D3.js vs ggplot2

Overview

D3.js

Stacks2.0K

Followers1.7K

Votes653

GitHub Stars111.7K

Forks22.9K

ggplot2

Stacks124

Followers70

Votes0

GitHub Stars6.8K

Forks2.1K

D3.js vs ggplot2: What are the differences?

Differences between D3.js and ggplot2

D3.js and ggplot2 are both popular data visualization libraries, but they have some key differences that set them apart. Here are six specific differences:

Design Philosophy: D3.js, also known as Data-Driven Documents, is a low-level JavaScript library that provides powerful tools for creating interactive and custom visualizations. It provides complete control over every aspect of the visualization, allowing developers to create unique and personalized visualizations. On the other hand, ggplot2 is an R package that follows a high-level declarative approach, where users specify what they want to visualize and the library takes care of the details of generating the plot.
Language: D3.js is primarily used with JavaScript, which is a versatile and widely-used programming language. It can be used in web applications and integrated with other JavaScript libraries. In contrast, ggplot2 is specific to the R programming language, which is widely used in statistical analysis and data science. This means that users need to have knowledge of R to effectively use ggplot2.
Interactivity: D3.js is known for its interactivity, allowing users to create dynamic and interactive visualizations. It provides powerful features for handling user interactions, such as tooltips, zooming, and filtering. On the other hand, ggplot2 focuses more on static visualizations, although it does provide some basic interactivity options such as hover effects and drill-down capabilities.
Learning Curve: D3.js has a steeper learning curve compared to ggplot2. Its low-level nature requires a good understanding of JavaScript, SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics), and DOM (Document Object Model). It also requires a deeper understanding of data manipulation and visualization concepts. In contrast, ggplot2 is designed to be user-friendly and has a higher level of abstraction, making it more accessible to users with less programming experience.
Community and Documentation: D3.js has a large and active community, with a wealth of online resources, tutorials, and examples available. The documentation is extensive and comprehensive, covering all aspects of the library. On the other hand, ggplot2 also has a strong community and documentation, but its resources may be more limited compared to D3.js, especially for advanced use cases.
Platform Independence: D3.js is designed to work with web browsers and can be used across different operating systems. It leverages the power of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create visualizations that can be easily rendered in any modern browser. In contrast, ggplot2 is primarily used with R, which means it is limited to the capabilities and restrictions of the R environment.

In Summary, D3.js and ggplot2 differ in their design philosophy, language requirements, interactivity options, learning curve, community and documentation, and platform independence.

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Advice on D3.js, ggplot2

Ayaskant

SSE-II at Akamai

Oct 25, 2019

Needs advice

I want to get suggestions on these 2 open source js libraries (D3.js & echarts) that help in creating charts or graphs on the UI. Which one will be better for bar graphs. Which is easy to learn and start with? Which provides better features and community support?

My requirements are 1 - Plot data in X-Y axis graph where x-axis will present time till seconds level and Y-Axis will present the data corresponding to that time.

2 - Zoom-in and zoom out feature.

56k views56k

Comments

Detailed Comparison

D3.js	ggplot2
It is a JavaScript library for manipulating documents based on data. Emphasises on web standards gives you the full capabilities of modern browsers without tying yourself to a proprietary framework.	It is a general scheme for data visualization which breaks up graphs into semantic components such as scales and layers.
Declarative Approach for Individual Nodes Manipulation; Functions Factory; Web Standards; Built-in ELement Inspector to Debug; Uses SVG, Canvas, and HTML; Data-driven approach to DOM Manipulation; Voronoi Diagrams; Maps and topo.	Axis titles; Tickmarks; Margins and points in ggplot2 look cooler
Statistics
GitHub Stars 111.7K	GitHub Stars 6.8K
GitHub Forks 22.9K	GitHub Forks 2.1K
Stacks 2.0K	Stacks 124
Followers 1.7K	Followers 70
Votes 653	Votes 0
Pros & Cons
Pros 195 Beautiful visualizations 103 Svg 92 Data-driven 81 Large set of examples 61 Data-driven documents Cons 11 Beginners cant understand at all 6 Complex syntax	No community feedback yet
Integrations
JavaScript React Native AngularJS React Bootstrap	MATLAB React Python SageMath Jupyter

What are some alternatives to D3.js, ggplot2?

