Embed UML in Github Markdown

[ndrewtl]

Hi GitHub! Thanks so much for making a great product. I wanted to ask if it would be possible to extend the GitHub markdown format to include UML syntax for inline diagrams.

Creating diagrams is an integral part of developing software, as programmers need an explicit understanding of how software should be structured in order to effectively implement it. It would be very helpful for many repositories to be able to include this inline, without having to resort to external build workflows to make this happen.

A popular StackOverflow question from six years ago mentions a need for this. The accepted solution is to use a complicated process that involves submitting UML for compilation at an external server. LIkewise, GitLab seems to support a feature like this, but it also requires a complicated solution involving an external compiler that runs in a Docker container.

I think GitHub has an opportunity here to be the first platform to make a simple and easy solution. By adding embedded UML as a feature or an extension to GitHub Markdown, developers could waste no time setting up diagrams for their work. And by making them easier to use, this platform could promote more common adoption of diagrams for software development, potentially bringing clarity to many future products that could be designed in this way.

I hope you'll consider this. I understand the engineering challenges and organization here are not trivial. But I believe it will be a very beneficial feature for many users of the platform. Thanks!