UML (Unified Modeling Language) is a general-purpose, graphical modeling language in the field of Software Engineering. UML is used to specify, visualize, construct, and document the artifacts (major elements) of the software system.The UML was developed in 1994-95 by Grady Booch, Ivar Jacobson, and James Rumbaugh at the Rational Software. In 1997,it got adopted as a standard by the Object Management Group (OMG).
Characteristics of UML:
- It is a generalized modeling language.
- It is distinct from other programming languages like C++, Python, etc.
- It is interrelated to object-oriented analysis and design.
- It is used to visualize the workflow of the system.
- It is a pictorial language, used to generate powerful modeling artifacts.
Goals of UML:
- Since it is a general-purpose modeling language, it can be utilized by all the modelers.
- UML came into existence after the introduction of object-oriented concepts to systemize and consolidate the object-oriented development, due to the absence of standard methods at that time.
- The UML diagrams are made for business users, developers, ordinary people, or anyone who is looking forward to understand the system, such that the system can be software or non-software.
- Thus it can be concluded that the UML is a simple modeling approach that is used to model all the practical systems.
There are two main categories:
structure diagrams: class ,object, component diagrams are some of the examples.
behavioral diagrams: use-case, avtivity, state are some of the examples.