - **Standard profile**: Permissive, warning-centric mode for everyday engineering diagrams where rapid iteration matters more than visual perfection. - **Showcase profile**: Strict, error-driven mode for public-facing artifacts where composition quality directly impacts project perception. - **Safety errors** (edges through nodes, non-finite paths) are non-negotiable and fail in both profiles. - **Composition issues** escalate from warnings to errors based on profile selection. --- ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How do I switch between standard and showcase profiles in Archify? Pass `--quality showcase` or `--quality standard` to any `archify render` or `archify validate` command. If omitted, `standard` is the default. The valid values are enforced by the JSON schema in [`archify/schemas/architecture.schema.json`](https://github.com/tt-a1i/archify/blob/main/archify/schemas/architecture.schema.json). ### Will my CI/CD pipeline fail if I use the standard profile? Not due to composition warnings. The `standard` profile returns exit code `0` even when warnings are present, so only **safety errors** will fail your build. Use `showcase` if you want composition issues to fail CI checks. ### What specific composition issues become errors in showcase mode? According to the Archify source code and research documentation, `showcase` promotes three composition checks to hard errors: proper interior X crossings between edges, unrelated collinear overlaps, and any route that runs collinearly along a container border.