cytoscape vs vis-network vs @antv/g6 vs mxgraph
Graph Visualization Libraries Comparison
1 Year
cytoscapevis-network@antv/g6mxgraphSimilar Packages:
What's Graph Visualization Libraries?

Graph visualization libraries are essential tools for developers looking to represent complex data structures in a visually comprehensible manner. These libraries provide functionalities to create, manipulate, and display graphs and networks, enabling users to explore relationships and hierarchies within data. Each library has its unique strengths, catering to different use cases such as performance, interactivity, and ease of integration with other frameworks. Choosing the right library can significantly impact the user experience and the effectiveness of data representation in applications.

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cytoscape1,088,19210,2745.32 MB13a month agoMIT
vis-network119,5763,16646.7 MB335a year ago(Apache-2.0 OR MIT)
@antv/g6118,06811,3306.89 MB15811 days agoMIT
mxgraph27,1666,850-04 years agoApache-2.0
Feature Comparison: cytoscape vs vis-network vs @antv/g6 vs mxgraph

Customization

  • cytoscape:

    Cytoscape offers a high degree of customization through its stylesheet system, enabling users to define styles for nodes and edges based on data attributes. This feature is particularly useful for creating visually distinct representations of different data types.

  • vis-network:

    vis-network supports basic customization options, allowing users to modify node and edge styles easily. While it may not be as flexible as G6 or Cytoscape, it provides enough customization for straightforward network visualizations.

  • @antv/g6:

    G6 provides extensive customization options, allowing developers to define their own shapes, styles, and behaviors for nodes and edges. This flexibility makes it ideal for applications that require unique visual representations and interactions.

  • mxgraph:

    mxGraph allows for significant customization, especially in terms of diagramming elements. Users can create custom shapes and define their own interaction logic, making it suitable for specialized applications like flowcharts and UML diagrams.

Performance

  • cytoscape:

    Cytoscape is also built for performance, particularly in handling large datasets. It employs techniques like incremental rendering and efficient layout algorithms to maintain responsiveness, making it suitable for extensive biological networks.

  • vis-network:

    vis-network is designed for real-time performance, making it ideal for applications that require dynamic updates to visualizations. Its efficient rendering ensures that changes in data are reflected immediately without lag.

  • @antv/g6:

    G6 is optimized for performance, capable of handling large graphs with thousands of nodes and edges efficiently. Its rendering engine is designed to minimize reflows and repaints, ensuring smooth interactions even with complex visualizations.

  • mxgraph:

    mxGraph is known for its performance in rendering diagrams quickly, even with complex structures. Its lightweight architecture ensures that applications remain responsive, even when dealing with intricate flowcharts and diagrams.

Interactivity

  • cytoscape:

    Cytoscape offers a variety of interactive features, such as zooming, panning, and context menus. It allows for the creation of interactive visualizations that can respond to user inputs effectively, enhancing data exploration.

  • vis-network:

    vis-network is user-friendly and supports basic interactivity like dragging nodes and zooming in/out. While it may not offer as many advanced interactive features as G6 or Cytoscape, it is sufficient for straightforward network visualizations.

  • @antv/g6:

    G6 excels in providing rich interactivity features, including drag-and-drop functionality, tooltips, and custom event handling. This makes it suitable for applications where user interaction is essential for data exploration.

  • mxgraph:

    mxGraph provides interactive capabilities focused on diagram editing, allowing users to manipulate elements directly on the canvas. This is particularly useful for applications that require user-driven diagram creation and editing.

Integration

  • cytoscape:

    Cytoscape can be integrated with other libraries and frameworks, and it has plugins available for various environments. Its flexibility makes it suitable for diverse applications, especially in the biological sciences.

  • vis-network:

    vis-network is straightforward to integrate into web applications, with a simple API and minimal setup required. It is particularly suitable for projects that need quick implementation without extensive configuration.

  • @antv/g6:

    G6 integrates well with various front-end frameworks like React and Vue, making it easy to incorporate into modern web applications. Its modular architecture allows for seamless integration with other libraries and tools.

  • mxgraph:

    mxGraph is designed to be embedded into web applications easily, providing a comprehensive API for integration. It can work with various back-end technologies, making it versatile for different use cases.

Learning Curve

  • cytoscape:

    Cytoscape has a steeper learning curve, especially for users unfamiliar with graph theory concepts. However, its documentation and community support can help ease the learning process.

  • vis-network:

    vis-network is known for its low learning curve, making it accessible for beginners. Its simple API and comprehensive documentation allow developers to get started quickly and create visualizations with minimal effort.

  • @antv/g6:

    G6 has a moderate learning curve due to its extensive features and customization options. Developers may need to invest time in understanding its API and capabilities to fully leverage its potential.

  • mxgraph:

    mxGraph is relatively easy to learn for developers familiar with diagramming concepts. Its API is straightforward, allowing users to quickly implement basic functionalities without extensive prior knowledge.

How to Choose: cytoscape vs vis-network vs @antv/g6 vs mxgraph
  • cytoscape:

    Opt for Cytoscape if you are working on biological data visualization or need a robust library with extensive support for graph theory algorithms. It excels in handling large datasets and offers a rich ecosystem of extensions.

  • vis-network:

    Use vis-network for its simplicity and ease of use, especially for projects that require quick implementation of network visualizations. It is well-suited for real-time data visualization and has a user-friendly API.

  • @antv/g6:

    Choose G6 if you need a highly customizable graph visualization library that supports complex graph structures and interactions. It is particularly suitable for applications requiring advanced features like layout algorithms and animations.

  • mxgraph:

    Select mxGraph if you require a mature library with a focus on diagramming and flowchart capabilities. It is ideal for applications that need to create interactive diagrams and has a strong emphasis on performance and flexibility.

