Sequence diagram



A sequence diagram is a UML diagram that shows the processes that execute in sequence. The sequence diagram shows the sequence of messages, which are exchanged among roles that implement the behavior of the system, arranged in time. It shows the flow of control across many objects that collaborate in the context of a scenario.

The UML 1.x diagram on the right describes the sequences of messages of the (simple) Restaurant System. This diagram represents a Patron ordering food and wine, drinking wine then eating the food, and finally paying for the food. The dotted lines extending downwards indicate the timeline, time flows from top to bottom. The arrows represent messages (stimuli) from an actor or object to other objects. For example, the Patron sends message 'pay' to the Cashier. Half arrows indicate asynchronous method calls.

The UML 2.0 Sequence Diagram supports similar notation to the UML 1.x Sequence Diagram with added support for modeling variations to the standard flow of events.