D3.js vs Lightweight Charts

Overview

D3.js

Stacks2.0K

Followers1.7K

Votes653

GitHub Stars111.7K

Forks22.9K

Lightweight Charts

Stacks5

Followers26

Votes0

GitHub Stars12.8K

Forks2.0K

D3.js vs Lightweight Charts: What are the differences?

Introduction:

D3.js and Lightweight Charts are both popular libraries used for data visualization in websites. However, they have significant differences in terms of their features and capabilities.

Rendering Technology: D3.js is based on SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) rendering technology, which allows for the creation of complex and interactive visualizations with high customization. On the other hand, Lightweight Charts is based on WebGL (Web Graphics Library), which provides faster rendering for large datasets and is particularly suitable for financial charting applications.
Complexity and Learning Curve: D3.js is known to have a steep learning curve due to its low-level and declarative approach. It requires a good understanding of JavaScript and SVG to create visualizations. In contrast, Lightweight Charts provides a higher-level API and simpler syntax, making it more beginner-friendly and easier to learn.
Chart Types: D3.js offers a wide range of chart types, including bar charts, line charts, scatter plots, and more. It provides extensive options for customization and flexibility. Lightweight Charts, on the other hand, is primarily focused on financial charting and provides specialized chart types like candlestick and line charts specifically tailored for stock market analysis.
Community and Support: D3.js has a large and active community of developers, ensuring an extensive range of resources, tutorials, and plugins. It is widely used and has been around for a longer time, making it easier to find help and solutions to common problems. Lightweight Charts, although newer, is gaining popularity and has an active community, but the resources and community support may not be as extensive as D3.js.
Integration with Frameworks: D3.js is more agnostic and can be integrated with various JavaScript frameworks like React, Vue.js, or Angular. It offers more control and flexibility for integration into existing application architectures. On the other hand, Lightweight Charts is specifically designed for integration with the TradingView library, making it a suitable choice for applications already utilizing TradingView's charting solutions.
File Size and Performance: D3.js has a larger file size due to its extensive features and flexibility. This can impact the loading time of the website, especially when dealing with large datasets. Lightweight Charts, being more specialized and focused on financial charting, has a smaller file size and is optimized for performance, making it a better choice for applications where file size and performance are critical.

In summary, D3.js and Lightweight Charts differ in rendering technology, complexity, available chart types, community support, integration with frameworks, and file size/performance. Choosing between them depends on the specific requirements of the project, the level of customization needed, the target audience, and the domain of visualization.

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Advice on D3.js, Lightweight Charts

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	Lightweight Charts
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.	The library displays financial data as an interactive chart on your web page without affecting your web page loading speed and performance.
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.	Open source; Responsive across devices; Touch-optimized; Zoom through scales; Mouse-wheel zoom; Chart scroll; Candlesticks & Bars; Baseline; Several price series overlay; Custom S/M/H/D/W/Mo/Y; Custom chart colors
Statistics
GitHub Stars 111.7K	GitHub Stars 12.8K
GitHub Forks 22.9K	GitHub Forks 2.0K
Stacks 2.0K	Stacks 5
Followers 1.7K	Followers 26
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	Pros 0 Open Source
Integrations
JavaScript React Native AngularJS React Bootstrap	TypeScript Node.js ES6 HTML5

What are some alternatives to D3.js, Lightweight Charts?

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.

Related Comparisons

D3.js vs Lightweight Charts: What are the differences?

Introduction:

D3.js and Lightweight Charts are both popular libraries used for data visualization in websites. However, they have significant differences in terms of their features and capabilities.

Rendering Technology: D3.js is based on SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) rendering technology, which allows for the creation of complex and interactive visualizations with high customization. On the other hand, Lightweight Charts is based on WebGL (Web Graphics Library), which provides faster rendering for large datasets and is particularly suitable for financial charting applications.
Complexity and Learning Curve: D3.js is known to have a steep learning curve due to its low-level and declarative approach. It requires a good understanding of JavaScript and SVG to create visualizations. In contrast, Lightweight Charts provides a higher-level API and simpler syntax, making it more beginner-friendly and easier to learn.
Chart Types: D3.js offers a wide range of chart types, including bar charts, line charts, scatter plots, and more. It provides extensive options for customization and flexibility. Lightweight Charts, on the other hand, is primarily focused on financial charting and provides specialized chart types like candlestick and line charts specifically tailored for stock market analysis.
Community and Support: D3.js has a large and active community of developers, ensuring an extensive range of resources, tutorials, and plugins. It is widely used and has been around for a longer time, making it easier to find help and solutions to common problems. Lightweight Charts, although newer, is gaining popularity and has an active community, but the resources and community support may not be as extensive as D3.js.
Integration with Frameworks: D3.js is more agnostic and can be integrated with various JavaScript frameworks like React, Vue.js, or Angular. It offers more control and flexibility for integration into existing application architectures. On the other hand, Lightweight Charts is specifically designed for integration with the TradingView library, making it a suitable choice for applications already utilizing TradingView's charting solutions.
File Size and Performance: D3.js has a larger file size due to its extensive features and flexibility. This can impact the loading time of the website, especially when dealing with large datasets. Lightweight Charts, being more specialized and focused on financial charting, has a smaller file size and is optimized for performance, making it a better choice for applications where file size and performance are critical.

D3.js vs Lightweight Charts

Overview