smoothie

Pros of Chart.js

• More comprehensive and feature-rich, offering a wide variety of chart types
• Extensive documentation and large community support
• Responsive and mobile-friendly by default

Cons of Chart.js

• Larger file size, which may impact page load times
• Steeper learning curve due to more complex API and configuration options
• May be overkill for simple, real-time data visualization needs

Code Comparison

Smoothie example:

var chart = new SmoothieChart();
var canvas = document.getElementById('mycanvas');
chart.addTimeSeries(dataSeries, { strokeStyle: 'rgba(0, 255, 0, 1)', fillStyle: 'rgba(0, 255, 0, 0.2)', lineWidth: 4 });
chart.streamTo(canvas, 500);

Chart.js example:

var ctx = document.getElementById('myChart').getContext('2d');
var chart = new Chart(ctx, {
    type: 'line',
    data: { datasets: [{ data: [] }] },
    options: { scales: { xAxes: [{ type: 'realtime' }] } }
});

Smoothie is focused on real-time, streaming data visualization with a simpler API, while Chart.js offers a more comprehensive charting solution with various chart types and customization options. Smoothie is lighter and easier to set up for real-time data, whereas Chart.js provides more flexibility and features at the cost of increased complexity and file size.

Pros of Plotly.js

• More comprehensive and feature-rich, offering a wide range of chart types and customization options
• Better support for interactive and responsive visualizations
• Larger community and more frequent updates

Cons of Plotly.js

• Larger file size and potentially slower performance for simple real-time charts
• Steeper learning curve due to its extensive API and options
• May be overkill for basic streaming data visualization needs

Code Comparison

Smoothie:

var chart = new SmoothieChart();
var canvas = document.getElementById('mycanvas');
chart.addTimeSeries(myTimeSeries);
chart.streamTo(canvas, 1000);

Plotly.js:

Plotly.newPlot('myDiv', [{
  y: [1, 2, 3].map(Math.random),
  type: 'line'
}]);

setInterval(function() {
  Plotly.extendTraces('myDiv', { y: [[Math.random()]] }, [0]);
}, 1000);

Both libraries allow for real-time data visualization, but Plotly.js offers more complex chart types and customization at the cost of a more verbose setup. Smoothie is more straightforward for simple streaming charts, while Plotly.js provides a broader range of visualization options and interactivity.

Pros of D3

• More comprehensive and versatile for data visualization
• Larger community and ecosystem with extensive documentation
• Supports a wide range of chart types and complex visualizations

Cons of D3

• Steeper learning curve due to its extensive API
• Heavier library size, which may impact page load times
• Requires more code for simple visualizations

Code Comparison

Smoothie (creating a time series chart):

var chart = new SmoothieChart();
var canvas = document.getElementById('mycanvas');
chart.addTimeSeries(dataSeries);
chart.streamTo(canvas, 1000);

D3 (creating a simple line chart):

var svg = d3.select("svg");
var line = d3.line().x(d => x(d.date)).y(d => y(d.value));
svg.append("path")
    .datum(data)
    .attr("d", line);

Summary

Smoothie is focused on real-time streaming data visualization, making it simpler for specific use cases. D3 offers a more powerful and flexible toolkit for creating various types of data visualizations but requires more setup and knowledge to use effectively. Choose Smoothie for quick, real-time charts, and D3 for more complex or diverse visualization needs.

Pros of Highcharts

• More comprehensive and feature-rich, offering a wide variety of chart types
• Extensive documentation and community support
• Better suited for complex, interactive visualizations

Cons of Highcharts

• Larger file size and potentially slower performance for simple charts
• Commercial license required for most use cases
• Steeper learning curve due to more extensive API

Code Comparison

Smoothie (creating a simple time series chart):

var chart = new SmoothieChart();
var canvas = document.getElementById('mycanvas');
chart.streamTo(canvas, 1000);

var line1 = new TimeSeries();
setInterval(function() {
  line1.append(new Date().getTime(), Math.random());
}, 1000);
chart.addTimeSeries(line1);

Highcharts (creating a simple time series chart):

Highcharts.chart('container', {
  series: [{
    data: (function() {
      var data = [], time = (new Date()).getTime(), i;
      for (i = -19; i <= 0; i += 1) {
        data.push([time + i * 1000, Math.random()]);
      }
      return data;
    }())
  }]
});

Summary

Smoothie is lightweight and focused on real-time streaming charts, making it ideal for simple, performance-critical applications. Highcharts offers a more comprehensive charting solution with a wider range of chart types and customization options, but comes with a larger footprint and commercial licensing requirements.