What You Can't Write on Dev.to — Math Notation Limits and Alternatives

Dev.to's KaTeX support handles most mathematical notation well. But if you're writing about certain topics, you'll hit walls that no workaround can fully solve. This article documents the specific limitations, who they affect, and what your options are. Limitation 1: Commutative Diagrams What you want to write In algebra and category theory, commutative diagrams are essential. In LaTeX: \begin{tikzcd} A \arrow [r, "f"] \arrow [d, "g"'] & B \arrow [d, "\phi"] \\ C \arrow [r, "\psi"'] & D \end{tikzcd} This produces a diagram with labeled arrows showing that different paths between the same endpoints yield the same result. On Dev.to Not supported. Neither tikz-cd nor the simpler amscd environment works. Workarounds ASCII art — works for simple diagrams: A ---f--→ B | | g φ ↓ ↓ C ---ψ--→ D External tools — generate an image and embed it: quiver — interactive commutative diagram editor Export as SVG/PNG → upload to Dev.to Describe in words — "The diagram commutes, meaning ψ∘g=ϕ∘f\psi \circ