UMLlike

UMLlike is a term used to describe modeling notations and languages that resemble the Unified Modeling Language (UML) in structure, notation, or semantics. It is not a single formal standard, but a category of notations that adopt UML-inspired diagrams and concepts to model software, systems, or processes.

Common features preserved in UMLlike approaches include diagram types such as class or object diagrams, sequence and activity diagrams, state machines, and sometimes use case diagrams. Elements often resemble UML constructs: classes or types, attributes and operations, associations and generalization, and constraints expressed in formalisms or natural language. However, UMLlike notations may tighten, relax, or extend UML semantics to fit specific domains or tooling. Some toolchains define their own glyphs, variants, or profiles, while maintaining a UML-like backbone for readability and familiarity.

UML itself is standardized by the Object Management Group (OMG); UMLlike descriptions may be domain-specific modeling languages (DSMLs) or language profiles built on UML foundations. A prominent example is SysML, a UML-based language designed for systems engineering. Other projects adapt UML-like syntax for requirements modeling, software architecture, or business process modeling.

Benefits of UMLlike approaches include leveraging practitioners’ familiarity with UML, supporting model-driven development, and enabling partial interoperability across tools that share similar diagram concepts. Challenges include ambiguities from non-standard variants, inconsistent tool support, and drift from the core UML specification.

In practice, UMLlike is used in education, documentation, and engineering contexts where a UML-inspired representation offers clarity without committing to the full UML specification.