Plotlyjsstä

Plotly.js is an open-source JavaScript library for creating interactive charts in web browsers. It is the core rendering engine behind Plotly’s charting platform and is maintained by Plotly, Inc., with contributions from the broader open-source community. The library renders charts from a declarative figure specification—a JSON-like object that separates data traces from layout settings.

Plotly.js supports dozens of trace types, including scatter, line, bar, histogram, heatmap, contour, surface, and 3D plots, as well as geographic maps. Charts are interactive by default and provide features such as zooming and panning, hover tooltips, selections, and annotations. Figures can be embedded in web pages or used with frameworks like React, Angular, or Vue through Plotly.js.

Rendering is achieved primarily with SVG for most traces and with WebGL for large datasets or specific trace types (such as scattergl or mesh3d). The library relies on D3.js for scales and axes, and uses Plotly’s own layout and trace models to compose complex charts.

Data for Plotly.js is organized as a data array of traces and a layout object; a separate config object controls interactivity and behavior. The library can be used via a script tag, or installed via npm and integrated into modern web applications.

Plotly.js is distributed under the MIT License and is developed on GitHub by Plotly, Inc., with ongoing contributions from the community. It interfaces with Plotly’s Python and R libraries, forming a cross-language ecosystem for interactive data visualization.