D3.js
It is a JavaScript library which is used for manipulating documents which are based on data.It uses HTML, SVG, and CSS. It gives you the full capabilities of modern browsers without tying yourself to a proprietary framework, combining powerful visualization components and a data-driven approach to DOM manipulation.
You can use D3 to generate an HTML table from an array of number or, use the same data to create an interactive SVG bar chart with smooth transitions and interaction.
It is not a monolithic framework which seeks to provide every conceivable feature instead it helps in efficient manipulation of documents based on data. This helps in avoiding proprietary representation and affords extraordinary flexibility, exposing the full capabilities of web standards such as HTML, SVG, and CSS. With minimal overhead, D3 is extremely fast, supporting large datasets and dynamic behaviors for interaction and animation. D3s functional style allows code reuse through a diverse collection of official and community developed modules.
D3 Features
- Uses Web Standards
- Data Driven
- DOM Manipulation
- Data Driven Elements
- Dynamic Properties
- Types of visualization
- Custom Visualizations
- Transitions
- Interaction and animation
Some chart examples
Barchart
Pie chart
Advantages of D3
- D3.js is a Javascript library. So, it can be used with any JS framework of your choice like Angular.js, React.js or Ember.js.
- D3 focuses on data, so it is the most appropriate and specialized tool for data visualizations.
- D3 is open-source. So you can work with the source code and add your own features.
- It works with web standards so you don't need any other technology or plugin other than a browser to make use of D3.
- D3 works with web standards like HTML, CSS and SVG, there is no new learning or debugging tool required to work on D3.
- D3 does not provide any specific feature, so it gives you complete control over your visualization to customize it the way you want. This gives it an edge over other popular tools like Tableau or QlikView.
- Since D3 is lightweight, and works directly with web standards, it is extremely fast and works well with large datasets.