README for cytoscape

GitHub repo Ask a question with Phind News and tutorials License npm DOI npm installs Automated tests Extensions Cloudflare

Created at the University of Toronto and published in Oxford Bioinformatics (2016, 2023).
Authored by: Max Franz, Christian Lopes, Dylan Fong, Mike Kucera, ..., Gary Bader

Cytoscape.js

Graph theory (network) library for visualisation and analysis : https://js.cytoscape.org

Description

Cytoscape.js is a fully featured graph theory library. Do you need to model and/or visualise relational data, like biological data or social networks? If so, Cytoscape.js is just what you need.

Cytoscape.js contains a graph theory model and an optional renderer to display interactive graphs. This library was designed to make it as easy as possible for programmers and scientists to use graph theory in their apps, whether it's for server-side analysis in a Node.js app or for a rich user interface.

You can get started with Cytoscape.js with one line:

var cy = cytoscape({ elements: myElements, container: myDiv });

Learn more about the features of Cytoscape.js by reading its documentation.

Example

The Tokyo railway stations network can be visualised with Cytoscape:

A live demo and source code are available for the Tokyo railway stations graph. More demos are available in the documentation.

Documentation

You can find the documentation and downloads on the project website.

Roadmap

Future versions of Cytoscape.js are planned in the milestones of the Github issue tracker. You can use the milestones to see what's currently planned for future releases.

Contributing to Cytoscape.js

Would you like to become a Cytoscape.js contributor? You can contribute in technical roles (e.g. features, testing) or non-technical roles (e.g. documentation, outreach), depending on your interests. Get in touch with us by posting a GitHub discussion.

For the mechanics of contributing a pull request, refer to CONTRIBUTING.md.

Feature releases are made monthly, while patch releases are made weekly. This allows for rapid releases of first- and third-party contributions.

Citation

To cite Cytoscape.js in a paper, please cite the Oxford Bioinformatics issue:

Cytoscape.js: a graph theory library for visualisation and analysis

Franz M, Lopes CT, Huck G, Dong Y, Sumer O, Bader GD

Bioinformatics (2016) 32 (2): 309-311 first published online September 28, 2015 doi:10.1093/bioinformatics/btv557 (PDF)

Build dependencies

Install node and npm. Run npm install before using npm run.

Build instructions

Run npm run <target> in the console. The main targets are:

Building:

  • build: do all builds of the library (umd, min, umd, esm)
  • build:min : do the unminified build with bundled dependencies (for simple html pages, good for novices)
  • build:umd : do the umd (cjs/amd/globals) build
  • build:esm : do the esm (ES 2015 modules) build
  • clean : clean the build directory
  • docs : build the docs into documentation
  • release : build all release artifacts
  • watch : automatically build lib for debugging (with sourcemap, no babel, very quick)
    • good for general testing on debug/index.html
    • served on http://localhost:8080 or the first available port thereafter, with livereload on debug/index.html
  • watch:babel : automatically build lib for debugging (with sourcemap, with babel, a bit slower)
    • good for testing performance or for testing out of date browsers
    • served on http://localhost:8080 or the first available port thereafter, with livereload on debug/index.html
  • watch:umd : automatically build prod umd bundle (no sourcemap, with babel)
    • good for testing cytoscape in another project (with a "cytoscape": "file:./path/to/cytoscape" reference in your project's package.json)
    • no http server
  • dist : update the distribution js for npm etc.

Testing:

The default test scripts run directly against the source code. Tests can alternatively be run on a built bundle. The library can be built on node>=6, but the library's bundle can be tested on node>=0.10.

  • test : run all testing & linting
  • test:js : run the mocha tests on the public API of the lib (directly on source files)
    • npm run test:js -- -g "my test name" runs tests on only the matching test cases
  • test:build : run the mocha tests on the public API of the lib (on a built bundle)
    • npm run build should be run beforehand on a recent version of node
    • npm run test:build -- -g "my test name" runs build tests on only the matching test cases
  • test:modules : run unit tests on private, internal API
    • npm run test:modules -- -g "my test name" runs modules tests on only the matching test cases
  • lint : lint the js sources via eslint
  • benchmark : run all benchmarks
  • benchmark:single : run benchmarks only for the suite specified in benchmark/single

Release instructions

Background

  • Ensure that a milestone exists for the release you want to make, with all the issues for that release assigned in the milestone.
  • Bug fixes should be applied to both the master and unstable branches. PRs can go on either branch, with the patch applied to the other branch after merging.
  • When a patch release is made concurrently with a feature release, the patch release should be made first. Wait 5 minutes after the patch release completes before starting the feature release -- otherwise Zenodo doesn't pick up releases properly.

Patch version

  1. Go to Actions > Patch release
  2. Go to the 'Run workflow' dropdown
  3. [Optional] The 'master' branch should be preselected for you
  4. Press the green 'Run workflow' button
  5. Close the milestone for the release

Feature version

  1. Go to Actions > Feature release
  2. Go to the 'Run workflow' dropdown
  3. [Optional] The 'unstable' branch should be preselected for you
  4. Press the green 'Run workflow' button
  5. Close the milestone for the release
  6. Make the release announcement on the blog

Notes on GitHub Actions UI

  • 'Use workflow from' in the GitHub UI selects the branch from which the workflow YML file is selected. Since the workflow files should usually be the same on the master and unstable branches, it shouldn't matter what's selected.
  • 'Branch to run the action on' in the GitHub UI is preselected for you. You don't need to change it.

Tests

Mocha tests are found in the test directory. The tests can be run in the browser or they can be run via Node.js (npm run test:js).