Highcharts

Highcharts currently supports line, spline, area, areaspline, column, bar, pie, scatter, angular gauges, arearange, areasplinerange, columnrange, bubble, box plot, error bars, funnel, waterfall and polar chart types.

Plotly.js

It is a standalone Javascript data visualization library, and it also powers the Python and R modules named plotly in those respective ecosystems (referred to as Plotly.py and Plotly.R). It can be used to produce dozens of chart types and visualizations, including statistical charts, 3D graphs, scientific charts, SVG and tile maps, financial charts and more.

Chart.js

Visualize your data in 6 different ways. Each of them animated, with a load of customisation options and interactivity extensions.

Recharts

Quickly build your charts with decoupled, reusable React components. Built on top of SVG elements with a lightweight dependency on D3 submodules.

ECharts

It is an open source visualization library implemented in JavaScript, runs smoothly on PCs and mobile devices, and is compatible with most current browsers.

ZingChart

The most feature-rich, fully customizable JavaScript charting library available used by start-ups and the Fortune 100 alike.

amCharts

amCharts is an advanced charting library that will suit any data visualization need. Our charting solution include Column, Bar, Line, Area, Step, Step without risers, Smoothed line, Candlestick, OHLC, Pie/Donut, Radar/ Polar, XY/Scatter/Bubble, Bullet, Funnel/Pyramid charts as well as Gauges.

CanvasJS

Lightweight, Beautiful & Responsive Charts that make your dashboards fly even with millions of data points! Self-Hosted, Secure & Scalable charts that render across devices.

AnyChart

AnyChart is a flexible JavaScript (HTML5) based solution that allows you to create interactive and great looking charts. It is a cross-browser and cross-platform charting solution intended for everybody who deals with creation of dashboard, reporting, analytics, statistical, financial or any other data visualization solutions.

ApexCharts

A modern JavaScript charting library to build interactive charts and visualizations with simple API.

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D3.js vs ggplot2: What are the differences?

Differences between D3.js and ggplot2

D3.js and ggplot2 are both popular data visualization libraries, but they have some key differences that set them apart. Here are six specific differences:

Design Philosophy: D3.js, also known as Data-Driven Documents, is a low-level JavaScript library that provides powerful tools for creating interactive and custom visualizations. It provides complete control over every aspect of the visualization, allowing developers to create unique and personalized visualizations. On the other hand, ggplot2 is an R package that follows a high-level declarative approach, where users specify what they want to visualize and the library takes care of the details of generating the plot.
Language: D3.js is primarily used with JavaScript, which is a versatile and widely-used programming language. It can be used in web applications and integrated with other JavaScript libraries. In contrast, ggplot2 is specific to the R programming language, which is widely used in statistical analysis and data science. This means that users need to have knowledge of R to effectively use ggplot2.
Interactivity: D3.js is known for its interactivity, allowing users to create dynamic and interactive visualizations. It provides powerful features for handling user interactions, such as tooltips, zooming, and filtering. On the other hand, ggplot2 focuses more on static visualizations, although it does provide some basic interactivity options such as hover effects and drill-down capabilities.
Learning Curve: D3.js has a steeper learning curve compared to ggplot2. Its low-level nature requires a good understanding of JavaScript, SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics), and DOM (Document Object Model). It also requires a deeper understanding of data manipulation and visualization concepts. In contrast, ggplot2 is designed to be user-friendly and has a higher level of abstraction, making it more accessible to users with less programming experience.
Community and Documentation: D3.js has a large and active community, with a wealth of online resources, tutorials, and examples available. The documentation is extensive and comprehensive, covering all aspects of the library. On the other hand, ggplot2 also has a strong community and documentation, but its resources may be more limited compared to D3.js, especially for advanced use cases.
Platform Independence: D3.js is designed to work with web browsers and can be used across different operating systems. It leverages the power of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create visualizations that can be easily rendered in any modern browser. In contrast, ggplot2 is primarily used with R, which means it is limited to the capabilities and restrictions of the R environment.

In Summary, D3.js and ggplot2 differ in their design philosophy, language requirements, interactivity options, learning curve, community and documentation, and platform independence.