Chart.js vs ECharts: Popular JavaScript Charting Libraries Comparison
Both Chart.js and ECharts are JavaScript libraries that help developers create beautiful charts and graphs on websites. Chart.js is known for being simpler and easier to learn, perfect for basic charts, while ECharts offers more complex visualizations and features. These libraries are commonly used when you need to turn data into visual graphs, like pie charts, bar graphs, or line charts on dashboards.
Detailed Comparison
Technical Analysis
featureComparison
Both libraries support various chart types, including line, bar, pie, and scatter charts. However, echarts has more advanced features like 3D charts, heatmaps, and treemaps. Chart.js has better support for animations and transitions.
typescriptSupport
Both libraries have TypeScript definitions and are compatible with TypeScript projects.
browserCompatibility
Both libraries support modern browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. Chart.js also supports older browsers like IE11.
dependencies
Chart.js has no dependencies, while echarts depends on zrender, a graphics rendering library.
performance
Chart.js is generally faster and more lightweight, making it suitable for large datasets. Echarts is more feature-rich but can be slower for complex charts.
Ecosystem Analysis
frameworkCompatibility
Both libraries are compatible with popular frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue.js.
communityActivity
Chart.js has a more active community, with more contributors and issues closed on GitHub. Echarts has a larger community in terms of stars and forks.
documentationQuality
Both libraries have good documentation, but chart.js has more detailed and up-to-date documentation.
maintenanceStatus
Both libraries are actively maintained, with regular updates and bug fixes.
Performance Comparison
bundleSizeAnalysis
runtimePerformance
loadingTime
memoryUsage
Code Examples
Simple Line Chart with Chart.js
1const ctx = document.getElementById('chart').getContext('2d');
2new Chart(ctx, {
3 type: 'line',
4 data: {
5 labels: ['Jan', 'Feb', 'Mar'],
6 datasets: [{
7 label: 'Sales',
8 data: [100, 200, 300],
9 backgroundColor: 'rgba(255, 99, 132, 0.2)'
10 }]
11 }
12});This code creates a simple line chart with Chart.js, displaying sales data for January, February, and March.
Simple Bar Chart with ECharts
1const chartDom = document.getElementById('chart');
2const myChart = echarts.init(chartDom);
3const option = {
4 xAxis: {
5 type: 'category',
6 data: ['Jan', 'Feb', 'Mar']
7 },
8 yAxis: {},
9 series: [{
10 data: [100, 200, 300],
11 type: 'bar'
12 }]
13};
14myChart.setOption(option);This code creates a simple bar chart with ECharts, displaying sales data for January, February, and March.
Recommendation
Summary
Both libraries are suitable for creating charts, but Chart.js is a better choice for simple, lightweight charts, while ECharts is better for complex, feature-rich charts.
Details
- Chart.js is more lightweight and faster, making it suitable for large datasets.
- ECharts has more advanced features, making it suitable for complex, interactive charts.
Similar Packages
Plotly.js
A comprehensive charting library that creates beautiful interactive charts. It includes scientific charts, 3D graphs, and statistical tools built-in.
Like Chart.js and ECharts, it offers ready-to-use charts but with more scientific and statistical features. It's particularly good for dashboards and data science applications.
Interactive Charting LibraryApexCharts
Modern charting library that creates interactive visualizations with smooth animations. It works well on mobile devices and offers many customization options.
Similar feature set to Chart.js but with better animations and modern design. It's particularly good for creating responsive charts for mobile-first applications.
Interactive Charting LibraryD3.js
A powerful JavaScript library for creating custom data visualizations in the browser. It gives you complete control over how your charts look and behave by manipulating web elements (SVG, Canvas, HTML).
While it has a steeper learning curve than Chart.js, D3.js offers much more flexibility and control. It's perfect when you need highly customized charts that Chart.js or ECharts can't provide out of the box.
Data Visualization LibraryHighcharts
Professional-grade charting library with extensive features and chart types. While it requires a license for commercial use, it's free for personal and non-profit projects.
More feature-rich than Chart.js and ECharts, with excellent documentation and support. It's particularly good for enterprise applications where reliability and support are crucial.
Enterprise Charting LibraryVictory
A React-specific charting library that makes it easy to add charts to React applications. It provides simple components that work well with React's component model.
Great alternative if you're working specifically with React. It follows React patterns and is easier to integrate with React applications than Chart.js or ECharts.
React Charting LibraryDocumentation
All the links point to the new version 4 of the lib.
- Introduction
- Getting Started
- General
- Configuration
- Charts
- Axes
- Developers
- Popular Extensions
- Samples
In case you are looking for an older version of the docs, you will have to specify the specific version in the url like this: https://www.chartjs.org/docs/2.9.4/
Contributing
Instructions on building and testing Chart.js can be found in the documentation. Before submitting an issue or a pull request, please take a moment to look over the contributing guidelines first. For support, please post questions on Stack Overflow with the chart.js tag.
License
Chart.js is available under the MIT license.
