Managing distributed applications using structural diagrams

Embodiments are directed to providing a structural diagram to collect user input data in a non-linear manner and to managing multiple distributed application models using a structural diagram. In one scenario, a computer system receives a user input specifying a distributed software application that is to be managed across various different computer systems. The computer system determines, based the specified distributed application, which nodes are to be displayed in a structural diagram, where the nodes of the structural diagram represent application properties for managing the specified distributed software application. The computer system then provides a structural diagram that displays the determined nodes. The nodes allow non-linear configuration of the specified application across the various computer systems.