The Illustrated Transformer

by Jay Alammar

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See how attention and encoder-decoder blocks fit together.

Alammar explains the original Transformer using diagrams and a translation example. Read it for the architecture's basic moving parts, not as a description of every modern model variant.

Level
Beginner
Models
any
Category
Foundations
Tags
Source date
date not stated
Added
2026-10-18
Last verified
2026-10-18
Status
ok
Prerequisites
Conceptual or guided prompt use; the main path does not require writing code.
Subcategory
llm fundamentals
Region
West
Original language
en
Access
free
Resource reuse
closed: No general open-reuse grant established from the inspected page. Closed is the conservative index bucket, not a legal finding; the resource is publicly readable. Facet definitions

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